The impact of prenatal maternal stress due to potentially traumatic events on child temperament: A systematic review

Background: Prenatal maternal stress (PNMS) is defined as the experience of significant levels of prenatal stress, depression or anxiety during pregnancy. PNMS has been associated with increased risk of autism spectrum disorder (ASD) and attention-deficit hyperactivity disorder (ADHD) in exposed offspring. However, these findings are inconsistent and other studies found no association, meaning a clear consensus on the impact of PNMS on ASD and ADHD risk is required. The purpose of this systematic review and meta-analysis is to summarize and critically review the existing literature on the effects of PNMS on ASD and ADHD risk. Methods: Electronic databases (PubMed, PsycINFO, Web of Science, Scopus and EMBASE) will be searched for articles following a detailed search strategy. We will include cohort, case-control and cross-sectional studies that assessed maternal exposure to psychological and/or environmental stress and had ASD or ADHD as an outcome. Two reviewers will independently screen the titles, abstracts and full articles to identify eligible studies. We will use a standardised data extraction form for extracting data and a bias classification tool for assessing study quality. This systematic review will be reported according to the Preferred Reporting Items for Systematic reviews and Meta-Analyses (PRISMA). The generic inverse variance method will be used if possible to perform meta-analyses. Ethics and dissemination: Ethical approval is not required for this study because it will not involve the conduct or inclusion of any experimental or personal data that would require informed consent. The systematic review will be disseminated in peer-reviewed journals. PROSPERO registration number: CRD42018084222.

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Prenatal maternal stress and risk of neurodevelopmental disorders in the offspring: A systematic review and meta-analysis protocol

HRB Open Research ◽

10.12688/hrbopenres.12827.2 ◽

2019 ◽

Vol 1 ◽

pp. 15 ◽

Cited By ~ 1

Author(s):

Nicla Manzari ◽

Karen Matvienko-Sikar ◽

Franco Baldoni ◽

Gerard W. O'Keeffe ◽

Ali S. Khashan

Keyword(s):

Systematic Review ◽

Maternal Stress ◽

Data Extraction ◽

Meta Analysis ◽

Autism Spectrum ◽

Prenatal Maternal Stress ◽

Case Control Studies ◽

Increased Risk ◽

Meta Analyses ◽

The Impact

Background: Prenatal maternal stress (PNMS) is defined as the experience of significant levels of prenatal stress, depression or anxiety during pregnancy. PNMS has been associated with increased risk of autism spectrum disorder (ASD) and attention-deficit hyperactivity disorder (ADHD) in exposed offspring. However, these findings are inconsistent and other studies found no association, meaning a clear consensus on the impact of PNMS on ASD and ADHD risk is required. The purpose of this systematic review and meta-analysis is to summarize and critically review the existing literature on the effects of PNMS on ASD and ADHD risk. Methods: Electronic databases (PubMed, PsycINFO, Web of Science, Scopus and EMBASE) will be searched for articles following a detailed search strategy. We will include cohort and case-control studies that assessed maternal exposure to psychological and/or environmental stress and had ASD or ADHD as an outcome. Two reviewers will independently screen the titles, abstracts and full articles to identify eligible studies. We will use a standardised data extraction form for extracting data and a bias classification tool for assessing study quality. This systematic review will be reported according to the Preferred Reporting Items for Systematic reviews and Meta-Analyses (PRISMA). The generic inverse variance method will be used if possible to perform meta-analyses. Ethics and dissemination: Ethical approval is not required for this study because it will not involve the conduct or inclusion of any experimental or personal data that would require informed consent. The systematic review will be disseminated in peer-reviewed journals. PROSPERO registration number: CRD42018084222.

