De Genna NM, et al. – This examination investigated the effect of maternal age at first birth on trajectories of alcohol use beyond recommended levels over a 17–year span. The findings from the present study suggested that younger mothers were more likely to engage in risky drinking early in pregnancy, continuing 6 to 14 years postpartum. These outcomes can help practitioners target mothers who are likely to exceed current NIAAA guidelines of abstinence during pregnancy, and no more than seven drinks per week in the postpartum.

Methods

• For this study, pregnant women (N = 456) were enrolled at an urban prenatal clinic.
• After that, the women (13 to 42 years old; 64% African American, 36% White) were interviewed about alcohol use during pregnancy and at 6, 10, 14, and 16 years postpartum.
• Growth mixture modeling (GMM) was utilized to distinguish trajectories of risky drinking.
• Finally, maternal age at first birth was regressed onto trajectory class membership.

Results

• According to the findings obtained, the GMM on maternal alcohol use recognized three groups of mothers as a function of alcohol use before, during, and after the pregnancy.
• It was observed in the findings that the majority of mothers (66%) were identified as having low-risk trajectories of alcohol use over the 17-year span.
• Two groups were in the higher-risk categories, with 23% identified as being in a long-term high-risk trajectory, and 11% in a short-term high-risk trajectory group.
• Maternal age at first birth anticipated membership in a high-risk group: Younger mothers will probably be classified into a long-term high-risk alcohol use group.