Search Our Scientific Publications & Authors

PLoS One 2020 12;15(6):e0234579. Epub 2020 Jun 12.

Department of Obstetrics, Gynecology and Reproductive Sciences, Program on Reproductive Health and the Environment, University of California, San Francisco, San Francisco, California, United States of America.

Pregnant women who experience psychosocial stressors, such as stressful life events, poor neighborhood quality, and financial hardship, are at an increased risk for adverse pregnancy outcomes. Yet, few studies have examined associations between multiple stressors from different sources, which may be helpful to better inform causal pathways leading to adverse birth outcomes. Using path analysis, we examined associations between multiple self-reported stressor exposures during and before pregnancy in the Chemicals in Our Bodies-2 study (N = 510), a demographically diverse cohort of pregnant women in San Francisco. Read More

Int J Environ Res Public Health 2020 Jun 9;17(11). Epub 2020 Jun 9.

Department of Chemistry FEPS, University of Surrey, Guildford, Surrey GU2 7XH, UK.

Behavioral problems are multifactorial and includes perinatal, maternal, family, parenting, socio-economic and personal risk factors, but less is known about the association of postnatal heavy metals on children's behavioral problems in Pacific Island children.

Methods: A cohort of eligible nine-year-old children within a Pacific Island Families longitudinal study were recruited for a cross-sectional study. Child behavior problems were assessed using the child behavior checklist. Read More

Rev Saude Publica 2020 20;54:48. Epub 2020 May 20.

Departamento de Medicina Preventiva, Faculdade de Medicina, Universidade de São Paulo, São Paulo, SP, Brasil.

OBJECTIVE To identify the Brazilian cohorts that started either in the prenatal period or at birth, to describe their characteristics and the explored variables, and to map the cohorts with potential for studies on early determinants on health and the risk of falling ill on later stages of the life cycle. METHODS A scoping review was carried out. The articles were searched in the electronic databases PubMed and Virtual Health Library (VHL). Read More

Scand J Public Health 2020 May 28:1403494820919564. Epub 2020 May 28.

Department of Clinical Medicine, Aarhus University and Department of Gynaecology Obstetrics, Aarhus University Hospital, Aarhus, Denmark.

To study the associations between and timing of psychosocial and physical work factors and health status on sick leave among Danish pregnant employees. A total of 910 pregnant women completed a questionnaire in gestational weeks 12 (baseline) and 27 (follow-up). Information about psychosocial and physical work factors and health status was obtained at baseline. Read More

J Matern Fetal Neonatal Med 2020 May 14:1-7. Epub 2020 May 14.

Department of Obstetrics and Gynecology, University of Colorado, Aurora, CO, USA.

Perinatal depression is one of the most common medical complications during and after pregnancy, occurring in up to 20% of new mothers in the USA. It can have both short- and long-term effects on the mother, child, and family. Multiple etiologies have been proposed for perinatal depression, and there are many reported genetic, epigenetic, environmental, socioeconomic, and psychosocial risk factors. Read More

BMC Pregnancy Childbirth 2020 May 11;20(1):283. Epub 2020 May 11.

Public Health and Epidemiology Group, Department of Health Science and Technology, Aalborg University, Niels Jernes Vej, 14, 9220, Aalborg Øst, Denmark.

Background: The physical place and environment has a profound influence on experiences, health and wellbeing of birthing women. An alternatively designed delivery room, inspired by the principles of healing architecture and Snoezelen, was established in a Danish regional hospital. These principles provided knowledge of how building and interior design affects the senses, including users' pain experience and stress levels. Read More

Int J Environ Res Public Health 2020 03 19;17(6). Epub 2020 Mar 19.

School of Medicine and Public Health, The University of Newcastle, Callaghan 2308, Australia.

The aim of this review of reviews was to collate the latest evidence from systematic reviews about the maternal and child health outcomes of being exposed to tobacco and nicotine during pregnancy; the effectiveness of interventions designed to reduce these exposures, and barriers to and facilitators of smoking cessation during pregnancy. Two databases were searched to obtain systematic reviews published from 2010 to 2019. Pertinent data from 76 articles were summarized using a narrative synthesis (PROSPERO reference: CRD42018085896). Read More

Curr Dev Nutr 2020 Feb 6;4(2):nzaa018. Epub 2020 Feb 6.