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Effectiveness and acceptability of brief psychoeducational interventions after potentially traumatic events: A systematic review

European Journal of Psychotraumatology ◽

10.1080/20008198.2021.1923110 ◽

2021 ◽

Vol 12 (1) ◽

pp. 1923110

Author(s):

Samantha K. Brooks ◽

Dale Weston ◽

Simon Wessely ◽

Neil Greenberg

Keyword(s):

Systematic Review ◽

Traumatic Events ◽

Potentially Traumatic Events ◽

Psychoeducational Interventions

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The Impact of Exposure to Potentially Traumatic Events on Physical Health

The Wiley Encyclopedia of Health Psychology ◽

10.1002/9781119057840.ch149 ◽

2020 ◽

pp. 153-160

Author(s):

Candice Presseau ◽

Danielle S. Berke ◽

Julie D. Yeterian ◽

Brett Litz

Keyword(s):

Physical Health ◽

Traumatic Events ◽

Potentially Traumatic Events ◽

The Impact

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Failure of Saliva Sampling in the QF2011 Queensland Flood Study Examining the Effects of Prenatal Maternal Stress on Neonatal Stress Reactivity

International Journal of Childbirth ◽

10.1891/2156-5287.7.1.31 ◽

2017 ◽

Vol 7 (1) ◽

pp. 31-39

Author(s):

Gabrielle Simcock ◽

Helen Stapleton ◽

Sue Kildea ◽

Laura Shoo ◽

David P. Laplante ◽

...

Keyword(s):

Stress Reactivity ◽

Maternal Stress ◽

Sudden Onset ◽

Stressful Events ◽

Prenatal Maternal Stress ◽

Research Activities ◽

Newborn Screen ◽

Hospital Policies ◽

Heel Prick ◽

The Impact

The study was designed to investigate the impact of disaster-related prenatal maternal stress on neonates’ reactivity to the routinely administered, painful, newborn screen procedure (heelstick or heel prick). We hypothesized that pregnancy exposure to a flood stressor would affect fetal developmental pathways and subsequently neonatal responses to other stressful events, including the newborn screen. The pregnant women we recruited were affected by sudden onset floods in Queensland, Australia in 2011. Using methods similar to those described in the literature, we collected neonatal saliva immediately prior to the newborn screen and +20 and +40 min afterwards. Saliva sampling was halted after failed saliva collection attempts by trained research staff on 17 newborns. This article discusses reasons for our failure, including the influence of bioethical concerns and the requirement that research activities are compliant with hospital policies as well as the necessity of publishing studies that fail to replicate prior research.

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Prenatal maternal stress and development of atopic diseases in the child: A systematic review of observational human studies

Reproductive Toxicology ◽

10.1016/j.reprotox.2015.07.060 ◽

2015 ◽

Vol 56 ◽

pp. 27

Author(s):

Mette Hansen ◽

Niklas Andersson ◽

Ann Larsen ◽

Karin Hougaard ◽

Henrik Kolstad ◽

...

Keyword(s):

Systematic Review ◽

Maternal Stress ◽

Human Studies ◽

Prenatal Maternal Stress ◽

Atopic Diseases

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Childhood body mass index at 5.5 years mediates the effect of prenatal maternal stress on daughters’ age at menarche: Project Ice Storm

Journal of Developmental Origins of Health and Disease ◽

10.1017/s2040174416000726 ◽

2016 ◽

Vol 8 (2) ◽

pp. 168-177 ◽

Cited By ~ 5

Author(s):

A. Duchesne ◽

A. Liu ◽

S. L. Jones ◽

D. P. Laplante ◽

S. King

Keyword(s):

Body Mass Index ◽

Body Mass ◽

Maternal Stress ◽

Pubertal Timing ◽

Self Report ◽

Age At Menarche ◽

Ice Storm ◽

Prenatal Maternal Stress ◽

Prospective Longitudinal ◽

The Impact

Early pubertal timing is known to put women at greater risk for adverse physiological and psychological health outcomes. Of the factors that influence girls’ pubertal timing, stress experienced during childhood has been found to advance age at menarche (AAM). However, it is not known if stress experienced by mothers during or in the months before conception can be similarly associated with earlier pubertal timing. Prenatal maternal stress (PNMS) is associated with metabolic changes, such as increased childhood adiposity and risk of obesity, that have been associated with earlier menarchal age. Using a prospective longitudinal design, the present study tested whether PNMS induced by a natural disaster is either directly associated with earlier AAM, or whether there is an indirect association mediated through increased girls’ body mass index (BMI) during childhood. A total of 31 girls, whose mothers were exposed to the Quebec’s January 1998 ice storm during pregnancy were followed from 6 months to 5 1/2 to 5.5 years of age. Mother’s stress was measured within 6 months of the storm. BMI was measured at 5.5 years, and AAM was assessed through teen’s self-report at 13.5 and 15.5 years of age. Results revealed that greater BMI at 5.5 years mediated the effect of PNMS on decreasing AAM [B=−0.059, 95% confidence intervals (−0.18, −0.0035)]. The present study is the first to demonstrate that maternal experience of stressful conditions during pregnancy reduces AAM in the offspring through its effects on childhood BMI. Future research should consider the impact of AAM on other measures of reproductive ability.

