Effortful control mediates associations of fetal growth with hyperactivity and behavioural problems in 7- to
Wolff Schlotz1, Alexander Jones, Keith M Godfrey
1School of Psychology, University ofSouthampton, Southampton SO171BJ, United Kingdom. wolff.schlotz@soton.ac.uk
Insights
Fetal growth impacts childhood behavior, with better growth linked to fewer problems. Temperament, specifically Effortful Control, mediates this effect, suggesting prenatal development influences later behavioral regulation.
Area of Science:
- Developmental Psychology
- Neuroscience
- Pediatrics
Background:
- Prenatal development influences later behavior, but pathways via temperament are unexplored.
- Temperamental traits are linked to behavioral problems and may be affected by neurodevelopmental changes.
- Investigating fetal growth's impact on temperament and behavior is crucial for understanding developmental trajectories.
Purpose of the Study:
- To examine associations between fetal growth and childhood behavioral problems.
- To determine if temperamental traits mediate the relationship between fetal growth and behavioral outcomes.
- To explore developmental pathways linking prenatal environment to later behavior.
Main Methods:
- Recruited 139 mother-child pairs during early pregnancy.
- Measured birth weight, head circumference, and gestational age.
- Assessed child behavioral problems and temperament at ages 7-9 years via maternal report.
Main Results:
- Fetal growth (adjusted birth weight and head circumference) inversely correlated with hyperactivity and total behavioral problems.
- Fetal growth positively associated with Effortful Control, a key temperamental trait.
- Path analysis confirmed Effortful Control mediates fetal growth's impact on hyperactivity and behavioral problems.
Conclusions:
- Adverse fetal environments are linked to childhood behavioral problems, especially in children with low self-regulation.
- Prenatal adversity may create vulnerability for behavioral issues or independently affect temperament and behavior.
- Long-lasting neurodevelopmental alterations from prenatal adversity likely underlie these observed pathways.
Background:
Inverse associations of fetal growth with behavioural problems in childhood have been repeatedly reported, suggesting long-term effects of the prenatal developmental environment on behaviour later in life. However, no study so far has examined effects on temperament and potential developmental pathways. Temperamental traits may be particularly susceptible to neurodevelopmental alterations, and they are linked to behavioural problems. Therefore, we tested for associations of fetal growth with behavioural problems in children and tested if temperament mediated such effects.
Methods:
One hundred and thirty-nine mother-child pairs were recruited in early pregnancy.Weight, head circumference and gestational age were measured at birth, and the mother reported on their child's behavioural problems and temperament at age 7 to 9 years.
Results:
Birth weight and head circumference at birth adjusted for gestational age (i.e., fetal growth) were inversely associated with hyperactivity and total behavioural problems, and positively associated with the temperamental trait Effortful Control. Path analyses showed that Effortful Control mediated the effects of fetal growth on hyperactivity and total behavioural problems.
Conclusions:
Our results suggest that an adverse fetal environment is associated with behavioural problems in childhood, in particular in those children that show a low capacity for attentional and behavioural regulation. An adverse fetal environment might induce vulnerability for behavioural problems, or it might induce changes in temperament and behavioural problems independently, representing a common cause. Pathways are likely to be based on long-lasting neurodevelopmental alterations due to prenatal adversity.
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