Moderate Drinking in First Trimester Causes 3 Fold Increase in Conduct Disorder Risk for Unborn Child

University of Pittsburgh researchers say that mothers who have as little as one drink a day during the first trimester of pregnancy are three times as likely to have children who experience conduct disorder as teens.

Conduct disorder in children and adolescents is characterized by repetitive aggressive, untruthful or socially harmful behaviors. People with conduct disorder are much more likely to engage in violence, cruelty, law breaking and socially destructive acts and are at much greater risk for other mental health disorders, incarceration and substance abuse.

The researchers tracked the pregnancies and childhoods of almost 800 kids, to the age of 16, visiting and assessing/interviewing each child and mother at 8 months, 18 months, and 3 years, 6 years, 10 years of age and 14 years of age. They found that consuming just one drink a day during the first trimester increased the odds of a conduct disorder by approximately 300%. Strict parenting styles were found to reduce the odds of conduct disorders by 10%.

The full study results can be viewed in The Journal of American Academy Child Adolescent Psychiatry