Perceptions and attitudes toward prenatal cocaine exposure in young children.

OBJECTIVE

This paper investigated perceptions and attitudes toward young children believed to be prenatally exposed to cocaine.

METHOD

37 college students watched a videotape of eight children doing the same task and rated each child's performance after being told if the child had, might have been, or had not been prenatally exposed to cocaine.

RESULTS

Multiple analysis of variance confirmed that when a child was labeled prenatally exposed to cocaine, the participants generally scored the child lower and less positively than it the child was thought to be possibly exposed or not exposed at all. Ethnicity and gender differences were also found. Participants rated males higher than females and African-American children higher than Caucasian children.

CONCLUSIONS

Individuals who believe a child is exposed prenatally to cocaine hold more negative perceptions regarding that child's developmental abilities. These negative perceptions of a child labeled prenatally exposed to cocaine may diminish expectations for that child's developmental potential.