Foetal heart rate and maternal emotional state.
Forty-five pregnant women rated themselves for hostility, depression and anxiety. Maternal and foetal heart rates were recorded while they listened to a tape through headphones. The foetuses of anxious mothers showed pronounced responses to certain taped stimuli but this effect was not found for mothers with high hostility or depression scores.
D001007:Anxiety / Q000503:physiopathology / Q000523:psychology; D003863:Depression / Q000503:physiopathology / Q000523:psychology; D004644:Emotions; D005260:Female; D006339:Heart Rate; D006340:Heart Rate, Fetal; D006791:Hostility; D006801:Humans; D011247:Pregnancy / Q000502:physiology / Q000523:psychology*; D011248:Pregnancy Complications / Q000503:physiopathology