Abstract
Cigarette smoking and alcohol consumption during pregnancy can have detrimental effects on the developing fetus, including fetal alcohol syndrome and low birth weight. Surprisingly little is known about the association of personality traits with smoking and alcohol consumption in the specific subpopulation of pregnant women. This study analyzed data from a geographically diverse sample of 603 pregnant women, aged 18 years and older, who provided information regarding their smoking and drinking habits before and during pregnancy. We compared women who consumed alcohol or smoked cigarettes before pregnancy with women who quit or continued smoking or drinking during pregnancy. Associations between personality and maladaptive behaviors prior to and during pregnancy were modeled using logistic regression. The study revealed that women who scored high on openness to experience were significantly more likely to continue alcohol consumption during pregnancy (OR = 1.07, 95% CI 1.01, 1.14, p = .02). This association was maintained after adjusting for potential confounds. This study demonstrated a significant relationship between personality traits and women’s likelihood of continued alcohol consumption prior to and during pregnancy. Understanding personality-based determinants of health-detrimental behavior is important in order to design interventions that aim at decreasing rates of maladaptive health behaviors among pregnant women.
Highlights
The rationale for encouraging pregnant women to avoid smoking and consuming alcohol is compelling
The study population comes from the Measures of Maternal Stress (MOMS) Study, a substudy of the National Children’s Study (NCS), which aimed to optimize the measurement of stress and key correlates of stress in women during pregnancy
The sample for the current study was composed of 603 pregnant women who ranged in age from 18 to 50 years (M = 29.5, SD = 5.7)
Summary
The rationale for encouraging pregnant women to avoid smoking and consuming alcohol is compelling. One largely unexplored avenue for identifying who is at risk for these detrimental behaviors is the identification of personality traits. These traits are well-known predictors of smoking and excessive drinking, they have not been well studied in the context of pregnancy. We examined these associations within a large sample of pregnant women. A systematic review of cross-sectional and longitudinal studies revealed that there is an association between maternal smoking during pregnancy and an increased risk for attention deficit hyperactivity disorder (ADHD) and developing adolescent-onset drug dependence [7]. Even low levels of alcohol consumption (less than one drink per week) may cause adverse neurobehavioral effects [11, 12]. The American Congress of Obstetricians and Gynecologists (ACOG), the American Academy of Pediatrics, and other national and international medical societies (e.g., Centers for Disease Control and Prevention) recommend that women should avoid alcohol entirely while pregnant or trying to become pregnant [13,14]
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