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Parental Tobacco Smoking and Caregiving in the Perinatal and Early Infancy Periods

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Abstract

Tobacco use continues to be a prevalent behavior among many mothers and fathers throughout pregnancy and the postpartum period. The current review provides a framework for understanding parental tobacco smoking during a critical period of child development and its potential impact on postpartum caregiving. It is well documented that maternal illicit substance use can compromise caregiving, increasing the risk of child neglect and maltreatment. However, to date, few studies have specifically investigated the impact of tobacco smoking among mothers and fathers during the prenatal and postpartum periods and how parental tobacco smoking may influence postpartum caregiving. We review current literature on parental tobacco smoking, with a predominant focus on mothers who use tobacco, and the potential impact on postpartum caregiving with a view to informing and tailoring tobacco-cessation programs for expectant and new parents who smoke tobacco.

Highlights

  • The continuation of tobacco-use among mothers and fathers during the prenatal and postpartum periods is of significance.

  • Maternal tobacco-use is influenced by paternal tobacco smoking behaviors.

  • Postpartum tobacco-use can lead to suboptimal caregiving behaviors, such as reduced breastfeeding initiation and duration.

  • Maternal tobacco-use has been associated with attenuated perceptual and attentional processing of infant facial cues.

  • Future studies need to examine the specific effects of parental tobacco-use to postpartum caregiving.

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Funding

This work was supported by the Anna Freud Centre (UK), the John Leopold Weil and Geraldine Rickard Weil Memorial Charitable Foundation (USA), the Massage Therapy Foundation, and the National Institute of Health grants R03 DA045289, R21 DA052620, R01 DA040699, and R01 DA026437. Dr. Sandoval received support from Fulbright- García Robles Commission and Consejo Nacional de Ciencia y Tecnología (Conacyt) in México. Dr. Penner received support from T32 MH018268 and F32DA055389. Dr. Potenza also received support from the National Center for Responsible Gaming, the Connecticut Department of Mental Health and Addictions Services and the Connecticut Council on Problem Gambling. The views presented are those of the authors and may not reflect those of the funding agencies who did not have input into the manuscript. None of the funders or sponsors of this research had any involvement in the preparation, review, or the submission of publication of this manuscript.

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Authors and Affiliations

Authors

Contributions

R.C.B.M: Literature Review, Methodology, Writing – Original and Revised Drafts. I.K.S.: Literature Review, Methodology, Writing – Original and Revised Drafts. F.P.: Writing – Reviewing and Editing. L.C.M.: Writing – Reviewing and Editing. M.N.P.: Writing – Reviewing and Editing. S.K.S.: Writing – Reviewing and Editing. H.J.V.R.: Conceptualization, Methodology, Writing – Original and Revised Drafts, Supervision.

Corresponding author

Correspondence to Helena J. V. Rutherford.

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Conflict of interest

Each author signed a form for disclosure of potential conflicts of interest. The authors have no conflicts of interest with respect to the content of this manuscript. Dr. Marc Potenza has received financial support or compensation for the following: Dr. Potenza has consulted for and advised RiverMend Health, Opiant Therapeutics, GameDay Data and the Addiction Policy Forum; has received unrestricted research support from Mohegan Sun Casino and grant support from the National Center for Responsible Gaming; and has consulted for legal and gambling entities on issues related to impulse control disorders and addictions. The other authors report no disclosures.

Ethical Approval

Given this manuscript is a literature review, ethical approval was not required. The authors can confirm that no human subjects were recruited for the purposes of this literature review.

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Martin, R.C.B., Sandoval, I.K., Penner, F. et al. Parental Tobacco Smoking and Caregiving in the Perinatal and Early Infancy Periods. J Child Fam Stud (2024). https://doi.org/10.1007/s10826-024-02800-7

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  • DOI: https://doi.org/10.1007/s10826-024-02800-7

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