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Is Acknowledgment of Trauma a Protective Factor?

European Psychologist ◽

10.1027/1016-9040.14.3.249 ◽

2009 ◽

Vol 14 (3) ◽

pp. 249-254 ◽

Cited By ~ 25

Author(s):

Andreas Maercker ◽

Marija Povilonyte ◽

Raichat Lianova ◽

Karin Pöhlmann

Keyword(s):

Protective Factor ◽

Traumatic Events ◽

Cross Sectional Study ◽

Ptsd Symptoms ◽

Cross Sectional ◽

Impact Of Event Scale ◽

Event Scale ◽

Potentially Traumatic Events ◽

Causal Direction ◽

The Impact

We assessed victims’ status and its relation to self-perceived “social acknowledgment as a victim or survivor” ( Maercker & Müller, 2004 ) in a sample of Chechen refugees living in camps in Ingushetia. A total of 61 Chechen refugees were surveyed using a war-related trauma checklist, the Impact of Event Scale-Revised, and the Disclosure of Trauma Questionnaire. Rates of potentially traumatic events and posttraumatic stress disorder (PTSD) appeared to be very high in this sample: 100% reported one or more potentially traumatic events and over 75% were estimated to have PTSD. As expected, social acknowledgment as a victim or survivor was negatively related to PTSD symptoms. We discuss the possible causal direction of this finding. Our cross-sectional study provides further evidence that social acknowledgment should be regarded as a protective or resource factor in the aftermath of trauma.

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Stress reactivity in preschool-aged children: Evaluation of a social stress paradigm and investigation of the impact of prenatal maternal stress

Psychoneuroendocrinology ◽

10.1016/j.psyneuen.2018.11.002 ◽

2019 ◽

Vol 101 ◽

pp. 223-231 ◽

Cited By ~ 2

Author(s):

T.S. Send ◽

S. Bardtke ◽

M. Gilles ◽

I.A.C. Wolf ◽

M.W. Sütterlin ◽

...

Keyword(s):

Social Stress ◽

Stress Reactivity ◽

Maternal Stress ◽

Prenatal Maternal Stress ◽

The Impact ◽

Preschool Aged Children

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The impact of potentially traumatic events on the mental health of males who have served in the military: Findings from the Australian National Survey of Mental Health and Wellbeing

Australian & New Zealand Journal of Psychiatry ◽

10.1177/0004867416671413 ◽

2016 ◽

Vol 51 (7) ◽

pp. 693-702

Author(s):

Darryl Wade ◽

Louise Mewton ◽

Tracey Varker ◽

Andrea Phelps ◽

David Forbes

Keyword(s):

Mental Health ◽

Mental Disorders ◽

Traumatic Events ◽

Community Members ◽

Unexpected Events ◽

Potentially Traumatic Events ◽

Health And Wellbeing ◽

Increased Risk ◽

Australian Defence Force ◽

The Impact

Objective: The study investigated the impact of potentially traumatic events on mental health outcomes among males who had ever served in the Australian Defence Force. Method: Data from a nationally representative household survey of Australian residents, the 2007 National Survey of Mental Health and Wellbeing, were used for this study. Results: Compared with community members, Australian Defence Force males were significantly more likely to have experienced not only deployment and other war-like events but also accidents or other unexpected events, and trauma to someone close. For non-deployed males, Australian Defence Force members were at increased risk of accidents or other unexpected events compared to community members. After controlling for the effect of potentially traumatic events that were more prevalent among all Australian Defence Force members, the increased risk of mental disorders among Australian Defence Force members was no longer evident. For non-deployed males, Australian Defence Force and community members were at comparable risk of poor mental health outcomes. A significant minority of Australian Defence Force members had onset of a mental disorder prior to their first deployment. Conclusions: Deployment and other potentially traumatic events among Australian Defence Force members can help to explain their increased vulnerability to mental disorders compared with community members. Providers should routinely enquire about a range of potentially traumatic events among serving and ex-serving military personnel.

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