Quality of Life and Psychosocial Profile Among Young Women With Fetal Alcohol Spectrum Disorders

Abstract

F etal alcohol syndrome (FAS) andalcohol-related neurodevelopmentaldisorders (ARND) are permanent birth defects caused by maternal alcohol use during pregnancy; FAS is a leading preventable cause of intellectual disability. Depending on dose, timing,1 frequency, and genetic susceptibility, prenatal alcohol exposure can result in a range of neurodevelopmental disorders including FAS and ARND that have been termed fetal alcohol spectrum disorders (FASD). 21,27 The neuropsychological deficits associated with prenatal alcohol exposure affect multiple areas of functioning. Even if an affected17 individual has intellectual abilities in the normal range, other problems in adaptive behavior, attention, memory, abstract thinking, and