Parental psychological distress during pregnancy and the risk of childhood lower lung function and asthma: a

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Updated: Dec 6, 2025

Using a Murine Model of Psychosocial Stress in Pregnancy as a Translationally Relevant Paradigm for Psychiatric Disorders in Mothers and Infants
06:39

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

3.4K

Evelien R van Meel1,2, Gautam Saharan1,2, Vincent Wv Jaddoe1,3

  • 1The Generation R Study Group, Erasmus Medical Center, Rotterdam, The Netherlands.

Thorax
|October 13, 2020
PubMed

Insights

Maternal psychological distress during pregnancy is linked to childhood asthma and reduced lung function. This association persists into later childhood, suggesting intrauterine programming for respiratory health.

Area of Science:

  • Environmental Health
  • Pediatric Respiratory Medicine
  • Reproductive Psychiatry

Background:

  • Maternal psychological distress during pregnancy is a known risk factor for respiratory issues in preschoolers.
  • The persistence of this association into later childhood remains unclear.

Purpose of the Study:

  • To investigate the long-term effects of parental psychological distress during pregnancy on school-aged children's lung function and asthma prevalence.

Main Methods:

  • A population-based prospective cohort study involving 4231 children.
  • Parental psychological distress assessed using the Brief Symptom Inventory during and after pregnancy.
  • Childhood lung function (spirometry) and asthma (questionnaire) evaluated at age 10.

Main Results:

  • Maternal psychological distress during pregnancy correlated with lower forced vital capacity (FVC) and forced expiratory volume in the first second (FEV1) in children.
  • All measures of maternal psychological distress during pregnancy were associated with an increased risk of childhood asthma.
  • Paternal psychological distress during pregnancy did not show a significant association with childhood respiratory morbidity.

Conclusions:

  • Maternal psychological distress during pregnancy, but not paternal, is associated with increased asthma risk and reduced lung function in children.
  • These findings suggest a potential role for intrauterine programming in the development of later-life respiratory diseases.
Abstract

Keywords:
asthma epidemiologypaediatric asthmapsychology

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