Prenatal and Postnatal effects

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• Prenatal and Postnatal effects
• On child development
• Presentation by Eugenia Baibazarova,
• PhD student
• Funding GTA
• Supervisors Dr Gordon Harold
• Dr Stephanie van Goozen

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Main PhD interests

• Early Child development
• Specifically looking at how prenatal factors
  (such as stress during pregnancy) and postnatal
  factors ( such as parenting styles and attachment
  with the mother) affect subsequent child outcomes
• I want to look at physiological and family
  factors that might explain differences in child
  development
• Such investigation of both biological and
  environmental factors and the interplay between
  them may aid to construct a more complete picture
  of aspects that affect child development

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Two main projects

• The first study looks mainly at physiological
  factors that may affect child outcomes prenatally
  (specifically physiological changes in foetal
  environment with the stress experienced by the
  mother). This will be discussed in more detail
  later in the talk
• The second project involves looking at the
  interplay between childs physiological reactions
  to a fear-inducing stimulus, their temperament
  and parenting styles and attachment of the mother

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Fear-inducing study

• Begins with children between 6-12 months old and
  follows them up when they are 2 and in future
  when they are 3
• Children are introduced to an unfamiliar
  mechanical toy (a robot) that approaches them
  when their mother leaves the room
• Mother completes questionnaires about parenting
  styles and attachment with the child as well as
  about child temperament
• Childs physiological reactions are measured
  (heart rate, skin conductance, stress hormones)
• Childs behavioural reactions are also measured
  (their behaviour is videotaped, which is then
  coded)

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Fear-inducing study

• This study provides an opportunity to investigate
  the complex interplay between the childs
  physiology, temperament and family factors (such
  as parenting and attachment),
• where family factors could be a possible mediator
  and/or moderator of physiological predispositions
  and childs reactions to fearful stimuli
• The longitudinal nature of the study allows to
  follow the changes in child temperament and to
  investigate whether parenting styles and family
  environment may play a part in shaping these
  changes
• For example Gilissen et al. (2007) have shown an
  interaction between child temperament and quality
  of parent-child relationship in predicting
  childs physiological responses to a fearful
  stimulus.

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Prenatal effects on child development

• In past decades research on possible prenatal
  effects on child development is blooming
• The results of many studies seem to demonstrate
  that there is a moderate link between stress
  experienced by a pregnant woman and child
  outcomes and subsequent child development
• Where more stress found to lead to more problems
  in cognitive and mental abilities as well as more
  temperamental difficulties
• (Austin, Hadzi-Pavlovic, Leader, Saint
  Parker,2005
• Huizinink, de Medina, Mulder, Visser Buitelaar,
  2003
• OConnor, Heron, Golding Glover,2003Gutteling
  et al, 2005
• Wadhwa, Sandman, Porto,Dunkelschetter
  Gartie,1993)

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Measuring Prenatal stress

• Psychosocial measures (in forms of
  questionnaires)
• Feelings of general anxiety, State and Trait
  anxiety, Occurrence of stressful life events,
  Pregnancy-related anxieties
• More objective measures assessing concentrations
  of cortisol (a stress hormone) in maternal plasma
  as an indicator of stress
• Cortisol is an end-product of
  Hypothalamic-Pituitary-Adrenal (HPA) axis, one of
  bodys major stress systems
• Diego et al, 2006 De Weerth, Van Hees
  Buitellar, 2003 Huizink et al, 2000
• Both types of measures are important
  psychosocial measures allow more insight into
  what kind of stress is most harmful for the
  foetus, whereas physiological measures allow more
  objective assessment of stress

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Our study

• Looked at specific sample of pregnant women
  undergoing amniocentesis (a very stressful
  procedure)
• Overall sample of 158 participants
• Combined both subjective (state and trait
• anxiety, experienced stress,
• pregnancy-related anxiety) and
• subjective (cortisol levels in plasma)
• measures
• Had an extra measure of cortisol levels in
  amniotic fluid (an indicator of cortisol levels
  of the foetus), suggesting a possible mediator of
  the effects of maternal stress on the foetus
  through affecting foetal cortisol concentrations

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Simple Model of the Hypothesis
Maternal Cortisol Levels
Experienced Stress
Child Outcomes
Child Cortisol Levels
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Implications

• If foetal concentrations of cortisol emerge as
• the strongest predictor of child cognitive
• development and temperament, it is
• important to attempt to include this measure
• when possible.
• Since stress in pregnancy has been
• shown to affect child development,
• investigating its effects is an important
• focus of developmental psychology,
• especially in development of interventions
• for women at high risk of stress in their
  pregnancy

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In Conclusion

• The study of prenatal stress allows us to look at
  the setting of physiological and biological
  predispositions for the child
• The investigation of parenting in the postnatal
  study allows us to see whether these set
  predispositions may be changed or re-shaped by
  the family environment