Department of Environmental Medicine and Public Health, Icahn School of Medicine at Mount Sinai, New York, NY, USA.

Background: Iron accrued in utero is critical for fetal and infant neurocognitive development. Psychosocial stress and obesity can each suppress fetal iron accrual. Their combined effects and differences by fetal sex are not known. Read More

Front Neuroendocrinol 2020 Apr 18;57:100834. Epub 2020 Feb 18.

Department of Psychiatry & Behavioral Sciences, Johns Hopkins University School of Medicine, Baltimore, MD 21205, USA; Cellular & Molecular Medicine Graduate Program, Johns Hopkins University School of Medicine, Baltimore, MD 21205, USA. Electronic address:

The maternal environment during pregnancy is critical for fetal development and perinatal perturbations can prime offspring disease risk. Here, we briefly review evidence linking two well-characterized maternal stressors - psychosocial stress and infection - to increased neuropsychiatric risk in offspring. In the current climate of increasing obesity and globalization of the Western-style diet, maternal overnutrition emerges as a pressing public health concern. Read More

PLoS One 2020 29;15(1):e0227976. Epub 2020 Jan 29.

Department of Environmental Health Sciences, University of Michigan School of Public Health, Ann Arbor, MI, United States of America.

Psychosocial stress during pregnancy has been associated with adverse pregnancy outcomes including preterm birth (PTB). This has not been studied in Puerto Rico, an area with high PTB rates. Our objective was to develop a conceptual model describing the interrelationships between measures of psychosocial stress and depression, a result of stress, among pregnant women in Puerto Rico and to examine their associations with PTB. Read More

Int J Environ Res Public Health 2020 01 4;17(1). Epub 2020 Jan 4.

Department of Pediatrics, Bellevue Hospital Center, New York University School of Medicine, New York, NY 10016, USA.

Hispanic women have a higher prevalence of weight associated complications in pregnancy. This ethnic disparity is likely related to behavior patterns, social circumstances, environmental exposures, and access to healthcare, rather than biologic differences. The objective was to determine associations between sociodemographic characteristics, health behaviors, and psychosocial stressors and gestational weight gain (GWG) in low-income Hispanic women. Read More

J Child Psychol Psychiatry 2020 Jan 7. Epub 2020 Jan 7.

Division of Child and Adolescent Psychiatry, New York State Psychiatric Institute, New York, NY, USA.

Background: Risk for childhood psychopathology is complex and multifactorial, implicating direct and interacting effects of familial and environmental factors. The role of environmental neurotoxicants in psychiatric risk is of growing concern, including polycyclic aromatic hydrocarbons (PAH), common in air pollution. Prenatal PAH exposure is linked to adverse physical, behavioral, and cognitive outcomes as well as increasing psychiatric risk. Read More

Soc Work Health Care 2020 Jan 12;59(1):20-45. Epub 2019 Nov 12.

School of Social Work, Rutgers, The State University of New Jersey, New Brunswick, NJ, USA.

The purpose of this article is to examine women's perceptions of the patient-provider relationship in the context of medically high-risk pregnancy (MHRP). Sixteen in-depth interviews were conducted with women hospitalized for MHRP on a maternal-fetal medical unit in the US. Tenets of phenomenology guided the data analysis. Read More

Obes Rev 2020 02 23;21(2):e12951. Epub 2019 Oct 23.

Research Unit for Dietary Studies, The Parker Institute, Bispebjerg and Frederiksberg Hospital, Copenhagen, Denmark.

Exposure to prenatal stress is linked to health consequences in the offspring. The objective of this systematic review was to synthesize and critically appraise primary human studies that have examined the association between prenatal exposure to psychosocial stress, or adverse life events, stress hormones, and later risk of developing obesity. We searched Medline, Embase, ScienceDirect, WorldCat, and OpenGrey up to January 2019 to identify relevant literature. Read More

World J Pediatr 2019 Oct 15. Epub 2019 Oct 15.

Department of Family and Community Health, School of Nursing, University of Pennsylvania, Philadelphia, PA, 19104, USA.

Background: A growing body of research has documented the effects of prenatal risk factors on a wide spectrum of adverse offspring health outcomes. Childhood behavior problems, such as externalizing and internalizing problems, are no exception. This comprehensive literature review aims to summarize and synthesize current research about commonly experienced prenatal risk factors associated with internalizing and externalizing problems, with a focus on their impact during childhood and adolescence. Read More

Int J Environ Res Public Health 2019 10 1;16(19). Epub 2019 Oct 1.

