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Maternal depression and anxiety effects on the human fetus: Preliminary findings and clinical implications
Author(s) -
Dieter John N.I.,
Emory Eugene K.,
Johnson Katrina C.,
Raynor B. Denise
Publication year - 2008
Publication title -
infant mental health journal
Language(s) - English
Resource type - Journals
SCImago Journal Rank - 0.693
H-Index - 75
eISSN - 1097-0355
pISSN - 0163-9641
DOI - 10.1002/imhj.20192
Subject(s) - fetus , habituation , gestation , anxiety , depression (economics) , psychology , stimulation , heart rate , medicine , pregnancy , gestational age , obstetrics , physiology , psychiatry , blood pressure , neuroscience , genetics , macroeconomics , economics , biology
Newborns of depressed and anxious mothers show biobehavioral abnormalities suggesting that maternal psychological distress has negative effects on the fetus. Two studies examined the fetuses of depressed and nondepressed mothers: (a) a cross‐sectional investigation of fetal activity during the second and third trimesters and (b) an examination of behavioral and heart rate response to vibratory stimulation in late‐gestation fetuses. Fetuses of depressed mothers were more active during the fifth, sixth, and seventh gestational months. Assessment of late‐term fetuses consisted of a baseline, trials of vibratory stimulation directed towards measuring habituation, and a poststimulation period. During baseline, the fetuses of depressed mothers exhibited a lower heart rate. During stimulation trials, they showed less total movement and appeared to habituate more often. Approximately 35% of the variance in fetal behavior was accounted for by the mothers' depression and anxiety symptoms. Maternal depression may be linked to greater fetal activity during the second and third trimesters and decreased behavioral responsivity during late gestation. The response of late‐term fetuses of depressed mothers to vibratory stimulation may reflect “receptor adaptation/effector fatigue” and not true habitation. Future studies should examine the value of clinical interventions provided to the pregnant mother.