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Prenatal risk factors for internalizing and externalizing problems in childhood

Joyce Tien1, Gary D Lewis2, Jianghong Liu3

  • 1Department of Family and Community Health, School of Nursing, University of Pennsylvania, Philadelphia, PA, 19104, USA.

World Journal of Pediatrics : WJP
|October 17, 2019
PubMed

Insights

Prenatal risk factors like maternal health issues and stress are linked to childhood behavior problems, including internalizing and externalizing issues. Understanding these links aids in developing prevention and intervention strategies.

Area of Science:

  • Perinatal and developmental psychology
  • Childhood behavioral health
  • Maternal-fetal medicine

Background:

  • Research indicates prenatal risk factors significantly impact offspring health.
  • Childhood behavior problems, encompassing externalizing and internalizing issues, are a key concern.
  • This review synthesizes current knowledge on prenatal influences on these problems.

Purpose of the Study:

  • To review and synthesize research on prenatal risk factors and childhood behavior problems.
  • To focus on the impact during childhood and adolescence.
  • To outline potential mechanisms and implications for intervention.

Main Methods:

  • Comprehensive literature search across EBSCO, Web of Science, PubMed, Google Scholar, and Scopus.
  • Keywords included "prenatal" or "perinatal" or "birth complications" combined with "internalizing" or "externalizing".
  • Included experimental research, systematic reviews, meta-analyses, cohort studies, and theoretical literature for synthesis.

Main Results:

  • Identified health-related factors (maternal overweight/obesity, substance use, toxicant exposure, infection/inflammation) and psychosocial factors (intimate partner violence, maternal anxiety/depression).
  • Epidemiological and experimental studies confirm adverse associations between these prenatal factors and increased risk of emotional/behavioral problems.
  • Potential mechanisms involve hormonal and immune system alterations; implications include enhanced prenatal education, screening, and interventions.

Conclusions:

  • Prenatal risk factors are demonstrably associated with a range of offspring internalizing and externalizing problems.
  • Identifying these factors and their mechanisms is crucial for developing effective, evidence-based prevention and intervention strategies.
Abstract

Keywords:
ExternalizingInternalizingObstetricalPregnancyPrenatal risk factors

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