Children’s behavioral issues are connected to high levels of maternal stress during pregnancy

Pregnancy-related extreme stress, anxiety, or depression may put unborn children at greater risk of developing mental and behavioral problems as they grow.

Unraveling the Impact: How Maternal Stress Influences Children’s Aggression and Behavioral Issues

Tung and associates examined information from 55 studies, including almost 45,000 people in total. Each study evaluated expectant mothers’ psychological distress and examined their children’s externalizing behaviors like aggression or ADHD.

According to parents, children born to pregnant women with higher levels of stress were more likely to behave aggressively.

Research has long suggested a link between pregnant women’s mental health and their child’s externalizing tendencies. Previous studies often didn’t separate pregnancy stress from parents’ psychological distress after childbirth when examining its effects.

Stress During Pregnancy: Impact on Child Development and the Need for Inclusive Research

The only studies that the researchers included in this analysis assessed mothers’ psychological discomfort both during and after pregnancy. They found that psychological anguish during pregnancy increased the likelihood of externalizing disorders in children, despite postnatal distress.

The study found the same effect in all youngsters, regardless of whether they were boys or girls. It also remained true for kids in middle childhood (ages 6–12), adolescence (ages 13–18), and early childhood (ages 2–5), with the biggest influence occurring in the former.

The results corroborate notions that stress hormone exposure during pregnancy may impact a developing child’s brain.

According to Tung, future studies should concentrate on broadening their scope in order to comprehend the cultural and socioeconomic factors that influence perinatal stress and to create successful therapies.

“Most existing research has focused on white, middle-class, and higher-educated samples. But experiences of racism, economic disparities, and a lack of health care access are known contributors to stress during pregnancy. “Understanding how pregnancy distress affects underrepresented families is crucial for creating equitable public health policies and interventions,” she said.

She and her colleagues are now conducting two studies focused on understanding the types of support and resources that promote resilience and recovery from stress during pregnancy, particularly for families facing health inequities. The goal is to develop culturally inclusive interventions to support early mental health resilience and well-being for parents and children.