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The Relations Between Maternal Prenatal Anxiety or Stress and Child’s Early Negative Reactivity or Self-Regulation: A Systematic Review

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Abstract

In the present review, we examine the association between maternal prenatal stress or anxiety and children’s early negative reactivity or self-regulation. The review includes 32 studies that focus on pregnancy-related anxiety, state or trait anxiety, perceived stress, and stressful life events in relation to child’s crying, temperament, or behavior during the first 2 years of life. We searched four electronic databases and 32 studies were selected based on the inclusion criteria. Twenty-three studies found an association between maternal prenatal anxiety or stress and a child’s negative reactivity or self-regulation, and typically the effect sizes varied from low to moderate. The association was found regardless of the form of prenatal stress or anxiety and the trimester in which the prenatal stress or anxiety was measured. In conclusion, several forms of prenatal anxiety and stress may increase the risk of emotional and self-regulatory difficulties during the first 2 years of life.

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Acknowledgements

This study was financially supported by grants from the Emil Aaltonen Foundation, the Signe & Ane Gyllenberg Foundation and the Academy of Finland. We want to thank Research Librarian Mary Simons from Macquarie University for her help with the systematic searches.

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Authors and Affiliations

  1. The Centre for Emotional Health, Department of Psychology, Macquarie University, Sydney, NSW, Australia

    Riikka Korja, Kerry Ann Grant & Cathy McMahon

  2. The FinnBrain Birth Cohort Study, Institute of Clinical Medicine, University of Turku, Turku, Finland

    Riikka Korja & Saara Nolvi

  3. Department of Psychology, University of Turku, Turku, Finland

    Riikka Korja

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  1. Riikka Korja
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  2. Saara Nolvi
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Correspondence to Riikka Korja.

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Korja, R., Nolvi, S., Grant, K.A. et al. The Relations Between Maternal Prenatal Anxiety or Stress and Child’s Early Negative Reactivity or Self-Regulation: A Systematic Review. Child Psychiatry Hum Dev 48, 851–869 (2017). https://doi.org/10.1007/s10578-017-0709-0

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