Influence of maternal distress during pregnancy on postnatal development

Children of women whose applications for legal abortion in 1960 had been refused were compared with the next same-sexed children born in the same delivery wards, whose mothers were of similar age, parity and social class. The postnatal somatic and psychosocial development in 90 pairs thus matched was followed up to 15 years of age using school grades, the school health card and the register of the social welfare authorities. The initially unwanted children had a more insecure childhood with more cases of divorce. They performed worse at school and displayed more psychosomatic symptoms, they were more often registered with the social welfare authorities and in need of psychiatric treatment. When the 48 pairs that were formally equivalent as to having lived with their biological parents were compared the difference in school achievement remained. The result may be seen as support of the hypothesis of a negative prenatal influence.