Natural Disasters as a Maternal Prenatal Stressor and Children's Neurodevelopment: A Systematic Review
Gül Ünsel-Bolat1, Sema Yıldırım1, Fethiye Kılıçaslan2
1Department of Child and Adolescent Psychiatry, Balıkesir University, 10145 Balıkesir, Turkey.
Behavioral Sciences (Basel, Switzerland)
|November 27, 2024
Summary
Prenatal exposure to natural disasters, a form of maternal stress, negatively impacts children's neurodevelopment. This includes cognitive, language, and behavioral outcomes, highlighting the vulnerability of prenatal development.
Area of Science:
- Neuroscience
- Developmental Psychology
- Public Health
Background:
- The intrauterine period is critical for embryonic and fetal development.
- Maternal stress during pregnancy can affect neonatal and childhood brain development.
- Natural disasters represent a significant source of prenatal maternal stress (PNMS).
Purpose of the Study:
- To synthesize research on the neurodevelopmental effects of natural disasters as PNMS on children.
- To examine the influence of gestational age and gender on these effects.
Main Methods:
- Systematic review conducted across PubMed, Web of Science, and Scopus.
- Included 30 studies adhering to PRISMA guidelines.
- Analysis of data from 1,327,886 mother-child dyads.
Main Results:
- Natural disasters as PNMS are linked to adverse neurodevelopmental outcomes in children.
- Affected areas include cognitive and language development, autism spectrum features, motor skills, and academic performance.
- Increased behavioral and emotional problems, sleep disturbances, and psychiatric comorbidities were observed.
Conclusions:
- Prenatal exposure to natural disasters has widespread negative impacts on child neurodevelopment.
- Gestational age and gender may modulate these effects, warranting further investigation.
- Understanding these impacts is crucial for public health interventions and support for affected families.
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