Emotional arousal in cocaine exposed toddlers: Prediction of behavior problems

Prenatal cocaine exposure (PCE) may be associated with alterations in children's developing emotional arousal and regulation systems.ObjectiveWe examined emotional responses to a frustrating task and subsequent behavior problems in 225 2 1/2 year olds (129 Prenatally Cocaine and Other Drug Exposed [PCE], 30 Non Cocaine but other drug Exposed [NCE], 66 Non Drug Exposed [NDE]).MethodChildren's behaviors in a frustrating toy wait task at age 2 1/2 were coded for emotional arousal and regulation behaviors.ResultsFindings indicated a trend for PCE toddlers to show greater agitated emotional arousal than NCE and NDE toddlers. Further, PCE boys made more references to their caregivers in the task than NDE boys. Higher agitated arousal at age 2 1/2 years was related to greater decreases in externalizing behaviors through age 5 1/2 years.ConclusionFindings suggest a link between cocaine exposure and emotional arousal and regulation and highlight the need to understand complex relations between emotion and risk for later psychopathology in exposed youth.