Maternal Migration, Prenatal Stress and Child Autistic Traits: Insights From a Population-Based Cohort Study

Area of Science:

• Perinatal Psychiatry
• Developmental Neuroscience
• Sociology of Health

Background:

• Emerging evidence suggests a higher prevalence of autism in children born to mothers with a migration background.
• The underlying mechanisms connecting maternal migration and child autism remain poorly understood.
• Prenatal stress exposure is a potential mediator in this association.

Purpose of the Study:

• To investigate whether prenatal stress mediates the relationship between maternal migration and autistic traits in children.
• To assess this association in first- and second-generation migrant mothers and their children in the Netherlands.

Main Methods:

• Prospective, population-based study (Generation R cohort) of 4,727 mother-child pairs.
• 38% of mothers had a migration background; prenatal stress assessed via questionnaires.
• Autistic traits measured at age 6 using the Social Responsiveness Scale; longitudinal mediation analyses performed.

Main Results:

• Mothers with a migration background reported higher prenatal stress and their children showed higher autistic trait scores.
• Prenatal stress, including perceived discrimination and maternal psychopathology, accounted for up to 50% of the migration effect.
• The association between maternal migration and child autistic traits remained significant after adjusting for sociodemographic factors.

Conclusions:

• Prenatal stress significantly mediates the link between maternal migration status and child autistic traits.
• Interventions aimed at reducing prenatal stress in migrant mothers could potentially lower autistic traits in their offspring.
• Further research is warranted to explore early intervention strategies.