Prenatal drug exposure and play and coping in toddlers: A comparison study

Abstract

This investigation was designed to determine if differences exist (a) in the behavioral organization strategies and symbolic representational abilities of prenatally drug-exposed toddlers versus toddlers not exposed prenatally to drugs and (b) in the perceptions of prenatally drug-using and drug-free mothers regarding their child's coping behaviors. Significant group differences were observed on measures assessing quality of toddler free play and negative affect, with the drug-exposed group playing at age-appropriate levels less frequently and for shorter bouts of time, as well as exhibiting more irritability during play, than the non-drug-exposed group. Mothers of drug-exposed toddlers perceived their children as less adaptable and more difficult than did comparison mothers, and these perceptions correlated with child behavioral measures. Methodological issues, and the potential role of prenatal drug exposure, postnatal rearing environments, and/or genetic processes as causal mechanisms for group differences, are discussed.