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Pregnancy Stress Linked to Future Behavioral Changes in Children: Research

Irene Tung, a researcher from California State University – Dominguez Hills, highlighted that children born to mothers experiencing high stress, anxiety, or depression during pregnancy face an elevated risk of mental health and behavioral issues throughout childhood and adolescence.

“Our research indicates that psychological distress during pregnancy has a persistent impact on children’s susceptibility to aggressive, disinhibited, and impulsive behaviors,” stated Tung.

Emphasizing the implications, Tung added, “These findings underscore the need for widely accessible mental health care and support during pregnancy to prevent childhood behavior problems.”

Published in the journal Psychological Bulletin by the American Psychological Association, the study analyzed data from 55 studies with over 45,000 participants. These studies gauged women’s psychological distress during pregnancy and later assessed their children’s “externalizing behaviors.”

The researchers discovered that heightened stress, depression, or anxiety in pregnant women correlated with an increased likelihood of children displaying ADHD symptoms or struggling with aggressive or hostile behavior, as reported by parents or teachers.

Even after accounting for postnatal psychological distress, distress during pregnancy continued to elevate the risk of externalizing problems in children. This effect remained consistent across genders and age groups, with the strongest impact observed in early childhood.

The study aligns with theories suggesting that exposure to stress hormones in utero can influence children’s brain development. Irene Tung emphasized the importance of future research diversifying its focus to understand cultural and socioeconomic factors impacting prenatal stress and developing effective interventions.

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