Behavioural Science Institute, Radboud University, 6525 XZ Nijmegen, The Netherlands.
Donders Institute, Radboud University Medical Center, 6525 AJ Nijmegen, The Netherlands.
Int J Environ Res Public Health. 2022 Mar 23;19(7):3802. doi: 10.3390/ijerph19073802.
Exposure to maternal stress during the prenatal period adversely affects child outcomes. Recent investigations have shifted to an even earlier period, the preconception period, to better understand the role of this formative period in human health and disease. We investigated the links between maternal emotional distress following preconception exposure to war, and child outcomes at age 10.
Before becoming pregnant, mothers were exposed to missile bombardment on the north of Israel in the 2006 war. Mothers who conceived within 12 months after the war were recruited and compared to mothers who conceived during the same period but lived in Israel but outside missile range. During the initial assessment, mothers completed a questionnaire on emotional distress. At 10 years of age, mothers and children ( = 68) reported on child socio-emotional outcomes.
Multiple regression analyses revealed that, in girls, higher maternal emotional distress following preconception war exposure predicted more internalizing and externalizing behavior problems, and more behavior regulation problems. In boys, maternal emotional distress was not significantly related to outcomes.
Maternal emotional distress following preconception exposure to war forecasts sex-specific child behavioral problems as reported by the mother and the child. Though the results warrant cautious interpretation because of the relatively small sample size and differential attrition, our findings add to the small but growing body of research on the consequences of maternal stress exposure prior to conception for the next generation.
孕期母体压力暴露会对儿童结局产生不良影响。最近的研究已经转移到更早的时期，即受孕前时期，以更好地理解这一形成期在人类健康和疾病中的作用。我们调查了受孕前经历战争的母亲的情绪困扰与 10 岁儿童结局之间的联系。
在怀孕前，母亲们在 2006 年的战争中遭受了来自以色列北部的导弹轰炸。在战后 12 个月内怀孕的母亲被招募，并与在同一时期怀孕但居住在以色列但不在导弹射程内的母亲进行了比较。在最初的评估中，母亲们完成了一份关于情绪困扰的问卷。在 10 岁时，母亲和孩子（n=68）报告了儿童的社会情感结果。
多元回归分析显示，在女孩中，受孕前经历战争后母亲的情绪困扰程度越高，预测出更多的内化和外化行为问题，以及更多的行为调节问题。在男孩中，母亲的情绪困扰与结果没有显著关系。
受孕前经历战争后母亲的情绪困扰预测了母亲和孩子报告的女孩特定的儿童行为问题。尽管由于样本量相对较小和差异辍学率，结果需要谨慎解释，但我们的发现增加了关于受孕前母体压力暴露对下一代的影响的少量但不断增长的研究。
