Risk Factors for Adverse Life Outcomes in Fetal Alcohol Syndrome and Fetal Alcohol Effects

TLDR

Fetal Alcohol Syndrome and Effects are linked to significant adaptive behavior challenges. The study examined 18 risk/protective factors and five adverse life outcomes in 415 FAS/FAE patients using Life History Interviews. Among these patients, 80 % were not raised by their biological mothers, and 61 % had disrupted schooling, 60 % legal trouble, 50 % confinement, 49 % repeated inappropriate sexual behaviors, and 35 % alcohol/drug problems; early diagnosis and stable rearing environments increased the odds of avoiding these outcomes by two- to fourfold.

Abstract

Clinical descriptions of patients with Fetal Alcohol Syndrome (FAS) and Fetal Alcohol Effects (FAE) suggest major problems with adaptive behavior. Five operationally defined adverse outcomes and 18 associated risk/protective factors were examined using a Life History Interview with knowledgeable informants of 415 patients with FAS or FAE (median age 14 years, range 6-51; median IQ 86, range 29-126). Eighty percent of these patients were not raised by their biological mothers. For adolescents and adults, the life span prevalence was 61% for Disrupted School Experiences, 60% for Trouble with the Law, 50% for Confinement (in detention, jail, prison, or a psychiatric or alcohol/drug inpatient setting), 49% for Inappropriate Sexual Behaviors on repeated occasions, and 35% for Alcohol/Drug Problems. The odds of escaping these adverse life outcomes are increased 2- to 4-fold by receiving the diagnosis of FAS or FAE at an earlier age and by being reared in good stable environments.