Department of Epidemiology, School of Public Health and Tropical Medicine, Tulane University, New Orleans, LA 70112, USA.

Metals, stress, and sociodemographics are commonly studied separately for their effects on birth outcomes, yet often jointly contribute to adverse outcomes. This study analyzes two methods for measuring cumulative risk to understand how maternal chemical and nonchemical stressors may contribute to small for gestational age (SGA). SGA was calculated using sex-specific fetal growth curves for infants of pregnant mothers ( = 2562) enrolled in the National Institute of Child Health and Human Development (NICHD) Fetal Growth Study. Read More

Trials 2019 Aug 29;20(1):539. Epub 2019 Aug 29.

Women's and Children's Hospital, Adelaide, South Australia, Australia.

Background: Cardiotocography is almost ubiquitous in its use in intrapartum care. Although it has been demonstrated that there is some benefit from continuous intrapartum fetal monitoring using cardiotocography, there is also an increased risk of caesarean section which is accompanied by short-term and long-term risks to the mother and child. There is considerable potential to reduce unnecessary operative delivery with up to a 60% false positive diagnosis of fetal distress using cardiotocography alone. Read More

Am J Prev Med 2019 09 25;57(3):302-310. Epub 2019 Jul 25.

School of Public Health, Faculty of Medicine, University of Queensland, Brisbane, Queensland, Australia.

Introduction: The influence of women's childhood psychosocial environment and subsequent preconception mental health on risk of developing gestational diabetes mellitus is unclear. This study examines this relationship.

Methods: Data from a population-based cohort study, the Australian Longitudinal Study on Women's Health, were used. Read More

J Can Assoc Gastroenterol 2019 Feb 2;2(Suppl 1):S49-S67. Epub 2018 Nov 2.

Canadian Gastro-Intestinal Epidemiology Consortium Ottawa, Canada.

Canada has among the highest rates of childhood-onset IBD in the world. Over 7000 children and youth under 18 years old are living with IBD in Canada, and 600 to 650 children under 16 years old are diagnosed annually. While the peak age of onset of IBD is highest in the second and third decades of life, over the past two decades incidence has risen most rapidly in children under 5 years old. Read More

Neuropharmacology 2019 10 25;157:107686. Epub 2019 Jun 25.

Department of Life and Environment Sciences and Center of Excellence for Neurobiology of Dependence, University of Cagliari, Cagliari, Italy; Center of Excellence for Neurobiology of Dependence, University of Cagliari, Cagliari, Italy.

Autism spectrum disorders (ASD) are a group of neurodevelopmental disorders characterized by changes in social interactions, impaired language and communication, fear responses and presence of repetitive behaviours. Although the genetic bases of ASD are well documented, the recent increase in clinical cases of idiopathic ASD indicates that several environmental risk factors could play a role in ASD aetiology. Among these, maternal exposure to psychosocial stressors during pregnancy has been hypothesized to affect the risk for ASD in offspring. Read More

JMIR Res Protoc 2019 Jun 26;8(6):e13569. Epub 2019 Jun 26.

Division of General Internal Medicine, Department of Medicine, University of Pittsburgh, Pittsburgh, PA, United States.

Background: There are significant racial disparities in pregnancy and postpartum health outcomes, including postpartum weight retention and cardiometabolic risk. These racial disparities are a result of a complex interplay between contextual, environmental, behavioral, and psychosocial factors.

Objective: This protocol provides a description of the development and infrastructure for the Postpartum Mothers Mobile Study (PMOMS), designed to better capture women's daily experiences and exposures from late pregnancy through 1 year postpartum. Read More

Ceska Gynekol 2019 ;84(1):33-39

Objective: To compare the effects of childbirth fear and trait anxiety on the risk of emergency cesarean section; to analyze whether emergency cesarean section is associated with low mastery and maternal self-esteem; to examine whether stress and low social support in pregnancy may be considered risk factors for emergency cesarean section.

Design: Original study.

Setting: Department of Psychology, Faculty of Arts, Charles University, Prague. Read More

BMC Pregnancy Childbirth 2019 May 30;19(1):189. Epub 2019 May 30.

