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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
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Stress in pregnancy: Clinical and adaptive behavior of offspring following Superstorm Sandy

Yoko Nomura1,2,3,4, Wei Zhang5, Yasmin L Hurd3,6

  • 1Department of Psychology, CUNY Queens College, Flushing, NY, USA.

Development and Psychopathology
|October 1, 2021
PubMed

Insights

Prenatal exposure to Superstorm Sandy stress was linked to initial increases in childhood anxiety and depression. However, these children later developed superior social and communication skills compared to unexposed peers.

Area of Science:

  • Psychology
  • Developmental Psychology
  • Environmental Psychology

Background:

  • Prenatal stress exposure can impact child development.
  • Superstorm Sandy provided a unique natural experiment to study prenatal stress effects.
  • Longitudinal studies are crucial for understanding developmental trajectories.

Purpose of the Study:

  • To investigate the long-term effects of prenatal exposure to Superstorm Sandy on children's clinical and adaptive behaviors.
  • To analyze the developmental trajectories of clinical and adaptive behaviors in children exposed and unexposed to prenatal stress.
  • To determine if prenatal stress is associated with both negative clinical outcomes and enhanced adaptive skills.

Main Methods:

  • Longitudinal study of 304 children from the Stress in Pregnancy (SIP) Study.
  • Children were assessed annually from 2 to 6 years of age.
  • Hierarchical linear modeling was used to analyze behavioral data.

Main Results:

  • In utero Sandy exposure was associated with higher anxiety, depression, and somatization, and lower social skills and functional communication at age 2.
  • Anxiety increased more rapidly in exposed children (ages 2-4), and depression emerged only in this group.
  • Exposed children showed rapid improvement in social skills and functional communication, surpassing unexposed children by age 3.

Conclusions:

  • Prenatal exposure to severe environmental stress like Superstorm Sandy is associated with increased risk for clinical issues such as anxiety and depression.
  • Despite initial clinical challenges, children exposed to prenatal stress demonstrate a remarkable capacity for developing advanced adaptive skills.
  • This study highlights the complex, dual impact of prenatal stress on child development, affecting both vulnerability and resilience.

Keywords:
clinical and adaptive behaviorsnatural disasterobjective stress exposureprenatal maternal stress

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