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Updated: Apr 24, 2026

Using a Murine Model of Psychosocial Stress in Pregnancy as a Translationally Relevant Paradigm for Psychiatric Disorders in Mothers and Infants
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Using a Murine Model of Psychosocial Stress in Pregnancy as a Translationally Relevant Paradigm for Psychiatric Disorders in Mothers and Infants

Published on: June 13, 2021

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Exposure to stressful life events during pregnancy predicts psychotic experiences via behaviour problems in childhood

Kim S Betts1, Gail M Williams1, Jakob M Najman2

  • 1School of Population Health, University of Queensland, Brisbane, Australia.

Journal of Psychiatric Research
|September 3, 2014
PubMed

Insights

Prenatal stress increases the risk of psychotic experiences in offspring, particularly through behavioral problems in early childhood. This highlights the critical role of early development in understanding psychosis risk.

Area of Science:

  • Psychiatry
  • Developmental Psychology
  • Neuroscience

Background:

  • Prenatal stress is linked to schizophrenia in offspring.
  • Neurodevelopmental abnormalities in childhood may increase psychosis risk.
  • This study investigates the interplay between prenatal stress, childhood neurodevelopment, and later psychotic experiences.

Purpose of the Study:

  • To examine the association between prenatal stressful life events and psychotic experiences in adulthood.
  • To explore the mediating role of childhood behavior problems and cognitive ability.
  • To investigate potential moderation effects on the pathway to psychosis.

Main Methods:

  • Utilized data from the Mater University Study of Pregnancy (MUSP), an Australian birth cohort.
  • Assessed lifetime DSM-IV positive psychotic experiences at age 21 using a semi-structured interview (n=2227).
  • Employed structural equation modeling to analyze the relationships between prenatal stress, childhood factors, and psychotic experiences.

Main Results:

  • Prenatal stressful life events indirectly predicted psychotic experiences via behavior problems at age 5.
  • This indirect effect was not confounded by maternal stressful life events.
  • No statistical evidence supported an interaction between prenatal stress and behavior problems or cognitive ability.

Conclusions:

  • The impact of prenatal stress on later psychotic experiences is mediated by behavioral problems evident by age 5.
  • Early abnormal behavioral development serves as a key intermediary, confirming prenatal stress's role in later psychotic disorders.
Abstract

Keywords:
Behavioural problemsCognitive abilityMediationNeurodevelopmentPrenatal stressful life eventsPsychotic experiences

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