Department of Preventive Medicine, USC Keck School of Medicine, University of Southern California, 2001 N. Soto Street, M/C 9237, Los Angeles, CA, 90032, USA.

Background: The burden of childhood and adult obesity disproportionally affects Hispanic and African-American populations in the US, and these groups as well as populations with lower income and education levels are disproportionately affected by environmental pollution. Pregnancy is a critical developmental period where maternal exposures may have significant impacts on infant and childhood growth as well as the future health of the mother. We initiated the "Maternal And Developmental Risks from Environmental and Social Stressors (MADRES)" cohort study to address critical gaps in understanding the increased risk for childhood obesity and maternal obesity outcomes among minority and low-income women in urban Los Angeles. Read More

BMJ Open 2019 05 5;9(5):e025644. Epub 2019 May 5.

Carolina Population Center, University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill, Chapel Hill, North Carolina, USA.

Purpose: This is a prospective pregnancy-birth cohort designed to investigate the effects of depression on socioemotional development of children. Perinatal depression is a risk factor for poor child development and for many it has a recurring chronic course. Thus, the exposure to depression can continue through the early years of the child with detrimental developmental outcomes. Read More

Stress 2019 11 6;22(6):647-653. Epub 2019 May 6.

Department of Environmental Medicine and Public Health, Icahn School of Medicine at Mount Sinai , New York , NY , USA.

Maternal psychosocial stress can negatively impact gestational length and development of the fetus. These effects may be sex-specific but have not been extensively studied. The objective of this study was to examine the associations between prenatal maternal stress and birth outcomes and whether effects are modified by sex. Read More

J Addict Med 2019 Nov/Dec;13(6):464-469

Baylor College of Medicine, Department of Obstetrics and Gynecology, Houston, TX (AB, IS); Louisiana State University Health Sciences Center School of Medicine, Department of Obstetrics and Gynecology, New Orleans, LA (SK, SM, JR, AS, JH, IS); The University of Arizona, Tucson, AZ (JS).

Background: Substance use disorders during pregnancy are a concern both to the public and medical community, because the negative consequences can be detrimental to both mother and the fetus. The accurate identification of prenatal drug exposure is necessary to determine appropriate medical and psychosocial intervention, and to identify risk factors that may affect outcomes for the mother and her newborn. The prevalence of prenatal drug exposure is very difficult to estimate because of flaws in all methods of identification. Read More

Biol Psychol 2019 10 27;147:107686. Epub 2019 Mar 27.

Chapman University, Department of Psychology, One University Drive, Orange, CA, 92866, USA; University of California, Merced, Department of Psychology, 5200 Lake Road, Merced, CA, 95340, USA. Electronic address:

Postpartum depression (PPD) is a debilitating mental illness affecting approximately 13% of mothers after birth. Both genetic and psychosocial factors contribute to PPD risk, but very little is known about how these factors interact. We tested whether the rs53576 polymorphism in the oxytocin receptor (OXTR) gene accounts for variation in the impact of low social support as a risk factor for depression among mothers during the perinatal period. Read More

J Correct Health Care 2019 04 10;25(2):92-104. Epub 2019 Mar 10.

1 Nell Hodgson Woodruff School of Nursing, Emory University, Atlanta, GA, USA.

Incarcerated pregnant women experience psychosocial conditions that put them at risk of adverse perinatal outcomes. To examine perinatal outcomes including maternal mental health well-being, birth weight, and preterm birth, an integrated search of the literature was conducted. Findings indicate that time in prison, especially during the first trimester, results in improved birth weight and longer gestation. Read More

Midwifery 2019 Jun 13;73:8-16. Epub 2018 Dec 13.

University Centre for Nursing & Midwifery, Department of Public Health, Faculty of Medicine and Health Sciences, Ghent University, UZ 5K3, Corneel Heymanslaan 10, B-9000 Ghent, Belgium; VIVES University College, Department Health Care, Wilgenstraat 32, B-8800 Roeselare, Belgium. Electronic address:

Objective: To determine which socio-demographic and psychosocial factors are associated with the intention for preconception healthily behavioral changes in the general population of reproductive-aged men.

Design: A cross-sectional, multicenter study.

Setting: Four secondary schools, 4 Public Centers for Social Welfare, 7 Community Health Centers, and online. Read More

Fortschr Neurol Psychiatr 2019 02 25;87(2):133-143. Epub 2019 Feb 25.

