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Prenatal Developmental Origins of Future Psychopathology: Mechanisms and Pathways

Catherine Monk1,2,3, Claudia Lugo-Candelas1,3, Caroline Trumpff1,3

  • 1Department of Psychiatry, Columbia University, New York, NY 10032, USA;

Annual Review of Clinical Psychology
|February 24, 2019
PubMed

Insights

Maternal distress during pregnancy, including stress and anxiety, can negatively impact fetal brain development and increase a child's risk for mental health disorders. This highlights a critical pathway beyond genetics and parenting.

Area of Science:

  • Neurodevelopmental outcomes
  • Psychiatric epidemiology
  • Developmental psychology

Background:

  • The developmental origins of health and disease (DOHaD) hypothesis suggests fetal development influences lifelong health.
  • Familial risk for psychiatric illness extends beyond genes and parental care.
  • Maternal distress during pregnancy is an underrecognized factor in child neurodevelopment.

Purpose of the Study:

  • To explore the impact of maternal distress on fetal and infant brain-behavior development.
  • To review evidence linking maternal distress to psychopathology in offspring.
  • To discuss biological mechanisms and clinical implications of DOHaD concerning maternal distress.

Main Methods:

  • Review of epidemiological and observational clinical data.
  • Examination of biological systems hypothesized to mediate effects.
  • Synthesis of existing research on maternal distress and child development.

Main Results:

  • Maternal distress (stress, anxiety, depression) is linked to increased risk for psychopathology in children.
  • High maternal anxiety is associated with a twofold increase in the risk of probable mental disorder in children.
  • Evidence supports a pathway from maternal distress to altered fetal and infant brain-behavior development.

Conclusions:

  • Maternal distress represents a significant familial risk factor for psychiatric illness.
  • Interventions targeting maternal well-being during pregnancy are crucial for child mental health.
  • Development and parenting commence in utero, emphasizing the importance of prenatal care.

Keywords:
DOHaDbrain developmentdepressionplacentaprenatal stress

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