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Risk for Developmental Delay Among Infants Born During the COVID-19 Pandemic
Gerald F Giesbrecht1, Catherine Lebel2, Cindy-Lee Dennis3
1Departments of Paediatrics and Community Health Sciences, Alberta Children's Hospital Research Institute, University of Calgary, Calgary, AB, Canada.
Insights
Infants born during the COVID-19 pandemic showed a slightly increased risk for developmental delays in communication and motor skills compared to those born before. Ongoing monitoring is recommended to ensure healthy child development.
Area of Science:
- Pediatrics
- Developmental Psychology
- Public Health
Background:
- COVID-19 pandemic altered infant rearing environments globally.
- Concerns exist regarding potential negative impacts on early childhood development.
- This study investigates developmental outcomes for pandemic-born infants.
Purpose of the Study:
- To compare the risk of developmental delay in infants born during the COVID-19 pandemic versus those born before.
- To identify specific developmental domains affected in pandemic-born infants.
- To inform potential interventions and support for child development.
Main Methods:
- Longitudinal study comparing two cohorts: pre-pandemic (2015-2018) and pandemic (2020-2021) births.
- Infant development assessed using the Ages and Stages Questionnaire (ASQ-3) at 1-year postpartum.
- Sociodemographic, pregnancy, and depression data were collected for covariate adjustment.
Main Results:
- Pandemic-born infants had lower ASQ-3 scores in Communication, Gross Motor, and Personal-Social domains.
- Higher odds of screening positive for developmental delay were observed in these domains for pandemic-born infants.
- Sex-specific differences in developmental screening were noted.
Conclusions:
- While most pandemic-born infants develop typically, a small increase in developmental delay risk exists.
- The findings highlight the need for continued monitoring of pandemic-born infants.
- This monitoring will help determine necessary resources and interventions for optimal child development.
Objective:
Attempts by governments around the world to mitigate the spread of COVID-19 have substantially altered the early rearing environment, raising concerns about potential negative consequences for babies born during this time. The objective of this study was to determine whether infants born during the COVID-19 pandemic were at greater risk of screening positive for developmental delay compared with infants born before the pandemic.
Methods:
Participants were from 2 longitudinal cohorts. The prepandemic cohort, Impact of Maternal and Paternal Postpartum Depression, recruited postpartum individuals in the period between 2015 and 2018. Infant development milestone data (Ages and Stages Questionnaire [ASQ-3]) were collected at 1-year postpartum (n = 2903), between 2016 and 2019. The pandemic cohort, Pregnancy during the Pandemic, recruited pregnant individuals between April 2020 and April 2021. Infant development milestone data (ASQ-3) were collected at 1-year postpartum (n = 3742), between May 2021 and December 2022. Sociodemographic information, pregnancy outcomes, and depression symptom data were also collected.
Results:
In covariate-adjusted analyses, pandemic-born infants had lower mean scores and higher odds of screening positive for delay on the Communication, Gross Motor, and Personal-Social domains of the ASQ-3 compared with prepandemic infants. Sex differences showed that males and females screened "at risk" in different domains.
Conclusion:
Most pandemic-born infants display typical development, and differences between prepandemic and pandemic-born infants were small. Nevertheless, an increased risk for delayed development among pandemic-born infants suggests the need for ongoing monitoring to determine what, if any, resources and interventions are needed to support healthy child development.
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