title: Prenatal and postpartum maternal psychological distress and infant development: a systematic review.
abstract: Infant development plays a foundational role in optimal child development and health. Some studies have demonstrated an association between maternal psychological distress and infant outcomes, although the main emphasis has been on postpartum depression and infant-maternal attachment. Prevention and early intervention strategies would benefit from an understanding of the influence of both prenatal and postpartum maternal distress on a broader spectrum of infant developmental outcomes. We conducted a systematic review of studies assessing the effect of prenatal and postpartum maternal psychological distress on five aspects of infant development: global; cognitive; behavioral; socio-emotional; and psychomotor. These findings suggest that prenatal distress can have an adverse effect on cognitive, behavioral, and psychomotor development, and that postpartum distress contributes to cognitive and socio-emotional development.
authors.affiliation: Faculty of Nursing, Rm 5-258 Edmonton Clinic Health Academy, University of Alberta, 11405-87th Avenue, Edmonton, AB T6G 1C9, Canada. Dawn.Kingston@ualberta.ca
authors.forename: Dawn
authors.initials: D
authors.lastname: Kingston
authors.forename: Suzanne
authors.initials: S
authors.lastname: Tough
authors.forename: Heather
authors.initials: H
authors.lastname: Whitfield
mesh_terms: D002657:Child Development; D019052:Depression, Postpartum / Q000628:therapy*; D061345:Early Medical Intervention; D005260:Female; D006801:Humans; D007223:Infant; D008297:Male; D033261:Maternal-Fetal Relations / Q000523:psychology*; D009034:Mother-Child Relations; D018743:Perinatal Care / Q000379:methods; D011247:Pregnancy; D011248:Pregnancy Complications; D011597:Psychomotor Performance; D012944:Social Support; D013315:Stress, Psychological / Q000628:therapy