Study links Mother’s Stress during Pregnancy to Teenager’s Coordination Problems

Financial problems, divorce, separation from beloved one and death of friend or family member, were considered as stressful events in the study.

Children born to women who experienced stressful events during pregnancy may be less coordinated in their body movements as teenagers, according to a new study.

The motor skills the researchers tested, such as the ability to stand on one foot, “may not necessarily matter much in life”, Instead, it would be more interesting to learn whether stress was linked with coordination problems such as fastening buttons or riding a bicycle, said Adesman. In the study, doctors asked the participants about two times during their pregnancies whether they were stressed or experienced stressful events. This research suggested the stress hormone cortisol may be causing the problems. The moms completed the same questionnaire when they were 34 weeks pregnant.

The researchers grouped the children into three groups: those whose mothers experienced no stress during pregnancy, those whose mothers experienced fewer than three stressful events and those whose moms experienced three or more stressful events during pregnancy. And those children who scored lowest were those whose mothers had three or more stressful moments during their pregnancy.

Stress has been implicated in a number of adverse health outcomes, but a new study suggests that stress encountered by mothers during pregnancy could affect their child’s motor development all the way through to adolescence.

Further, the researchers have examined the subjects’ children and recorded the overall coordination as well as the ability to control body movements at three time points- when they were 10, 14 and 17 years old.

The brand new research was printed immediately (Oct. 14) within the journal Youngster Improvement.

Academics from the University of Notre Dame Australia believe this is a result of the accumulative effect of stress on the child’s brain within the cerebellar cortex, which develops later in pregnancy.

The greatest difference in these children were those who were born to mothers who did not handle any stress during pregnancy and those who had three or more.

“Detecting and reducing maternal stress during pregnancy may alert parents and health professionals to potential difficulties and improve the long-term outcomes for these children”, Prof Hands said. However with proper intervention, this can often be improved.