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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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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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Maternal pandemic-related stress during pregnancy associates with infants' socio-cognitive development at 12 months:

Sarah Nazzari1, Serena Grumi2, Giacomo Biasucci3

  • 1Department of Brain and Behavioral Sciences, University of Pavia, Pavia, Italy.

Plos One
|April 17, 2023
PubMed

Insights

Prenatal maternal stress during the COVID-19 pandemic was linked to altered socio-cognitive development in 12-month-old infants. Higher maternal stress correlated with reduced infant communication and pointing behaviors, impacting socio-cognitive scores.

Area of Science:

  • Developmental Psychology
  • Maternal Health
  • Infant Behavior

Background:

  • Prenatal maternal stress is a known risk factor for infant development.
  • Previous research focused on socio-emotional and cognitive outcomes, with less known about socio-cognitive development.
  • The COVID-19 pandemic introduced unique stressors during pregnancy.

Purpose of the Study:

  • To investigate the effects of maternal prenatal stress during the COVID-19 pandemic on infant socio-cognitive development.
  • To assess behavioral markers of socio-cognitive development at 12 months of age.
  • To examine the relationship between maternal pandemic-related stress and infant socio-cognitive outcomes.

Main Methods:

  • Longitudinal study of 90 infants and their mothers from birth to 12 months.
  • Mothers reported pandemic-related stress during pregnancy.
  • Remote assessment of mother-infant interaction at 12 months, including infant responses to auditory stimuli and micro-analytic coding of behaviors.
  • Calculation of a socio-cognitive score (SCS) using principal component analysis.

Main Results:

  • Infants showed equal orientation to human and non-human sounds.
  • 80% of infants exhibited communication, and 48% showed pointing behavior towards auditory stimuli.
  • Higher maternal prenatal stress was associated with a greater likelihood of no infant communication (p=.035) and reduced pointing (p=.057).
  • A significant negative association was found between maternal stress and infant SCS at 12 months (R2=.07, p=.010).

Conclusions:

  • Prenatal maternal stress during the COVID-19 pandemic may increase the risk of altered infant socio-cognitive development.
  • Observational paradigms can assess these socio-cognitive markers in infants.
  • Preventive attention is crucial for infants born during the pandemic.
Abstract

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