Skip to main page content
U.S. flag

An official website of the United States government

Dot gov

The .gov means it’s official.
Federal government websites often end in .gov or .mil. Before sharing sensitive information, make sure you’re on a federal government site.

Https

The site is secure.
The https:// ensures that you are connecting to the official website and that any information you provide is encrypted and transmitted securely.

Access keys NCBI Homepage MyNCBI Homepage Main Content Main Navigation
. 2015 Aug 28;10(8):e0135849.
doi: 10.1371/journal.pone.0135849. eCollection 2015.

Effects of Antenatal Maternal Depression and Anxiety on Children's Early Cognitive Development: A Prospective Cohort Study

Gladys Ibanez  1 , Jonathan Y Bernard  2 , Claire Rondet  3 , Hugo Peyre  4 , Anne Forhan  2 , Monique Kaminski  5 , Marie-Josèphe Saurel-Cubizolles  5 ; EDEN Mother-Child Cohort Study Group
Collaborators, Affiliations

Effects of Antenatal Maternal Depression and Anxiety on Children's Early Cognitive Development: A Prospective Cohort Study

Gladys Ibanez et al. PLoS One. .

Abstract

Introduction: Studies have shown that depression or anxiety occur in 10-20% of pregnant women. These disorders are often undertreated and may affect mothers and children's health. This study investigates the relation between antenatal maternal depression, anxiety and children's early cognitive development among 1380 two-year-old children and 1227 three-year-old children.

Methods: In the French EDEN Mother-Child Cohort Study, language ability was assessed with the Communicative Development Inventory at 2 years of age and overall development with the Ages and Stages Questionnaire at 3 years of age. Multiple regressions and structural equation modeling were used to examine links between depression, anxiety during pregnancy and child cognitive development.

Results: We found strong significant associations between maternal antenatal anxiety and poorer children's cognitive development at 2 and 3 years. Antenatal maternal depression was not associated with child development, except when antenatal maternal anxiety was also present. Both postnatal maternal depression and parental stimulation appeared to play mediating roles in the relation between antenatal maternal anxiety and children's cognitive development. At 3 years, parental stimulation mediated 13.2% of the effect of antenatal maternal anxiety while postnatal maternal depression mediated 26.5%.

Discussion: The partial nature of these effects suggests that other mediators may play a role. Implications for theory and research on child development are discussed.

PubMed Disclaimer

Conflict of interest statement

Competing Interests: The authors have declared that no competing interests exist.

Figures

Fig 1
Fig 1. Structural equation model: Mediating model of the association between maternal antenatal mental health and impaired children’s cognitive development.
Fig 2
Fig 2. Flow chart of children assessed with the CDI at 2 years of age or the ASQ at 3 years of age.
Fig 3
Fig 3. Relationship between anxiety or depression scores and children cognitive development in the EDEN cohort—Prediction models (bivariate analyses).
Fig 4
Fig 4. Results of the structural equation models: Mediating effects in the association between antenatal maternal anxiety and children’s cognitive development at 2 and 3 years.
See this image and copyright information in PMC

References

    1. Gluckman P, Hanson M. Living with the past: evolution, development and patterns of disease. Science. 2004; 305: 1733–6. - PubMed
    1. Barker DJ. In utero programming of chronic disease. Clin Sci (Lond). 199895: 115–28. - PubMed
    1. Van den Bergh BR. Developmental programming of early brain and behaviour development and mental health: a conceptual framework. Dev Med Child Neurol. 2011;53 Suppl 4: 19–23. 10.1111/j.1469-8749.2011.04057.x - DOI - PubMed
    1. Grote NK, Bridge JA, Gavin AR, Melville JL, Iyengar S, Katon WJ. A meta-analysis of depression during pregnancy and the risk of preterm birth, low birth weight, and intrauterine growth restriction. Arch Gen Psychiatry. 2010;67: 1012–24. 10.1001/archgenpsychiatry.2010.111 - DOI - PMC - PubMed
    1. Fisher M, Baum F. The social determinants of mental health: implications for research and health promotion. Aust N Z J Psychiatry. 2010;44: 1057–63. 10.3109/00048674.2010.509311 - DOI - PubMed

Publication types