Theory of mind development is impaired in 4-year-old children with prenatal exposure to maternal tobacco smoking.
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Date
2013-01
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Abstract
Aims: Theory of Mind (ToM) is an important component of social cognition. Deficits in
ToM are found in various neurodevelopmental disorders and social and environmental
factors have been found to influence ToM development. Little previous research has
focused on effects of exposure to toxins; this report examines the impact of tobacco.
Place of Study: Department of Psychiatry, University of Colorado School of Medicine,
between April 2006 – August 2012.
Methodology: 101 children, 18 with prenatal exposure to tobacco, underwent ToM
testing at 40 (n=89) and 48 (n=77) months of age. Test questions received dichotomous
pass/fail scores and percentage of correct responses was utilized as the primary
dependent variable.
Results: At 40 months of age children were rarely able to correctly answer false belief
questions and there were no significant differences according to prenatal tobacco
exposure. At 48 months of age, there was a significant effect of prenatal tobacco
exposure with non-exposed 48-month-olds correctly answering 45±40.6% of content false
belief questions correctly, compared to 13.9±25.3% for 48-month-olds with prenatal
tobacco exposure (F=4.79, df= 1,73, p=.032).
Conclusion: ToM abilities are rapidly developing between 40 and 48 months of age.
Prenatal exposure to tobacco is associated with impairment at 48 but not 40 months of age. This finding supports consideration of nicotinic mechanisms as contributors to early
development of social cognition.
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Keywords
Social cognition, theory of mind, pregnancy, tobacco, smoking
Citation
Reidy Rosemary E, Ross Randal G, Hunter Sharon K. Theory of mind development is impaired in 4-year-old children with prenatal exposure to maternal tobacco smoking. International Neuropsychiatric Disease Journal. 2013 Jan-Jun; 1(1): 24-34.