Antenatal and perinatal determinants of behaviour in childhood and adolescence: the Western Australian pregnancy cohort (raine) study
Year: 2010
Type: dissertation
Study design: Observational Study
Abstract: Research investigating the impact of maternal exposure to risk in the prenatal period has only recently addressed psychological outcomes. The natural place to start such an analysis is during pregnancy with the factors that influence the antenatal environment and the impact of these factors on health and behavioural outcomes later in life. This thesis commences with an overview of developmental psychology and the developmental origins of health and disease. A number of studies have reviewed the developmental origins of behaviour, with three areas identified within this thesis for further research: the impact of exposure to psychosocial stress during pregnancy; substance use during pregnancy; and hypertensive diseases of pregnancy. The study of ante- and perinatal influences on child and adolescent behavioural development requires prospective data collection, a large sample size, longitudinal follow-up, a population-based cohort and adequate control for confounding. Studies with this capability are rare around the world; however in this thesis data are reported from one such cohort: The Western Australian Pregnancy Cohort (Raine) Study. Chapter Two (Robinson et al., 2008) commences with a review of the methodological limitations that have hampered previous research into the developmental origins of behaviour and then reports a study investigating multiple risk factors for adverse behavioural outcomes in the early years. From this base, Chapter Three (Robinson et al., in press) and Chapter Four (Robinson et al., 2010a) report on two of the most pronounced findings and further explore the role of maternal psychosocial stress experience and maternal smoking in pregnancy. Another common substance exposure in pregnancy is alcohol, and Chapter Five (Robinson et al., 2010b) presents an examination of the influence iv of maternal alcohol consumption during pregnancy and later child and adolescent behavioural outcomes. Finally, Chapter Six (Robinson et al., 2009) focuses on the developmental implications of hypertensive diseases of pregnancy. These are common obstetric complications yet have attracted little research attention in terms of later consequences for the offspring. This thesis concludes with Chapter Seven, a review of the findings and a summary of common mechanisms that are hypothesized to link some of the exposures examined with behavioural development through to adolescence. The implications of the studies reported in this thesis are summarised before a final comment on the future directions for investigation into the antenatal determinants of child and adolescent behaviour.
Author: Monique Robinson
Language: English
Field: Medicine
Domain: Health Sciences
Open Access status: green
OpenAlex ID: W938255674