Teratogens - Ch 9

Which is more common: FAS or FASD?

FASD

What are some examples of teratogens?

Drugs of abuse, prescription medications, environmental contaminants, and diseases.

What are the leading preventable causes of mental retardation / intellectual disability?

FAS and FASD

What is a teratogen?

An agent that causes birth defects by altering the course of typical development.

True or False: There is a direct association between prenatal alcohol exposure and delinquency.

False

When is the period of highest risk on prenatal alcohol damage?

Second half of first trimester (but other times are dangerous too)

What are some FAS facial characteristics?

Small eye openings; smooth philrum (groove above upper lip); thin upper lip; flat nasal bridge, etc

What are three behavioral teratogenic exposures?

Damage to the developing brain, cognitive impairments, and emotional dysfunction.

True or False: Alcohol was recognized as a teratogen in the 19th century.

False

Compare and contrast Fetal Alcohol Syndrome (FAS) with Fetal Alcohol Spectrum Disorder (FASD).

Both involve cognitive deficits and behavioral abnormalities. FASD doesn't involve stunted growth or facial stigmata.

What externalizing disorders are linked with prenatal alcohol exposure?

Disruptive behavior (i.e., ADHD, conduct disorder)

What factors are more directly linked to delinquency than alcohol exposure?

Low parental supervision, adolescent life stress, and drug use

What is a better predictor than alcohol exposure in predicting internalizing problems?

Maternal psychopathology

What internalizing symptoms is prenatal alcohol exposure possibly control for?

Negative affect and depressive symptoms.

What are the three characteristics of Fetal Alcohol Syndrome (FAS)?

Pre-and/or postnatal growth deficiency; Dysmorphic facial features; CNS dysfunction

What does the Advisory on Alcohol Use and Pregnancy say?

Pregnant women should not drink alcohol. Current drinking should be stopped. Expecting a pregnancy should stop alcohol consumption.

True or False: Prenatal Alcohol exposure is more directly related to externalizing problems than internalizing problems.

True

True or false: Quality and nature of mother-child interactions can mediate prenatal alcohol exposure and depression.

True