Aggressive behaviour in childhood and adolescence: the role of smoking during pregnancy, evidence from four twin cohorts in the EU-ACTION consortium. Issue 4 (11th June 2018)

• Record Type: Journal Article
• Authors: Malanchini, Margherita; Smith-Woolley, Emily; Ayorech, Ziada; Rimfeld, Kaili; Krapohl, Eva; Vuoksimaa, Eero; Korhonen, Tellervo; Bartels, Meike; van Beijsterveldt, Toos C.E.M.; Rose, Richard J.; Lundström, Sebastian; Anckarsäter, Henrik; Kaprio, Jaakko; Lichtenstein, Paul; Boomsma, Dorret I.; Plomin, Robert
• Is Part Of: Psychological medicine. Volume 49:Issue 4(2019)
• Page Start: 646
• Page End: 654
• Publication Date: 2018-06-11
• Subjects: Adolescence, -- aggression, -- cross-cultural, -- maternal smoking during pregnancy, -- meta-analysis, -- parental aggression, -- paternal smoking, -- perinatal; Psychiatry -- Periodicals; Medicine and psychology -- Periodicals; Clinical psychology -- Periodicals; 616.89
• DOI: 10.1017/S0033291718001344
• Languages: English
• ISSNs: 0033-2917

Abstract

Abstract: Background: Maternal smoking during pregnancy (MSDP) has been linked to offspring's externalizing problems. It has been argued that socio-demographic factors (e.g. maternal age and education), co-occurring environmental risk factors, or pleiotropic genetic effects may account for the association between MSDP and later outcomes. This study provides a comprehensive investigation of the association between MSDP and a single harmonized component of externalizing: aggressive behaviour, measured throughout childhood and adolescence. Methods: Data came from four prospective twin cohorts – Twins Early Development Study, Netherlands Twin Register, Childhood and Adolescent Twin Study of Sweden, and FinnTwin12 study – who collaborate in the EU-ACTION consortium. Data from 30 708 unrelated individuals were analysed. Based on item level data, a harmonized measure of aggression was created at ages 9–10; 12; 14–15 and 16–18. Results: MSDP predicted aggression in childhood and adolescence. A meta-analysis across the four samples found the independent effect of MSDP to be 0.4% ( r = 0.066), this remained consistent when analyses were performed separately by sex. All other perinatal factors combined explained 1.1% of the variance in aggression across all ages and samples ( r = 0.112). Paternal smoking and aggressive parenting strategies did not account for the MSDP-aggression association, consistent with the hypothesis of a small direct link between MSDP and aggression. Conclusions: Perinatal factors, including MSDP, account for a small portion of the variance in aggression in childhood and adolescence. Later experiences may play a greater role in shaping adolescents' aggressive behaviour.