Study to Investigate Cigarette Smoke's Effect on Children

Buffalo, N.Y. -- Prenatal exposure to cigarette smoke and exposure to cigarette smoke over the first two years of life have been associated with emotional, behavioral and learning problems later in childhood.

A new study in the University at Buffalo's Research Institute on Addictions (RIA) will enhance understanding of why children exposed to cigarette smoke might have difficulty with self-regulation of behavior that contributes to such problems.

The project is supported by a $2.8 million award from the National Institute on Drug Abuse to Rina Das Eiden, Ph.D., RIA senior research scientist and research associate professor of pediatrics and psychology in UB's School of Medicine and Biomedical Sciences.

It has been shown that children who were exposed to mothers and other family members who smoked have a poorer ability to develop self-regulation than children not exposed to smoke in the home environment.

This study will measure self-regulation in infancy by examining physiological and behavioral reactions during times of emotional arousal. Self-regulation in toddlers will be measured by observing children's ability to inhibit or control certain behaviors, attention to and compliance with parental rules and their internalization of these rules.

Eiden's co-investigators on the study include Craig Colder, Ph.D., RIA associate research scientist and associate professor in UB's Department of Psychology; Gerard J. Connors, Ph.D., RIA director and research professor in UB's Department of Psychology and School of Social Work; Kenneth E. Leonard, Ph.D., RIA senior research scientist and research professor in UB's Department of Psychiatry; and Pamela Schuetze, Ph.D., RIA associate research scientist and associate professor in Buffalo State College's Department of Psychology.

"The goals of this study include an examination of the direct effects of prenatal and environmental tobacco smoke on the development of children's self-regulation during the first two years of life," Eiden stated. "Because women who smoke cigarettes during pregnancy often continue to smoke after delivery and often have partners and other family members who smoke, both smoking by mothers and smoke in the environment is important to look at."

In addition to potential direct effects of cigarettes, Eiden and colleagues will examine several alternative pathways by which cigarette exposure may impact children's self-regulation.

"One such pathway may be through problems in language development," Eiden explained. "Cigarette exposure affects central auditory processing via the link between auditory processing and nicotine receptor sites -- affecting the acquisition of language. We do know children exposed to cigarette smoke have higher rates of ear infections. By increasing the risk for poor language development, the risk for poor self-regulation may also be increased."

A second pathway may be through maternal stress. Women who smoke cigarettes during pregnancy report higher levels of stress and depression, and these variables may affect the quality of parenting children receive.

"We know parenting contributes to the development of children's self-regulation skills," Eiden concluded. "We anticipate that this study will enrich our understanding of exactly how children's self-regulation skills develop and how any subsequent problems might be alleviated or prevented."

The Research Institute on Addictions has been a leader in the study of addictions since 1970 and a research center of the University at Buffalo since 1999.

The University at Buffalo is a premier research-intensive public university, the largest and most comprehensive campus in the State University of New York.