Schizophrenia is a severe psychiatric disorder with lifetime prevalence about 1 %. Usually, the disorder starts during the adolescence, however it is estimated that around 30 % of first-onsets are beyond the age of 40. The incidence of males is a little bit higher in the adolescence, while from the age of 40 the incidence in females is higher. Read More

J Neural Transm (Vienna) 2019 Sep 13;126(9):1117-1126. Epub 2019 Feb 13.

Department of Psychiatry, Psychosomatic Medicine and Psychotherapy, University Hospital, Goethe University, Frankfurt, Heinrich-Hoffmann-Str. 10, 60528, Frankfurt am Main, Germany.

Gene-environment-development interactions are suggested to play a crucial role in psychiatric disorders. However, it is not clear if there are specific risk gene interactions with particular pre-, peri-, and postnatal risk factors for distinct disorders, such as adult attention-deficit-/hyperactivity disorder (aADHD) and bipolar disorder (BD). In this pilot study, the first aim was to investigate retrospective self-reports of pre-, peri-, and postnatal complications and risk factors from 126 participants (aADHD, BD, and healthy controls) and their mothers. Read More

J Dev Orig Health Dis 2019 02 12;10(1):65-72. Epub 2019 Feb 12.

1Department of Physiology,University of Toronto,Toronto,ON,Canada.

Maternal adversity and fetal glucocorticoid exposure has long-term effects on cardiovascular, metabolic and behavioral systems in offspring that can persist throughout the lifespan. These data, along with other environmental exposure data, implicate epigenetic modifications as potential mechanisms for long-term effects of maternal exposures on adverse health outcomes in offspring. Advances in microarray, sequencing and bioinformatic approaches have enabled recent studies to examine the genome-wide epigenetic response to maternal adversity. Read More

Can J Physiol Pharmacol 2019 Mar 19;97(3):147-154. Epub 2019 Jan 19.

b Centre de recherche de Centre Hospitalier Universitaire de Sherbrooke (CRCHUS) and Department of Obstetrics and Gynecology, Université de Sherbrooke, Quebec, QC J1H 5N4, Canada.

Childhood obesity is a predictor of adult obesity and has its roots in the pre-pregnancy or pregnancy period. This review presents an overview of the prenatal risk factors for childhood obesity, which were categorized into 2 groups: biological risk factors (maternal pre-pregnancy body mass index, gestational weight gain, diabetes in pregnancy, and caesarean section), and environmental and behavioural risk factors (maternal smoking and exposure to obesogens, maternal dietary patterns, maternal intestinal microbiome and antibiotics exposure, and maternal psychosocial stress). Identifying modifiable predisposing prenatal factors for obesity will inform further development of inventions to prevent obesity over the life course, and future directions for research and intervention are discussed. Read More

J Pediatr Adolesc Gynecol 2019 Apr 3;32(2):146-152. Epub 2018 Nov 3.

Medical Support Center for the Japan Environment and Children's Study, National Center for Child Health and Development, Tokyo, Japan.

Study Objective: Few studies have investigated the risky health behaviors and psychosocial characteristics of teenage mothers in countries with a low teenage birth rate, like Japan. We examined the differences in maternal prenatal risky health behaviors and psychosocial characteristics, and birth weight of infants between teenage and adult mothers. DESIGN, SETTING, PARTICIPANTS, INTERVENTIONS, AND MAIN OUTCOME MEASURES: We identified 1159 teenage (age younger than 20 years) and 73,547 adult mothers (20-34 years) who participated a nationwide birth cohort study between 2011 and 2014. Read More

Probl Sotsialnoi Gig Zdravookhranenniiai Istor Med 2018 Jul;26(4):217-220

The Federal State Budget Educational Institution of Higher Education "The St. Petersburg State University", St. Petersburg, 199034, Russia,

The tobacco smoking of women during pregnancy and breast feeding represents a significant danger to public health. During pregnancy, the WHO recommends to abstain from cigarettes smoking. In spite of extensive information concerning related to smoking dangers to health of women and fetus, certain females continue to smoke during all pregnancy. Read More

Soc Sci Med 2018 11 2;217:65-72. Epub 2018 Oct 2.

Public Health, Department of Social Medicine, Osaka University Graduate School of Medicine, Suita, Japan.

