Prenatal Substance Exposure

Abstract

This is an evaluative review of the field of prenatal substance exposure, with a focus on neurobiological and behavioral outcomes from infancy to young adulthood. We provide an overall evaluation of the state of the field and comment on current conceptual and methodological issues in need of attention. Although there are many studies of prenatal substance exposure, developmental frameworks that incorporate and reflect the lived experiences of children and families have seldom been employed in this field. In addition, although there are some common effects (e.g., on fetal growth) between major substances, there are also unique effects. Thus, we discuss the role of specific substances but note that polysubstance exposure is common, and models and methods used to date may not be sufficient to advance understanding of coexposure or polyexposure effects. We discuss these conceptual and methodological weaknesses and provide suggestions for future directions.