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Updated: Apr 13, 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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Associations between maternal stress during pregnancy and offspring internalizing and externalizing problems in

Subin Park1, Bung-Nyun Kim2, Jae-Won Kim2

  • 1Department of Psychiatry, Seoul National Hospital, Seoul, Republic of Korea.

International Journal of Mental Health Systems
|May 1, 2015
PubMed

Insights

Maternal stress during pregnancy is linked to children's internalizing and externalizing problems. This highlights the importance of maternal psychological health for offspring mental health outcomes.

Area of Science:

  • Child and Adolescent Psychology
  • Maternal Mental Health
  • Developmental Psychology

Background:

  • Maternal psychological health during pregnancy is linked to offspring psychopathology.
  • The mediating role of postpartum depression and child-rearing factors requires further investigation.
  • Understanding these associations is crucial for early intervention and prevention strategies.

Purpose of the Study:

  • To examine the associations between prenatal and postnatal factors and internalizing and externalizing behavioral problems in school-aged children.
  • To specifically focus on the impact of maternal psychological health during the perinatal period.
  • To investigate potential mediating factors in the relationship between maternal mental health and child behavioral outcomes.

Main Methods:

  • A cross-sectional study involving 1,003 school-aged children (8-11 years) in Korea.
  • Children's internalizing and externalizing problems were assessed using the Child Behavior Checklist (CBCL).
  • Parents completed questionnaires on perinatal factors, including maternal stress and postpartum depression, family income, and pregnancy intention.

Main Results:

  • Severe maternal stress during pregnancy was significantly associated with both internalizing problems (OR 3.36) and externalizing problems (OR 2.69).
  • Postpartum depression was associated with internalizing problems (OR 3.19), while low family income (OR 2.19) and unwanted pregnancy (OR 2.76) were linked to externalizing problems.
  • Maternal stress during pregnancy remained a significant predictor for both internalizing and externalizing problems after controlling for other factors.

Conclusions:

  • Maternal psychological health during the perinatal period is critically important for children's mental health.
  • Severe maternal stress during pregnancy is a significant risk factor for both internalizing and externalizing behavioral problems in offspring.
  • Further prospective research with larger sample sizes is recommended to validate these findings and inform clinical practice.
Abstract

Keywords:
Externalizing problemInternalizing problemsPerinatal risk factors

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