There are many psychosocial and biomedical risk factors for postpartum depression (PPD). However, associations between co-resident family members and PPD risk have not been examined. This study investigated whether co-resident family members were associated with risk for PPD during 1 month postpartum among Japanese women, and if these associations were modified by household income and their perceived partner's involvement in childcare. Read More

PLoS One 2018 8;13(10):e0205345. Epub 2018 Oct 8.

Department of Biostatistics, University of Iowa College of Public Health, IA, United States of America.

Background: Globally, preterm birth (PTB) and low infant birth weight (LBW) are leading causes of maternal and child morbidity and mortality. Inadequate water and sanitation access (WASH) are risk factors for PTB and LBW in low-income countries. Physical stress from carrying water and psychosocial stress from addressing sanitation needs in the open may be mechanisms underlying these associations. Read More

J Child Adolesc Psychiatr Nurs 2018 10 5;31(2-3):61-69. Epub 2018 Oct 5.

School of Nursing, The University of Texas at Austin, Austin, Texas.

Problem: Perinatal depression is a public health concern as it is associated with adverse pregnancy outcomes. Previous studies have recommended further examination of perinatal depression among Mexican-American adolescents. Thus, the purpose of this study was to understand pregnant and postpartum Mexican-American adolescents' knowledge and beliefs concerning perinatal depression. Read More

PLoS One 2018 19;13(9):e0201842. Epub 2018 Sep 19.

National Research Centre for the Working Environment, Copenhagen, Denmark.

Background: Previous studies have investigated physical and psychosocial job exposures separately in relation to foetal growth. We therefore investigated if occupational lifting and psychosocial job strain interact to affect foetal growth and gestational length. We hypothesised that heavy lifting and high job strain would increase the risk of impacted foetal growth (small or large for gestational age) and preterm birth. Read More

J Addict Nurs 2018 Jul/Sep;29(3):205-210

Gina Dobbs, DNP, MSN, FNP-BC, CRNP, University of Alabama at Birmingham. Susanne A. Fogger, DNP, CRNP, PMHNP-BC, CARN-AP, FAANP, School of Nursing, University of Alabama at Birmingham.

The worsening opioid epidemic ignites infectious disease development and transmission as opioids abused by insufflation and/or injection establish a pathway for infection to the user and propagate vulnerability to diseases. The phenomenon of the synergistic collision of epidemics intensifying the load of disease constitutes a syndemic. Merrill Signer (1994) voiced the term "syndemic" to characterize the complex nexus of politics, economics, psychosocial/environmental factors, and health disparities resulting in the inner-city AIDS crisis of the 1990s. Read More

Sci Rep 2018 08 24;8(1):12799. Epub 2018 Aug 24.

Translational Medicine, Warwick Medical School, Coventry, UK.

Perinatal depression involves interplay between individual chronic and acute disease burdens, biological and psychosocial environmental and behavioural factors. Here we explored the predictive potential of specific psycho-socio-demographic characteristics for antenatal and postpartum depression symptoms and contribution to severity scores on the Edinburgh Postnatal Depression Scale (EPDS) screening tool. We determined depression risk trajectories in 480 women that prospectively completed the EPDS during pregnancy (TP1) and postpartum (TP2). Read More

J Psychosom Res 2018 09 22;112:53-58. Epub 2018 Jun 22.

Cyprus International Institute for Environmental and Public Health, Cyprus University of Technology, Limassol, Cyprus; Department of Environmental Health, Harvard T.H. Chan School of Public Health, Boston, MA, USA.

Objective: To estimate the prevalence of antenatal depressive symptoms, identify relevant risk factors, and assess comorbid mental health problems, among pregnant women enrolled in a population based study.

Methods: This was a secondary analysis of data collected from 1916 pregnant women who participated in the TRansgenerational Assessment of Children's Environmental Risk (TRACER) study in Kuwait, and had answered the Baseline Questionnaire and completed the Edinburgh Depression Scale (EDS). Logistic regression models were used to examine the association of depressive symptoms with baseline socio-demographic characteristics and psychosocial indicators. Read More

Dev Psychopathol 2018 08;30(3):773-785

New York State Psychiatric Institute.

