Prenatal cocaine exposure and childhood psychopathology: a developmental analysis.

A rising number of children exposed to cocaine in utero are substantially vulnerable to mortality and morbidity expressed in a variety of physical, cognitive, emotional, motor, and social problems. Research on developmental outcomes in such children is reviewed and the interaction of prenatal and postnatal environmental factors, with a focus on the parent-child-environment transactional system, is discussed. Related societal and treatment issues are highlighted.