Maternal Caregiving Ameliorates the Consequences of Prenatal Maternal Psychological Distress on Child Development

Authors

Leah A. Grande, University of Denver
Danielle A. Swales, University of Denver
Curt A. Sandman, University of California, Irvine
Laura M. Glynn, Chapman UniversityFollow
Elyssia Poggi Davis, University of Denver

Document Type

Article

Publication Date

7-27-2021

Abstract

Children exposed to prenatal maternal psychological distress are at elevated risk for a range of adverse outcomes; however, it remains poorly understood whether postnatal influences can ameliorate impairments related to prenatal distress. The current study evaluated if sensitivematernal care during the first postnatal year could mitigate child cognitive and emotional impairments associated with prenatal psychological distress. Prenatal maternal psychological distress was assessed via self-reports of anxiety, depression, and perceived stress for 136 mothers at five prenatal and four postpartum time points. Quality of maternal care (sensitivity to nondistress, positive regard, and intrusiveness reverse-scored) were assessed during a mother–child play interaction at 6 and 12 months. Child cognitive function and negative emotionality were assessed at 2 years, using The Bayley Scales and the Early Childhood Behavior Questionnaire. Elevated prenatal distress was associated with poorer child cognitive function and elevated negative emotionality. Children exposed to elevated prenatal maternal distress did not, however, display these outcomes if they received high-quality caregiving. Specifically, maternal care moderated the relation between prenatal psychological distress and child cognitive function and negative emotionality. This association remained after consideration of postnatal maternal psychological distress and relevant covariates. Sensitive maternal care was associated with altered offspring developmental trajectories, supporting child resilience following prenatal distress exposure.

Comments

This article was originally published in Development and Psychopathology in 2021. https://doi.org/10.1017/S0954579421000286

Recommended Citation

Grande, L., Swales, D., Sandman, C., Glynn, L., & Davis, E. (2021). Maternal caregiving ameliorates the consequences of prenatal maternal psychological distress on child development. Development and Psychopathology, 1-10. https://doi.org/10.1017/S0954579421000286

Copyright

The authors

Creative Commons License

This work is licensed under a Creative Commons Attribution 4.0 License.