Perinatal psychological stress has been associated with unfavorable maternal and neonatal outcomes. We aimed to assess the impact of perinatal stress on infant development at 1 year of age. We recruited pregnant women calling North American Teratogen Information Services or attending outpatient clinics at CHU Sainte Justine (Montreal) between 2008 and 2010 and their spouses. To be part of our study, women had to be (1) >18 years of age, (2) <15 weeks of gestational age at recruitment, (3) living within 250-km radius of Montreal, and (4) taking antidepressants or non-teratogenic drugs. Stress was assessed using the telephone-administered four-item perceived stress scale during pregnancy in mothers and at 2 months postpartum in both parents. Child development at 1 year of age was evaluated with the Bayley III scales. Socio-demographic and potential confounders were collected through telephone interviews. Multivariable linear regression models were built to assess the association between perinatal parental stress and child development. Overall, 71 couples and their infants were included. When adjusted for potential confounders, maternal prenatal stress was positively associated with motor development (adjusted β = 1.85, CI 95 % (0.01, 3.70)). Postpartum maternal and paternal stresses were negatively associated with motor and socio-emotional development, respectively (adjusted β = -1.54, CI 95 % (-3.07, -0.01) and adjusted β = -1.67, CI 95 % (-3.25, -0.10), respectively). Maternal and paternal postnatal stress seems to be harmful for the motor and socio-emotional development in 1-year-old children. No association was demonstrated between parental stress and cognitive, language, and adaptive behavioral development. However, prenatal maternal stress appears to improve motor skills.
Keywords: Antidepressant; Child development; Depression; Maternal stress; Paternal stress.