Fetal Alcohol Syndrome, Essay Example

Understanding the Facts around Fetal Alcohol Syndrome

Cases engaging the connection of maternal use of alcohol and the results that this particular attitude have towards the unborn infants even towards their growth and development have been given attention to due to the rising number of individuals being diagnosed with health, physical and mental problems suspected to be related to the said matter. Jennifer Havens (et al, 2008) tries to examine the situation in the study Factors associated with substance use during pregnancy: Results from a national sample. Here, Havens and her colleagues try to point out the prevalence of the situation growing among pregnant mothers and how their attitude on alcohol use actually affect the development of their unborn infants. Considerably, this article is concentrated on examining the situation being strongly implicative on the health of unborn children from the United States.

To make sure that the data would be accurate enough and relatively connected to the current situations that the world is dealing with at present especially in connection to points of pregnancy among women, the researchers decided to contact participants from ages 15 to 44 who are pregnant and have participated accordingly with the National Survey on Drug Use and Health between the years 2002 and 2003. In this study, it was acknowledged by the researchers that expectant mothers often experience particular points of psychological issues due to their worries. Mothers who may not have supportive husbands, or at some point are being stressed out by their own families or their own selves may build up personal anxieties that cannot be easily addressed. Hence, as a result, they resort to drinking, thinking that they may not be damaging their young infants growing inside them [compared to instances when they actually take illegal drugs]. This belief, however, has been strongly disregarded by the fact that there have been recent evaluations on cases being reported to have been associated with being exposed to alcohol drinks at an early stage of development which could directly be defined through the distinct course of development taken into account when unborn infants are developing inside their mother’s womb. In the end, the results of this study points out that whether the mother specifically drank light alcohol or drank heavily, the effects are the same with the chances of young infants actually at the receiving end of the said intake.

On the other hand, while Havens’ (et al) study actually define the distinct emergence of problematic issues on children brought up by mothers who have had the chance of drinking neither hardly or lightly, Kelly’s (et al, 2009) study says something else about the case. In the research entitled Light drinking in pregnancy, a risk for behavioural problems and cognitive deficits at 3 years of age?; Kelly and her colleagues tried to examine how the amount of alcohol actually makes a distinct impact on an unborn child. Like the study of Havens and her colleagues, this research also recognizes the pathopsychological issues that expectant mothers actually need to deal with and the resort they usually take into consideration. Unlike the first study though, this one explores another aspect of the environment which is located in UK. Utilizing data from personal interviews and home visits, the researchers cross referenced the data they have collected with that of the data that has already been archived in relation to the surveys handled during a particular nation-wide scaling operation on the same issue. In the end, the cross referenced details all account to specific points that define the underlying facts that are specifically essential in determining the facts about mother’s attitude and knowledge with that of the conditions of developmental issues that their children develop alongside with. In the end, the study concluded on the distinction of the case regarding the issue on relatively pointing out how light drinking do not cause any specific issue on unborn children or even as they grow up. This study basically outruns the research handled by Havens and her colleagues. Considerably, such findings alter the relative results of the consequences presented by Havens [et al] in the research.

It could be understood that somehow, with these contrasting research results, the way the results turned out to be could be related to the accuracy of the reports presented in each case of investigating on the topic involved. Haven’s research resulted to such consistency due to the fact that it did not intend to compare the situation based on the rate of alcohol intake that each mother takes into account; while the other research was concentrated on examining the drinking behavior of the mothers based on the rate of alcoholic beverages they take into account. Most likely, it is the generality of Havens’ (et al) report that made it examine the general condition than actually concentrating on particular elements of the matter.

Distinctively, both studies, even though they may have slight differences especially when it comes to defining the importance of seeing through the issue of developing interventions that are necessary to make sure that expectant mothers, although they may be experiencing high rates of anxiety, need not be overly consumed about their condition and put the lives and later development of their children at risk. Relatively, both studies tend to remind mothers of the great responsibility they are given especially in relation to taking care even that of their unborn children. With the data collected through the referenced factors in these particular researches, the authorities in the field of medicine and psychology could actually get vital information that they could use in helping out mothers who might be in great danger of putting their unborn children into high risks of development issues. Addressing the problem on its earliest stage is always a better choice especially when it comes to emerging health issues like that of the Fetal Alcohol Syndrome.

References

Havens JR, Simmons LA, Shannon LM, Hansen WF (September 2008). “Factors associated with substance use during pregnancy: Results from a national sample”. Drug and alcohol dependence 99 (1–3): 89–95. http://www.sciencedirect.com/science/article/pii/S037687160800255X. (Retrieved on March 3, 2014).

Kelly Y, Sacker A, Gray R, Kelly J, Wolke D, Quigley MA (February 2009). “Light drinking in pregnancy, a risk for behavioural problems and cognitive deficits at 3 years of age?“. Int J Epidemiol 38 (1): 129–40.http://ije.oxfordjournals.org/content/38/1/129.abstract. (Retrieved on March 3, 2014).

Clarren, S.K. (2005). A thirty year journey from tragedy to hope. Foreword to Buxton, B. (2005). Damaged Angels: An Adoptive Mother Discovers the Tragic Toll of Alcohol in Pregnancy. New York: Carroll & Graf.

Chudley A, Conry J, Cook J et al. (2005). “Fetal alcohol spectrum disorder: Canadian guidelines for diagnosis”. CMAJ 172 (5 Suppl): S1–S21.