Repeated stress in pregnancy linked to children's behaviour

Repeated stress in pregnancy linked to children's behaviour

Research from Perth's Telethon Institute for Child Health Research has found a link between the number of stressful events experienced during pregnancy and increased risk of behavioural problems in children.

The study has just been published online in the latest edition of the top international journal Development and Psychopathology.

Common stressful events included financial and relationship problems, difficult pregnancy, job loss and issues with other children and major life stressors were events such as a death in the family.

Lead author, Registered Psychologist Dr Monique Robinson, said while previous studies have shown a link between stress and poorer outcomes, this study goes further by analysing the timing, amount and kinds of events that lead to poorer outcomes.

"What we have found is that it is the overall number of stresses that is most related to child behaviour outcomes," Dr Robinson said. "Two or fewer stresses during pregnancy are not associated with poor child behavioural development, but as the number of stresses increase to three or more, then the risks of more difficult child behaviour increase."

Dr Robinson said the actual type of stress experienced was of less importance than the number of stresses, and there was no specific risk associated with the timing of these stress events - early or late - in the pregnancy.

The analysis was undertaken on data from Western Australia's long-term cohort Raine Study, which recruited nearly 3000 pregnant women and recorded life stress events experienced at 18 and 34 weeks of pregnancy, as well as collecting sociodemographic data. The mother's experience of life stress events and child behavioural assessments were also recorded when the children were followed-up ages 2, 5, 8, 10, and 14 years using a questionnaire called the Child Behaviour Checklist.

The percentage of women with more than two stress events was 37.2%, while the percentage with six or more was 7.6%.

 Dr Robinson said the study should not make pregnant women stress further about the stress in their lives.

"These types of analyses look at overall population risk, and of course individuals can have very differing responses," Dr Robinson said.

"Regardless of exposure to stress in the womb, a nurturing environment after birth can provide the child with enormous potential to change their course of development. This is known as "developmental plasticity", which means that the brain can adapt and change as the child grows with a positive environment.

"The important message here is in how we as a community support pregnant women. If we think about people who lead stressful lives, they are most often linked with socioeconomic disadvantage. This research shows we should be targeting these women with support programs to ensure the stress does not negatively affect the unborn child."

Dr Robinson said further research is needed to understand the mechanisms behind how stress in pregnancy affects the developing baby, including the impact of maternal stress hormones, attachment and parenting issues and socioeconomic factors.

--Ends--

Paper:Prenatal stress and risk of behavioral morbidity from age 2 to 14
years: The influence of the number, type, and timing of stressful
life events
Journal: Development and Psychopathology 23 (2011), 155-168
Authors: Monique Robinson, Eugen Mattes, Wendy  Oddy, Craig  Pennell,
Anke van Eekelen, Neil Mclean, Peter Jacoby, Jianghong Li, Nicholas de Klerk,
Stephen Zubrick, Fiona Stanley and John  Newnham.

The Raine Study
The Raine Study is jointly conducted by the Telethon Institute for Child Health Research and The School of Women's and Infant's Health at the University of Western Australia. The study started in 1989, when 2900 pregnant women were recruited into a research study at King Edward Memorial Hospital to examine ultrasound imaging. The mothers were assessed during pregnancy when information was collected on the mother and the father, for example diet, exercise, work, health, etc. The research team at the Telethon Institute for Child Health Research have assessed the children at 1, 2, 3, 5, 8, 10, 14 and 17 and now 20years of age. Find out more at www.rainestudy.org.au

The Telethon Institute for Child Health Research
he Telethon Institute for Child Health Research is Western Australia's largest medical research facility. More than 500 staff and students are working to prevent the most common and devastating childhood diseases and disabilities. For more information go to www.childhealthresearch.com.au
 
REDUCING STRESS IN PREGNANCY
Dr Monique Robinson, Registered Psychologist.

• Almost all women will find pregnancy stressful at some point- in our study the average number of stressful events experienced was two.
• It is a good sign to be vigilant to stress and to recognise when life is becoming overwhelming, but feeling guilty or anxious about whether this stress is going to harm the baby is almost never helpful for mother or child.
• Regardless of exposure to stress in the womb, once they are born, the right nurturing environment can provide the child with enormous potential to change their course of development. This is known as "developmental plasticity", which means that the brain can adapt and change as the child grows with the right environment.
• Once pregnant women recognise they are stressed, there are many techniques including focused deep breathing, spending time with friends/family, meditation, yoga, listening to relaxing music, taking time out and light exercise to help them manage stress.
• Seeking help and asking for support from others can also help to minimize the impact. Women who are feeling overwhelmed are best placed to ask for help through their antenatal care provider or a psychologist and use the social support provided by friends and family to help relieve the stress.
• Stress may also be experienced by women who are a little too concerned about making and raising the perfect child. That is, those who want to do everything right, be it through diet, abstaining from certain foods, taking multiple vitamins, avoiding rollercoasters, etc. In this way, the pregnant woman could become her own worst enemy and create stress! While this stems from a desire to "do the right thing" for the unborn child, the best thing is to keep a balanced perspective on things and manage rather than add to stress.
• Plan in advance. While it is difficult to know how much adjustment the pregnancy is going to involve, and how much stress those adjustments could potentially cause, some preparation and actions in advance might reduce the stress.