J Korean Med Sci.  2016 Jun;31(6):843-851. 10.3346/jkms.2016.31.6.843.

Maternal Stress and Depressive Symptoms and Infant Development at Six Months: the Mothers and Children's Environmental Health (MOCEH) Prospective Study

• Bhang SY
• Ha E
• Park H
• Ha M
• Hong YC
• Kim BN
• Lee SJ
• Lee KY
• Kim JH
• Jeong J
• Jeong KS
• Lee B
• Kim Y

• KMID: 2373691
• DOI: http://doi.org/10.3346/jkms.2016.31.6.843

Abstract

Our objective is to evaluate the relationships between prenatal maternal stress and depressive symptoms, respectively, and infant neurodevelopment at 6 months, adjusted for heavy metals and oxidative stress. This research is a part of a multi-center birth cohort study in South Korea. Information on stress and depressive symptoms was collected during the first trimester using Psychosocial Well-Being Index Short Form (PWI-SF) and Center for Epidemiological Studies Depression Scale (CES-D). The Korean Bayley Scales of Infant Development-II assessment (BSID-II), which includes the standardized mental development index (MDI) and psychomotor developmental index (PDI), and Korean Ages & Stages Questionnaires (K-ASQ) were applied to infants at six months of age. A higher index score indicates better development. Among 641 babies, 320 were female (50%). Maternal PWI ≥ 29 (vs. PWI ≤ 18) during early pregnancy was associated with a decrease in MDI scores of 5.37 points (P = 0.02) after adjusting for socioeconomic factors. Maternal CES-D ≥ 26 (vs. CES-D ≤ 10) during early pregnancy was associated with a decrease in MDI scores of 8.18 points (P = 0.01). The associations remained significant even after adjustment for lead, cadmium, and MDA levels (P < 0.05). However, no association was found between maternal PWI/CES-D and PDI score. No interaction was observed between stress and lead exposure. We found an inverse association between prenatal maternal stress and depressive symptoms, and MDI scores in 6-month-old infants after adjustment for prenatal lead exposure, which is known to affect cognitive function negatively.

Keyword

Antenatal Stress; Cadmium; Cognitive Development; Depression; Lead; Malondialdehyde; Oxidation

MeSH Terms

Adult
Cadmium/blood
Child Development/*physiology
Cohort Studies
Depression/epidemiology/*pathology
Female
Humans
Infant
Lead/blood
Linear Models
Male
Malondialdehyde/blood
Mothers/*psychology
Prospective Studies
*Stress, Psychological
Surveys and Questionnaires
Cadmium
Lead
Malondialdehyde

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