Maternal Depression During Natural Disasters Affects Infant's Temperament

Maternal depression during pregnancy has widespread implications on an infant's temperament. But, a new study published in Infant Mental Health Journal shows that the negative consequences of prenatal maternal depression are higher when the pregnant women lived through the Superstorm Sandy.

The study analyzed data on 310 mother-child dyads, with 64 percent of women being pregnant prior to Sandy and 36 percent being pregnant during Sandy. Compared with other infants, infants born to women with prenatal depression were more likely to experience greater distress, greater fear, lower smiling and laughter, lower high- and low-pleasure seeking, lower soothability, slower falling reactivity, lower cuddliness, and greater sadness at six months of age. These effects were amplified when women were pregnant during Superstorm Sandy.

‘Indirectly, natural disasters can have a magnified negative impact in the neurodevelopment of the offsprings.’

"The fetal period is one of the most critical periods for neurodevelopment. Prenatal stress, especially during this critical period of fetal development, may render the developing brain more vulnerable to additional stressors such as maternal depression," said lead author Dr. Yoko Nomura, of Queens College, the Advanced Research Science Center at The Graduate Center, CUNY and Icahn School of Medicine at Mount Sinai. "Natural disasters may increase in frequency and magnitude, but we can attempt to alleviate the negative impacts on offspring if we identify high risk pregnant mothers with depression and offer them interventions to make them more resilient."



Source: Eurekalert