Psychotropic medication use and psychiatric symptoms during pregnancy each are associated with adverse neurodevelopmental outcomes in offspring. Commonly, studies considering medication effects do not adequately assess symptoms, nor evaluate children when the effects are believed to occur, the fetal period. This study examined maternal serotonin reuptake inhibitor and polypharmacy use in relation to serial assessments of five indices of fetal neurobehavior and Bayley Scales of Infant Development at 12 months in N = 161 socioeconomically advantaged, non-Hispanic White women with a shared risk phenotype, diagnosed major depressive disorder. Read More

Dev Psychopathol 2018 08;30(3):843-854

Monash University.

There is clear evidence that the mother's stress, anxiety, or depression during pregnancy can alter the development of her fetus and her child, with an increased risk for later psychopathology. We are starting to understand some of the underlying mechanisms including the role of the placenta, gene-environment interactions, epigenetics, and specific systems including the hypothalamic-pituitary-adrenal axis and cytokines. In this review we also consider how these effects may be different, and potentially exacerbated, in different parts of the world. Read More

Dev Psychopathol 2018 08;30(3):1009-1021

DePaul University.

The ability to regulate stress is a critical developmental milestone of early childhood that involves a set of interconnected behavioral and physiological processes and is influenced by genetic and environmental stimuli. Prenatal exposure to traumatic stress and trauma, including intimate partner violence (IPV), increases risk for offspring biobehavioral regulation problems during childhood and adolescence. Although individual differences in susceptibility to prenatal stress have been largely unexplored, a handful of studies suggest children with specific genetic characteristics are most vulnerable to prenatal stress. Read More

Can J Psychiatry 2019 03 1;64(3):190-198. Epub 2018 Aug 1.

3 Department of Pediatrics, University of Toronto & Hospital for Sick Children, Toronto, Canada.

Objective: Past cross-sectional studies have reported that mothers from ethnic minorities experience higher levels of prenatal and post-partum psychosocial distress compared with mothers from ethnic majorities. However, no studies have examined how the pattern varies longitudinally in a Canadian population of heterogeneous ethnicity.

Methods: We analyzed data from 3,138 mothers participating in the Canadian Healthy Infant Longitudinal Development (CHILD) Study, a longitudinal multi-center study incorporating 10 distinct waves of psychosocial data collection from pregnancy until the index child was aged 5 y. Read More

Prax Kinderpsychol Kinderpsychiatr 2018 Jul;67(5):442-461

Kriminologisches Forschungsinstitut Niedersachsen Lützerodestraße 9 30161 Hannover Deutschland Kriminologisches Forschungsinstitut Niedersachsen.

Factors Influencing Theory of Mind Development in Preschoolers within the Context of Early Interventions The Theory of Mind (ToM) competency is closely related to the child's cognitive, language, and socio-emotional development. In early interventions, skills and developmental processes associated with ToM development are often primary intervention targets, but empirical support for direct or indirect influences of early interventions on ToM development is missing so far. Within the home visiting program "Pro Kind" N = 755 families were accompanied by professionals from the last trimester of pregnancy until the child's second birthday. Read More

Arch Womens Ment Health 2019 02 4;22(1):93-103. Epub 2018 Jul 4.

Cyprus International Institute for Environmental and Public Health, Cyprus University of Technology, 95 Eirinis Street, 3041, Limassol, Cyprus.

Evidence exists that the risk factors for depression in the antenatal and postnatal period may differ, but only a handful of studies looked at depression longitudinally. The aims of this study were (1) to estimate the prevalence of postnatal depressive symptoms in Kuwait where data about postnatal depression are scarce and identify its determinants and (2) to compare these risk factors between women who had experienced antenatal depressive symptoms and those that did not. Data collected in the TRansgenerational Assessment of Children's Environmental Risk (TRACER) Study in Kuwait were used in this analysis. Read More

MCN Am J Matern Child Nurs 2018 Sep/Oct;43(5):245-251

Carmen Giurgescu is an Associate Professor, College of Nursing, The Ohio State University, Columbus, OH. The author can be reached via e-mail at Dawn P. Misra is a Professor, Department of Family Medicine & Public Health Sciences, School of Medicine, Wayne State University, Detroit, MI.

Objective: Black women are more likely to live in disadvantaged neighborhoods and experience racial discrimination and psychological stress compared with White women. These factors have been related to preterm birth (PTB). However, research is limited on the associations of disadvantaged neighborhoods, racial discrimination, and psychological stress among expectant Black fathers and PTB. Read More