Maternal attitudes in pregnancy predict drinking initiation in adolescence

OBJECTIVE: The aim of the present study was to examine whether maternal attitudes to pregnancy and infant caregiving predict drinking initiation in adolescence. METHOD: Data were used from the Mater University Study of Pregnancy, an Australian longitudinal study of mothers and their children from pregnancy to when the children were 14 years. Logistic regression analyses examined whether maternal attitudes to pregnancy and infant caregiving at birth and 6 months contributed to the prediction of drinking initiation at age 14, after controlling for a range of confounding covariates. RESULTS: Mother's negative feelings about being pregnant and not planning/wanting the pregnancy predicted adolescent alcohol initiation at the 14 year follow up. Negative maternal attitudes to infant caregiving at birth and 6 months did not predict adolescent alcohol initiation. CONCLUSIONS: Maternal attitudes in pregnancy are important and there is a need for effective perinatal interventions.