Article

The aim of this study was to assess the cognitive and behavioural
development of children with healthy birth outcomes whose mothers were exposed to
prenatal stress but did not experience pregnancy complications. METHOD: In this
prospective study, self-reported data, including the Prenatal Life Events
Checklist about stressful life events (SLEs) during different stages of
pregnancy, were collected at 32 to 34 weeks' gestation. Thirty-eight healthy
females (mean age 27 y 8 mo, SD 2 y 4 mo) who were exposed to severe SLEs in the
first trimester were defined as the exposed infant group, and 114 matched
comparison participants were defined as the unexposed infant group (1:3).
Maternal postnatal depressive symptoms were assessed with the Edinburgh Postnatal
Depression Scale. The Bayley Scales of Infant Development and the Toddler
Temperament Scale were used to evaluate the cognitive development and temperament
characteristics of the infants with healthy birth outcomes when they were 16 to
18 months old. RESULTS: A randomized block multivariate analysis of covariance
showed that the mental development index scores of the infants of mothers with
prenatal exposure to SLEs in the first trimester averaged seven points (95%
confidence interval 3.23-10.73 points) lower than those of the unexposed infants.
Moreover, the infants in the exposed group achieved higher scores for regularity
(adjusted mean [SD] 2.77 [0.65] vs. 2.52 [0.78], F(5,146) =5.27, p=0.023) and for
persistence and attention span (adjusted mean 3.61 [0.72] vs. 3.35 [0.52],
F(5,146) =5.51, p=0.020). INTERPRETATION: This study provides evidence that lower
cognitive ability and less optimal worse behavioural response in infants might
independently result from prenatal maternal stress.
CI - (c) 2014 Mac Keith Press.

Langue : ANGLAIS