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Continuities in maternal substance use from early adolescence to parenthood: findings from the intergenerational cohort consortium

Published online by Cambridge University Press:  08 October 2021

Kimberly C. Thomson Open the ORCID record for Kimberly C. Thomson [Opens in a new window] ,
Christopher J. Greenwood ,
Primrose Letcher Open the ORCID record for Primrose Letcher [Opens in a new window] ,
Elizabeth A. Spry Open the ORCID record for Elizabeth A. Spry [Opens in a new window] ,
Jacqui A. Macdonald Open the ORCID record for Jacqui A. Macdonald [Opens in a new window] ,
Helena M. McAnally Open the ORCID record for Helena M. McAnally [Opens in a new window] ,
Lindsey A. Hines Open the ORCID record for Lindsey A. Hines [Opens in a new window] ,
George J. Youssef ,
Jennifer E. McIntosh  and
Delyse Hutchinson Open the ORCID record for Delyse Hutchinson [Opens in a new window]
...Show all authors
Kimberly C. Thomson*
Affiliation:
Faculty of Health, Deakin University, Centre for Social and Early Emotional Development, School of Psychology, Geelong, Victoria, Australia University of British Columbia, Human Early Learning Partnership, School of Population and Public Health, Vancouver, British Columbia, Canada Centre for Health Evaluation and Outcome Sciences, Providence Health Care Research Institute, Vancouver, British Columbia, Canada
Christopher J. Greenwood
Affiliation:
Faculty of Health, Deakin University, Centre for Social and Early Emotional Development, School of Psychology, Geelong, Victoria, Australia Murdoch Children's Research Institute, Centre for Adolescent Health, The Royal Children's Hospital Campus, Parkville, Victoria, Australia
Primrose Letcher
Affiliation:
Faculty of Health, Deakin University, Centre for Social and Early Emotional Development, School of Psychology, Geelong, Victoria, Australia Murdoch Children's Research Institute, Centre for Adolescent Health, The Royal Children's Hospital Campus, Parkville, Victoria, Australia Department of Paediatrics, Faculty of Medicine, Dentistry and Health Sciences, University of Melbourne, The Royal Children's Hospital Campus, Parkville, Victoria, Australia
Elizabeth A. Spry
Affiliation:
Faculty of Health, Deakin University, Centre for Social and Early Emotional Development, School of Psychology, Geelong, Victoria, Australia Murdoch Children's Research Institute, Centre for Adolescent Health, The Royal Children's Hospital Campus, Parkville, Victoria, Australia
Jacqui A. Macdonald
Affiliation:
Faculty of Health, Deakin University, Centre for Social and Early Emotional Development, School of Psychology, Geelong, Victoria, Australia Murdoch Children's Research Institute, Centre for Adolescent Health, The Royal Children's Hospital Campus, Parkville, Victoria, Australia Department of Paediatrics, Faculty of Medicine, Dentistry and Health Sciences, University of Melbourne, The Royal Children's Hospital Campus, Parkville, Victoria, Australia
Helena M. McAnally
Affiliation:
Department of Preventive and Social Medicine, University of Otago, Dunedin, New Zealand
Lindsey A. Hines
Affiliation:
Centre for Academic Mental Health, Population Health Sciences Institute, University of Bristol, Bristol, UK Integrative Epidemiology Unit, Population Health Sciences Institute, University of Bristol, Bristol, UK
George J. Youssef
Affiliation:
Faculty of Health, Deakin University, Centre for Social and Early Emotional Development, School of Psychology, Geelong, Victoria, Australia Murdoch Children's Research Institute, Centre for Adolescent Health, The Royal Children's Hospital Campus, Parkville, Victoria, Australia
Jennifer E. McIntosh
Affiliation:
Faculty of Health, Deakin University, Centre for Social and Early Emotional Development, School of Psychology, Geelong, Victoria, Australia Murdoch Children's Research Institute, Centre for Adolescent Health, The Royal Children's Hospital Campus, Parkville, Victoria, Australia Department of Paediatrics, Faculty of Medicine, Dentistry and Health Sciences, University of Melbourne, The Royal Children's Hospital Campus, Parkville, Victoria, Australia Department of Psychology, La Trobe University, The Bouverie Centre, Melbourne, Victoria, Australia
Delyse Hutchinson
Affiliation:
Faculty of Health, Deakin University, Centre for Social and Early Emotional Development, School of Psychology, Geelong, Victoria, Australia Murdoch Children's Research Institute, Centre for Adolescent Health, The Royal Children's Hospital Campus, Parkville, Victoria, Australia Department of Paediatrics, Faculty of Medicine, Dentistry and Health Sciences, University of Melbourne, The Royal Children's Hospital Campus, Parkville, Victoria, Australia Faculty of Medicine, University of New South Wales, National Drug and Alcohol Research Centre, Sydney, New South Wales, Australia
Robert J. Hancox
Affiliation:
Department of Preventive and Social Medicine, University of Otago, Dunedin, New Zealand
George C. Patton
Affiliation:
Murdoch Children's Research Institute, Centre for Adolescent Health, The Royal Children's Hospital Campus, Parkville, Victoria, Australia Department of Paediatrics, Faculty of Medicine, Dentistry and Health Sciences, University of Melbourne, The Royal Children's Hospital Campus, Parkville, Victoria, Australia
Craig A. Olsson
Affiliation:
Faculty of Health, Deakin University, Centre for Social and Early Emotional Development, School of Psychology, Geelong, Victoria, Australia Murdoch Children's Research Institute, Centre for Adolescent Health, The Royal Children's Hospital Campus, Parkville, Victoria, Australia Department of Paediatrics, Faculty of Medicine, Dentistry and Health Sciences, University of Melbourne, The Royal Children's Hospital Campus, Parkville, Victoria, Australia
*
Author for correspondence: Kimberly C. Thomson, E-mail: kimberly.thomson@ubc.ca
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Abstract

Background

This study assessed the extent to which women's preconception binge drinking, tobacco use and cannabis use, reported prospectively in adolescence and young adulthood, predicted use of these substances during pregnancy and at 1 year postpartum.

Methods

Data were pooled from two intergenerational cohort studies: the Australian Temperament Project Generation 3 Study (395 mothers, 691 pregnancies) and the Victorian Intergenerational Health Cohort Study (398 mothers, 609 pregnancies). Alcohol, tobacco and cannabis use were assessed in adolescence (13–18 years), young adulthood (19–29 years) and at ages 29–35 years for those transitioning to parenthood. Exposures were weekly or more frequent preconception binge drinking (5 + drinks in one session), tobacco use and cannabis use. Outcomes were any alcohol, tobacco and cannabis use prior to awareness of the pregnancy, after awareness of pregnancy (up to and including the third trimester pregnancy) and at 1 year postpartum.

Results

Frequent preconception binge drinking, tobacco use and cannabis use across both adolescence and young adulthood were strong predictors of continued use post-conception, before and after awareness of the pregnancy and at 1 year postpartum. Substance use limited to young adulthood also predicted continued use post-conception.

Conclusions

Persistent alcohol, tobacco use and cannabis use that starts in adolescence has a strong continuity into parenthood. Reducing substance use in the perinatal period requires action well before pregnancy, commencing in adolescence and continuing into the years before conception and throughout the perinatal period.

Keywords

Adolescencecohort studiesintergenerationallongitudinal data analysissubstance use

Information

Type
Original Article
Information
Psychological Medicine , Volume 53 , Issue 5 , April 2023 , pp. 2136 - 2145
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Copyright
Copyright © The Author(s), 2021. Published by Cambridge University Press

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Footnotes

*

Joint senior authors.

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