Reported July 20, 2004

Anxious Mothers Equal Behavior Problems

(Ivanhoe Newswire) -- Mothers who are overly anxious during their pregnancies may be unintentionally “programming” their babies for behavioral problems later on.

According to researchers from Belgium who studied around 70 mothers and their first-born children, anxiety during pregnancy can have a worse effect on a child's eventual behavior than maternal smoking, low birth weight, or other factors typically associated with problem behavior in kids.

The investigators decided to undertake the study to examine age-old theories that the emotional state of a woman during pregnancy can somehow affect her unborn child. Specifically, they wanted to find out whether high levels of anxiety could lead to behavioral problems like attention deficit/hyperactivity disorder, acting out, or anxiety in school age children. They also wanted to know if the fetus might be more susceptible to maternal anxiety during certain periods of a pregnancy.

Results showed mothers who reported high anxiety between the 12th and 22nd week of pregnancy were significantly more likely to have a child who suffered from a behavioral problem at age 8 or 9. Overall, maternal anxiety during this period explained between 9 percent and 22 percent of the variance in the childhood problems investigated by the study.

The authors believe these findings suggest more needs to be done to identify and treat anxiety in mothers-to-be, especially during the vulnerable period between the 12th and 22nd week of pregnancy.