The association of pre-pregnancy alcohol drinking with child neuropsychological functioning.

objectiveTo examine the effects of pre-pregnancy alcohol drinking on child neuropsychological functioning.

designProspective follow-up study. SETTING AND POPULATION: 154 women and their children sampled from the Danish National Birth Cohort.

methodsParticipants were sampled based on maternal alcohol consumption before pregnancy. At 5 years of age, the children were tested with the Wechsler Preschool and Primary Scale of Intelligence-Revised, the Test of Everyday Attention for Children at Five (TEACh-5), and the Movement Assessment Battery for Children (MABC). The Behaviour Rating Inventory of Executive Function (BRIEF) was completed by the mothers and a preschool teacher. Parental education, maternal IQ, prenatal maternal smoking, child's age at testing, child's sex, and maternal alcohol intake during pregnancy were considered potential confounders.

main outcome measuresPerformance on the Wechsler Preschool and Primary Scale of Intelligence-Revised, the TEACh-5, the MABC, and the BRIEF.

resultsIntake of 15-21 drinks/week on average prior to pregnancy was not associated with any of the outcomes, but intake of ≥22 drinks/week on average was associated with a significantly lower adjusted mean full scale IQ and lower adjusted means in overall attention and sustained attention score, but not in selective attention score or any of the BRIEF index scores or MABC scores.

conclusionsIntake of ≥22 drinks/week before pregnancy was associated with lower mean full scale IQ, overall attention and sustained attention. Assessment of pre-pregnancy drinking provides additional information regarding potential prenatal alcohol exposure and its implications for child neurodevelopment.