Alcohol: Effects on the Neonate and Children

Problems for neonates and children arising from the use and misuse of alcohol by adults were examined. For the progeny of pregnant women, problems begin with gestational exposure to alcohol, regardless of the fact that the mother may not be abusing the substance. Heavy use of alcohol by a pregnant woman, however, exacerbates the problem for the child once born. Alcohol abuse by adults in households with children also affects adversely the lives of those children. The prevalence of drinking is highest for both females and in the 21-34 age range, which is the prime child-bearing age range and a major segment of the major child-rearing range. Heavy social and economic costs to society ensue both from the consumption of alcohol by women during pregnancy and the abuse of alcohol by adults in households with children. Problems for neonates and children arising from the use and misuse of alcohol by adults were examined. Conclusions were drawn was that such problems are both widespread and significant. A community-based intervention based in social learning theory was recommended to address the problems.

A NURSING RESPONSE TO THE EFFECTS OF PARENTAL ALCOHOL USE AND ABUSE ON NEONATES AND CHILDREN, AND THE SUBSEQUENT COSTS TO SOCIETY

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tion of alcohol (Smith, Goldman, Greenbaum, & Christiansen, 1995, pp. 32-40). The expectancy of social facilitation is linked to perceptions of physical attractiveness and sex appeal. The body of literature related to the association between alcohol and both physical attractiveness and sex appeal contains often conflicting findings and conclusions with respect to both the validity and the strength of such relationships (Blume, 1991, pp. 139-146). Three main patterns of chronic alcohol abuse or dependency are recognized (American Psychiatric Association, 1994, p. 173). The first pattern involves the daily intake of large quantities of alcohol, while the second pattern involves regular heavy drinking that is limited to the weekends, and the third pattern is characterized by long periods of sobriety interspersed with "binges of heavy drinking lasting for weeks or months. It is a mistake to associate one of these particular patterns exclusively with 'alcoholism'" (p. 173). Alcoholism is frequently categorized by specie (American Psychiatric Association, 1994, p. 173). The first specie, often referred to as gamma alcoholism, is characteristic of most alcohol dependency and alcohol abuse among persons who are active in Alcoholi
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Approximate Word count = 7970
Approximate Pages = 32 (250 words per page)

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