Gender characteristics of maladaptive behavior in children of primary school age with prenatal exposure to ethanol

Abstract

Background. Children exposed to prenatal exposure to ethanol are characterized by the presence of various behavioral and neurological disorders that have a negative impact on the processes of their socialization and development. 

The objective of the research was to study the maladaptive behavior gender characteristic of primary school age children with prenatal alcohol exposure. 

Sample. The study involved 77 children aged 7 to 10 years (57 boys, 20 girls) with previously identified physical developmental delay, characteristic dysmorphological, structural and functional disorders of the central nervous system that arose in connection with prenatal exposure to ethanol. The sample consisted of children from various educational institutions, social rehabilitation centers and centers for social assistance to families and children. 

Methods. Diagnostics was carried out by means of semi-structured interviews using the Vineland Adaptive Behavior Scale. This scale includes a general section that describes examples of maladaptive behavior that can occur with low frequency in children with normal development, as well as an additional section including examples of behavior that are not observed in the children with normotypical development. Statistical data processing was carried out using IBM SPSS Statistics-26. 

Results. The study identified the features of maladaptive behavior common to both sexes: hyperactivity, impulsiveness, lying, cheating or stealing, having a poor eye contact. Indicators such as increased anxiety, nail biting habit, school avoidance and stubbornness were also detected with equally high frequency in both sexes. Apart from that, the data analysis established a number of gender-specific manifestations of maladaptive behavior: boys were statistically significantly more likely (p ≤ 0.05) to show having a hard time paying attention, disobedience, and temper tantrums. Girls were more likely to have eating disorders, overdependence on significant relatives. 

Conclusion. The obtained results and the use of the Wineland scale can be applied in the work of the socio-psychological services of educational institutions in order to provide an appropriate preventive and corrective assistance. The presented study has limitations associated with the unevenness of the sample by gender, which requires additional confirmation in further studies.

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