Publications

The affectional bond experienced by a mother toward her developing fetus/infant has been theorized to be a critical factor in determining infant developmental outcomes; yet there remains a paucity of research in this area, and a lack of high-quality longitudinal studies. This study aimed to examine the extent to which mother-to-infant bonding predicted infant development in a multi-wave longitudinal pregnancy cohort study (N = 1,347).

This study published in 2021 investigates the associations between maternal health and health-related behaviours (nutrition, physical activity, alcohol consumption and smoking) both during pregnancy and up to 15 months from childbirth and children's health outcomes during infancy and adolescence (general health, presence of a chronic illness, and physical health outcome index)

This systematic literature published in 2021 review aims to identify demographic, health and psycho-social variables associated with alcohol consumption during pregnancy which may lead to FASD.

This study published in 2021 examines the associations of substance use disorders in pregnancy with a set of neonatal outcomes. Three linked datasets of a 10-year period (2007-2016) from New South Wales, Australia, were examined. Pregnant women were identified positive for substance use disorders when at least one hospital admission during pregnancy or delivery had opioid, or cannabis, or stimulant, or alcohol or two or more of the four substance groups related ICD-10-AM diagnostic code.

This study published in 2021 aimed to systematically review screening and assessment approaches and therapeutic interventions for young people with neurodevelopmental disorders in the youth justice system.

Abuse of methamphetamine (METH), an illicit psychostimulant, is a growing public health issue. METH abuse during pregnancy is on the rise due to its stimulant, anorectic, and hallucinogenic properties. METH can lead to multiple organ toxicity in adults, including neurotoxicity, cardiovascular toxicity, and hepatotoxicity. It can also cross the placental barrier and have long-lasting effects on the fetus. This review summarizes neurotoxicity, cardiovascular toxicity, hepatotoxicity, toxicity in other organs, and biomonitoring of prenatal METH exposure, as well as the possible emergence of sensitization associated with METH. The study proposed the importance of gut microbiota in studying prenatal METH exposure. There is rising evidence of the adverse effects of METH exposure during pregnancy, which are of significant concern.