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Impact of the Perinatal Environment on the Child's Development: Implications for Prevention Policies

Françoise Molenat1

  • 1Association for the Education and the Research on the Child and its Environment (AFREE), BP 64164 34092, Montpellier Cedex 05, France, afree@afree.asso.fr.

Advances in Neurobiology
|October 8, 2014
PubMed

Insights

Emotional security is crucial for child development, impacting brain organization and exploration. High-quality maternal care from intrauterine life onwards is essential for a child

Area of Science:

  • Perinatal Medicine
  • Developmental Psychology
  • Neuroscience

Background:

  • Basic emotional security is fundamental for child development, influencing brain organization, autonomy, and exploration.
  • Attachment theory principles are supported by neuroimaging, highlighting the role of the hypothalamic-pituitary-adrenal axis in brain development.
  • Environmental responses, particularly maternal security from intrauterine life, significantly impact child development.

Purpose of the Study:

  • To explore the impact of parental stress on early developmental stages.
  • To highlight the importance of maternal and infant well-being in perinatal policies.
  • To investigate support methods for vulnerable parents and their mechanisms of change.

Main Methods:

  • Review of neuroimaging findings related to brain development and regulatory systems.
  • Prospective analysis of support methods for vulnerable parents.
  • Interdisciplinary approach involving obstetrical and pediatric follow-up.

Main Results:

  • Quality of environmental responses and maternal security are key variables in child development.
  • Understanding of parental stress effects during early development is advancing.
  • Continuity and coherence in care facilitate the restructuring of emotional traumas in parents.

Conclusions:

  • Emotional security is vital for child development, supported by neuroscience and attachment theory.
  • Perinatal policies increasingly focus on parental emotional security for developmental disorder prevention.
  • An interdisciplinary, coordinated perinatal care model is emerging to support maternal and infant well-being.

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