1.104 Behavioral, Neurodevelopmental, Cognitive, Language, and Medical Outcomes of Prenatal Opioid Exposure on Children: A Scoping Review

ObjectivesPrenatal opioid exposure (POE) can lead to deficits in multiple aspects of the child’s life, including behavioral, neurodevelopmental, cognitive, language, and medical problems. This scoping review aims to address the impact of POE on children.MethodsPubMed, Google Scholar, PsycINFO, and Web of Science were searched with the keywords “prenatal opioid exposure” and “behavior, neurodevelopment, cognition, language, medical” through June 5, 2022. The original search yielded 715 results; 663 studies were excluded by title, 34 by abstract, and 8 by full-text screening. The exclusion criteria included animal studies, studies with participants having polysubstance use, and non-English languages. Original studies were included if they addressed the effects of opioid exposure on any outcomes.ResultsTen studies were identified and reviewed by 3 independent reviewers. The studies assessed 212 exposed and 149 unexposed children for behavioral outcomes, 219 exposed and 197 unexposed children for cognitive outcomes, 340 exposed and 299 unexposed children for neurodevelopmental outcomes, 127 exposed and 108 unexposed children for language outcomes, and 140 exposed and 161 unexposed children for medical outcomes. POE was associated with higher behavioral problems in all domains including emotional, conduct, hyperactivity/inattention, and peer problems (p < .001), which significantly worsened over time. However, another study found a little to no effect of POE on behavioral outcomes at 5 to 8 months of age (p > .05). Exposed infants had lower head circumference z scores at birth (p < .001) and significant changes in the volumes of the deep gray matter, white matter, brainstem, and cerebrospinal fluid (p < .05). The exposed group showed impaired task performance (p < .05) and had significantly lower mean cognition and language scores (p < .001). Exposed infants spent more days in the hospital after birth (p < .001), had more central nervous systems (CNS) symptoms (p < .001), and required neonatal ICU admission (p < .05).ConclusionsThe review emphasizes that POE may have a significant impact on multiple domains of the life of children. A rise in POE is an inevitable side-effect of the current opioid epidemic, hence the need for clarity regarding outcomes of POE calls for large-scale and longitudinal studies. Early screening and targeted interventions are also required to address the needs of mother-children dyads affected by POE.EC, SUD, IMP ObjectivesPrenatal opioid exposure (POE) can lead to deficits in multiple aspects of the child’s life, including behavioral, neurodevelopmental, cognitive, language, and medical problems. This scoping review aims to address the impact of POE on children. Prenatal opioid exposure (POE) can lead to deficits in multiple aspects of the child’s life, including behavioral, neurodevelopmental, cognitive, language, and medical problems. This scoping review aims to address the impact of POE on children. MethodsPubMed, Google Scholar, PsycINFO, and Web of Science were searched with the keywords “prenatal opioid exposure” and “behavior, neurodevelopment, cognition, language, medical” through June 5, 2022. The original search yielded 715 results; 663 studies were excluded by title, 34 by abstract, and 8 by full-text screening. The exclusion criteria included animal studies, studies with participants having polysubstance use, and non-English languages. Original studies were included if they addressed the effects of opioid exposure on any outcomes. PubMed, Google Scholar, PsycINFO, and Web of Science were searched with the keywords “prenatal opioid exposure” and “behavior, neurodevelopment, cognition, language, medical” through June 5, 2022. The original search yielded 715 results; 663 studies were excluded by title, 34 by abstract, and 8 by full-text screening. The exclusion criteria included animal studies, studies with participants having polysubstance use, and non-English languages. Original studies were included if they addressed the effects of opioid exposure on any outcomes. ResultsTen studies were identified and reviewed by 3 independent reviewers. The studies assessed 212 exposed and 149 unexposed children for behavioral outcomes, 219 exposed and 197 unexposed children for cognitive outcomes, 340 exposed and 299 unexposed children for neurodevelopmental outcomes, 127 exposed and 108 unexposed children for language outcomes, and 140 exposed and 161 unexposed children for medical outcomes. POE was associated with higher behavioral problems in all domains including emotional, conduct, hyperactivity/inattention, and peer problems (p < .001), which significantly worsened over time. However, another study found a little to no effect of POE on behavioral outcomes at 5 to 8 months of age (p > .05). Exposed infants had lower head circumference z scores at birth (p < .001) and significant changes in the volumes of the deep gray matter, white matter, brainstem, and cerebrospinal fluid (p < .05). The exposed group showed impaired task performance (p < .05) and had significantly lower mean cognition and language scores (p < .001). Exposed infants spent more days in the hospital after birth (p < .001), had more central nervous systems (CNS) symptoms (p < .001), and required neonatal ICU admission (p < .05). Ten studies were identified and reviewed by 3 independent reviewers. The studies assessed 212 exposed and 149 unexposed children for behavioral outcomes, 219 exposed and 197 unexposed children for cognitive outcomes, 340 exposed and 299 unexposed children for neurodevelopmental outcomes, 127 exposed and 108 unexposed children for language outcomes, and 140 exposed and 161 unexposed children for medical outcomes. POE was associated with higher behavioral problems in all domains including emotional, conduct, hyperactivity/inattention, and peer problems (p < .001), which significantly worsened over time. However, another study found a little to no effect of POE on behavioral outcomes at 5 to 8 months of age (p > .05). Exposed infants had lower head circumference z scores at birth (p < .001) and significant changes in the volumes of the deep gray matter, white matter, brainstem, and cerebrospinal fluid (p < .05). The exposed group showed impaired task performance (p < .05) and had significantly lower mean cognition and language scores (p < .001). Exposed infants spent more days in the hospital after birth (p < .001), had more central nervous systems (CNS) symptoms (p < .001), and required neonatal ICU admission (p < .05). ConclusionsThe review emphasizes that POE may have a significant impact on multiple domains of the life of children. A rise in POE is an inevitable side-effect of the current opioid epidemic, hence the need for clarity regarding outcomes of POE calls for large-scale and longitudinal studies. Early screening and targeted interventions are also required to address the needs of mother-children dyads affected by POE.EC, SUD, IMP The review emphasizes that POE may have a significant impact on multiple domains of the life of children. A rise in POE is an inevitable side-effect of the current opioid epidemic, hence the need for clarity regarding outcomes of POE calls for large-scale and longitudinal studies. Early screening and targeted interventions are also required to address the needs of mother-children dyads affected by POE.