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Sex differences in the relation between prenatal maternal emotional complaints and child outcome

Anouk T C E de Bruijn1, Hedwig J A van Bakel, Anneloes L van Baar

  • 1Pediatric Psychology, Department of Developmental, Clinical and Cross-cultural Psychology, Tilburg University, Tilburg, The Netherlands. T.C.E.deBruijn@uvt.nl

Early Human Development
|January 24, 2009
PubMed

Insights

Prenatal maternal emotional complaints impact child behavior differently in boys and girls. Timing of maternal stress during pregnancy influences specific behavioral problems in offspring, highlighting the need for sex-specific analysis.

Area of Science:

  • Developmental Psychology
  • Maternal Mental Health
  • Child Behavior

Background:

  • Animal studies indicate sex differences in prenatal stress effects on offspring.
  • Human studies often overlook sex differences, potentially missing crucial insights into developmental processes.
  • Investigating prenatal maternal emotional complaints and child behavioral problems separately for boys and girls is essential.

Purpose of the Study:

  • To examine the association between prenatal maternal emotional complaints and behavioral problems in toddlers and preschoolers.
  • To explore potential sex differences in these associations.
  • To determine if the timing of maternal emotional complaints during pregnancy influences child outcomes.

Main Methods:

  • A cohort of 444 pregnant women completed questionnaires on anxiety and depression across trimesters.
  • Parental reports on their own mental health and their children's behavioral problems were collected when children were 14-54 months old.
  • Data were analyzed separately for 227 boys and 217 girls.

Main Results:

  • Prenatal maternal emotional complaints correlated with child behavioral problems in both sexes, but with distinct patterns.
  • For boys, first-trimester complaints were linked to total and internalizing behavioral problems.
  • For girls, third-trimester complaints were associated with total, internalizing, and externalizing behavioral problems.

Conclusions:

  • Sex-specific analyses are crucial for understanding the impact of prenatal maternal emotional complaints on child development.
  • The timing of maternal emotional complaints during pregnancy differentially affects behavioral outcomes in boys and girls.
  • Future research should consider both sex and gestational timing when examining prenatal stress and child outcomes.
Abstract

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