Mild to Moderate Maternal Stress May Enhance Fetal Development

Researchers from Johns Hopkins University and the National Institute of Child Health and Human Development have found that mild to moderate levels of maternal psychological stress during pregnancy may actually accelerate fetal maturation. This counterintuitive finding is contrary to previous expectations based on animal studies, which have reported that stress during pregnancy can hinder normal development. The study, published in the May/June 2006 edition of the journal Child Development, involved 137 women who were followed from mid-pregnancy through their child's second birthday. The researchers collected data on self-reported anxiety, pregnancy-specific and nonspecific stress, and depressive symptoms from the expecting mothers during mid-pregnancy, and then assessed their children's mental and motor development at 24 months of age.

Key Takeaways:

• Mild to moderate levels of maternal psychological stress during pregnancy are associated with more advanced early child development.
• The study found that modest anxiety and daily stress during pregnancy is associated with more advanced early child development, even after accounting for stress and anxiety levels experienced at six weeks and two years postpartum.
• Prenatal maternal stress did not interfere with children's temperaments, attention capacity, or ability to control behavior and did not cause hyperactivity.
• The exceptions to this study's results were children whose mothers regarded their pregnancy as more negative than positive, who showed slightly poorer emotional control and attention capacity.
• The study followed 137 women from mid-pregnancy through their child's second birthday, collecting data on self-reported anxiety, pregnancy-specific and nonspecific stress, and depressive symptoms.
• Ninety-four children were assessed for mental and motor development, as well as their ability to control their behavior and regulate their emotions, at 24 months of age.
• The researchers caution that the results may not extend to more disadvantaged women or those with mental health disorders, and further research is necessary to determine the causes of these differences.

Statistics:

• 137 women participated in the study and were followed from mid-pregnancy through their child's second birthday.
• 94 children were assessed for mental and motor development, as well as their ability to control their behavior and regulate their emotions, at 24 months of age.
• The researchers collected data on self-reported anxiety, pregnancy-specific and nonspecific stress, and depressive symptoms from the expecting mothers during mid-pregnancy.
• The study found that moderate anxiety and daily stress during pregnancy were associated with more advanced early child development at 24 months of age.

Sources:

• "Mild to Moderate Maternal Stress May Enhance Fetal Development." Child Development, vol. 77, no. 3, 2006, pp. 615-626.
• National Institute of Child Health and Human Development
• Maternal and Child Health Bureau
• Johns Hopkins University Bloomberg School of Public Health's Department of Population and Family Health Sciences