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Prenatal maternal stress affects motor function in 5½‐year‐old children: Project Ice Storm
Author(s) -
Cao Xiujing,
Laplante David P.,
Brunet Alain,
Ciampi Antonio,
King Suzanne
Publication year - 2014
Publication title -
developmental psychobiology
Language(s) - English
Resource type - Journals
SCImago Journal Rank - 1.055
H-Index - 93
eISSN - 1098-2302
pISSN - 0012-1630
DOI - 10.1002/dev.21085
Subject(s) - distress , psychology , offspring , motor function , pregnancy , prenatal stress , motor skill , developmental psychology , clinical psychology , audiology , medicine , physical medicine and rehabilitation , genetics , biology
Evidence suggests that prenatal maternal stress (PNMS) has long‐term effects on several outcomes, yet effects on neuromotor function are relatively unknown. We aimed to determine whether disaster‐related PNMS predicts motor functioning in young children and whether timing of exposure and sex of the child moderate these effects. Objective and subjective PNMS levels were assessed among pregnant women exposed to a natural disaster. Their children's bilateral coordination, balance, and visual motor integration (VMI) were assessed at 5½ years. Girls performed better than boys. Objective stress exposure and subjective distress interacted such that when subjective distress was high, no added effect of objective hardship was observed; when subjective distress was low, objective hardship showed a negative effect. In girls, late pregnancy exposure was associated with poorer outcomes. In conclusion, disaster‐related PNMS is associated with relatively lower motor functions in exposed offspring. Exposure timing, sex, and type of stress influenced the effects. © 2012 Wiley Periodicals, Inc. Dev Psychobiol 56: 117–125, 2014.