Longitudinal Associations Between Maternal Smoking from Pre-Pregnancy to Late-Childhood and Mental Health-Related Medical Service Utilization in Young Adulthood: A Population-Representative Cohort Study

🏆 Award: Prix du meilleur poster, CNPRM 2025

Few studies have examined the relationship between maternal smoking exposure and offspring mental health assessed via medical service utilization. Importantly, this is the first study to investigate the prospective association between maternal smoking from pre-pregnancy through late childhood (up to age 13) and the use of mental health-related medical services in early adulthood (ages 18-22).

This study used data from 2082 participants in the Quebec Longitudinal Study of Child Development (QLSCD), a population-representative cohort initiated in 1997-1998. These data were linked to governmental administrative databases documenting mental health-related diagnoses (mood disorders, anxiety, ADHD) associated with medical services received in emergency, inpatient, and outpatient settings between ages 18 and 22.

Group-based latent class analysis identified three trajectories of maternal smoking (from pre-pregnancy through the child’s 13th year): no smoking (67.5% of sample), moderate smoking (~10 cigarettes/day, 13.2%), and high smoking (~20 cigarettes/day, 6.5%) (Figure 1). Logistic regression analyses showed that high maternal smoking was significantly associated with higher odds of mental health-related medical service utilization for mood disorders (adjusted OR = 2.04, 95% CI: 1.30-3.19, p = 0.002) and anxiety (adjusted OR = 1.83, 95% CI: 1.23-2.73, p = 0.003), compared to no maternal smoking. Models were adjusted for child sex, maternal characteristics (age, depressive symptoms, pregnancy alcohol and drug use), perinatal factors (prematurity, birth weight), and family characteristics (immigration status, SES).

This study contributes to the limited body of research linking longitudinal cohort data to mental health-related medical service utilization outcomes. It is the first to assess an association with prolonged maternal smoking from prenatal stages through late childhood. Findings highlighted increased odds of mental health-related medical service utilization associated with high maternal smoking exposure, particularly for mood disorders and anxiety. Further research is needed to clarify the underlying mechanisms.

Citation recommandée : Legault, O., Côté, S. M., & Chadi, N. (2025). "The Moderating Role of Socioeconomic Status in Early Maternal Smoking Exposure and Mental Health Service Utilization of Young Adults: A Population-Representative Longitudinal Study in Quebec." Canadian National Perinatal Research Meeting, Montréal, May 2025.
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