Are prenatal psychological or physical stressors associated with suboptimal outcomes in neonates born to adolescent mothers?

Abstract

Examined whether prenatal psychological stress and/or physical stress were associated with suboptimal neonatal outcomes in a pilot study of adolescent mothers (n = 20). The results provide preliminary support for associations between prenatal psychological stress and little evidence for the association between prenatal physical stress and suboptimal neonatal outcomes.

Young pregnant clients in college or university counselling centres: Environmental and symptom experiences

“…Still, some subtle differences between our groups did exist. Specifically, consistent with prior studies finding that young mothers are at increased risk for prenatal and postpartum depression (Keenan et al, 2007;see Huang et al, 2014), in this study, pregnant clients experienced marginally more depression than those in the control group. While it is impossible to know from the design of our study if increased symptoms of depression predated the pregnancy or tended to be a consequence of it, the fact that pregnant clients experienced more depression than their matched cases in the control group suggests that there was something specific about these young mothers' pregnancy experience that added to their risk of prenatal depression.…”

Maternal prenatal stress and infant birth weight and gestational age: A meta-analysis of prospective studies

“…First, it is one of the most often studied results in connection with prenatal stress and, therefore, better suited for meta-analysis (Beijers et al, 2014;Christian, 2012;Khashan et al, 2014). Second, birth weight and gestational age constitute primary birth indicators of the child's developmental health and are related to postnatal factors that are a part of the infant's postnatal experience, such as the quality of mother-infant interaction (Bernier et al, 2010;Keenan et al, 2007). Third, these birth outcomes have also been directly associated with social, emotional and cognitive dimensions of human development (Hack et al, 1991;Hoy, Bill, & Sykes, 1988;Indredavik et al, 2004;Richards, Hardy, Kuh, & Wadsworth, 2001;Wolke, 1998) underlining their value as early markers of development.…”

“…Second, several authors have documented that high biological or psychosocial risk contexts may be characterized by greater levels of stress (Santiago, Wadsworth, & Stump, 2011). Samples that are at greater risk psychosocially may be exposed to more neighbourhood and family conflict and/or violence, in addition to the medical difficulties alluded to above (Jesse et al, 2003;Keenan et al, 2007;McCool et al, 1994). It is possible that in low-risk circumstances, the normative stressors of everyday life are not related to birth outcome, but that the relation emerges in more stressful circumstances, as may be experienced in high-risk contexts.…”

“…This has been an important relation to document due to the association between infant birth status, infant health and later development (Bernier, Jarry-Boileau, Tarabulsy, & Miljkovitch, 2010;Entringer, Buss, Andersen, Chicz-Demet, & Wadhwa, 2011;Keenan, Sheffield, & Boeldt, 2007) and because such birth characteristics remain relatively uninfluenced by postnatal factors that may also shape development (Bergman, Sarkar, Glover, & O'Connor, 2010). The most frequently investigated association has been that between MPS and birth weight and/or gestional age.…”

The relationship of maternal anxiety, positive and negative affect schedule, and fatigue with neonatal psychological health upon childbirth

“…The present study found no significant relationship between maternal anxiety and neonatal psychological health after birth ( r =-0.115; p = 0.231), or neonatal psychological health scores including Apgar score, and birth weight. Keenan et al also reported that birth weight and Apgar score were not related to maternal anxiety and depression [ 26 ].…”