Children of mums-to-be who drink during their pregnancy are more likely to grow up to be badly behaved teenagers, finds new research
Alcohol in pregnancy has been linked to aggressive teens
Drinking alcohol in pregnancy has been linked to an increased likelihood of having unruly teenagers, a new study has found.
Teenagers whose mums drank a single alcoholic drink a day in early pregnancy were found to be three times as likely to have a “conduct disorder”. This is defined as a pattern of behavioural problems including aggression, serious rule breaking, deceitfulness and destruction of property.
Nearly 600 children were followed from birth to the age of 16 in the research. Those who were exposed to alcohol in the womb were more likely to develop behavioural problems. But this link was only found if the alcohol exposure was in the first three months of pregnancy.
“From a clinical perspective, prenatal alcohol exposure should be considered as a risk for conduct disorder,” explained the report in the Journal of the American Academy of Child and Adolescent Psychiatry.
Get the low down on drinking in pregnancy and try our tips for cutting out the booze. It’ll be worth it when your family reach the teenage years..!
