Prenatal smoking, alcohol and caffeine exposure and offspring externalizing disorders: a systematic review and meta-analysis.

Background And Aims: Several studies have indicated an association between maternal prenatal substance use and offspring externalizing disorders; however, it is uncertain whether this relationship is causal. We conducted a systematic review to determine: (1) if the literature supports a causal role of maternal prenatal substance use on offspring externalizing disorders diagnosis and (2) whether these associations differ across externalizing disorders.

Methods: We searched Web of Science, Embase, PsycINFO and Medline databases.