Maternal antenatal anxiety and children's behavioural/emotional problems at 4 years. Report from the Avon Longitudinal Study of Parents and Children
- PMID: 12042228
- DOI: 10.1192/bjp.180.6.502
Maternal antenatal anxiety and children's behavioural/emotional problems at 4 years. Report from the Avon Longitudinal Study of Parents and Children
Abstract
Background: Animal experiments suggest that maternal stress and anxiety during pregnancy have long-term effects on the behaviour of the offspring.
Aims: To test the hypothesis that antenatal maternal anxiety predicts behavioural problems at age 4 years.
Method: Data were collected on multiple antenatal and postnatal assessments of maternal anxiety and depression, antenatal and obstetric risks, psychosocial risks and children's behavioural/emotional problems (n=7448).
Results: Antenatal maternal anxiety predicted behavioural/emotional problems in boys (OR=2.14, 95% CI 1.48-3.10) and girls (OR=1.88, 95% CI 1.3-2.69) after accounting for covariates. When covarying maternal anxiety up to 33 months postnatally, antenatal anxiety continued to predict total problems in boys (OR=1.56, 95% CI 1.02-2.41) and girls (OR=1.51, 95% CI 1.22-2.81).
Conclusions: There could be a direct effect of maternal mood on foetal brain development, which affects the behavioural development of the child.
Comment in
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Adverse effects of maternal antenatal anxiety on children: causal effect or developmental continuum?Br J Psychiatry. 2002 Jun;180:478-9. doi: 10.1192/bjp.180.6.478. Br J Psychiatry. 2002. PMID: 12042222 No abstract available.
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Antenatal anxiety, parenting and behavioural/emotional problems in children.Br J Psychiatry. 2002 Nov;181:440-1; author reply 441. doi: 10.1192/bjp.181.5.440-a. Br J Psychiatry. 2002. PMID: 12411273 No abstract available.
