Hostname: page-component-77c89778f8-m42fx Total loading time: 0 Render date: 2024-07-17T08:23:00.389Z Has data issue: false hasContentIssue false
  • English
  • Français

Maternal prenatal and postnatal psychological distress trajectories and impact on cognitive development in 4-year-old children: the Japan Environment and Children’s Study

Published online by Cambridge University Press:  08 February 2024

Hidekazu Nishigori Open the ORCID record for Hidekazu Nishigori [Opens in a new window] ,
Toshie Nishigori ,
Taeko Suzuki ,
Miyuki Mori ,
Mika Yamada ,
Hirotaka Isogami ,
Tsuyoshi Murata ,
Hyo Kyozuka ,
Yuka Ogata  and
Akiko Sato
...Show all authors
Hidekazu Nishigori*
Affiliation:
Department of Development and Environmental Medicine, Fukushima Medical Center for Children and Women, Fukushima Medical University Graduate School of Medicine, Fukushima, Japan Fukushima Regional Center for the Japan Environmental and Children’s Study, Fukushima, Japan
Toshie Nishigori
Affiliation:
Fukushima Regional Center for the Japan Environmental and Children’s Study, Fukushima, Japan Department of Pediatrics, Fukushima Medical University School of Medicine, Fukushima, Japan
Taeko Suzuki
Affiliation:
Department of Development and Environmental Medicine, Fukushima Medical Center for Children and Women, Fukushima Medical University Graduate School of Medicine, Fukushima, Japan Fukushima Regional Center for the Japan Environmental and Children’s Study, Fukushima, Japan Department of Midwifery and Maternal Nursing, Fukushima Medical University School of Nursing, Fukushima, Japan
Miyuki Mori
Affiliation:
Department of Development and Environmental Medicine, Fukushima Medical Center for Children and Women, Fukushima Medical University Graduate School of Medicine, Fukushima, Japan Fukushima Regional Center for the Japan Environmental and Children’s Study, Fukushima, Japan Department of Midwifery and Maternal Nursing, Fukushima Medical University School of Nursing, Fukushima, Japan
Mika Yamada
Affiliation:
Fukushima Regional Center for the Japan Environmental and Children’s Study, Fukushima, Japan Department of Pediatrics, Fukushima Medical University School of Medicine, Fukushima, Japan
Hirotaka Isogami
Affiliation:
Fukushima Regional Center for the Japan Environmental and Children’s Study, Fukushima, Japan Department of Obstetrics and Gynecology, Fukushima Medical University School of Medicine, Fukushima, Japan
Tsuyoshi Murata
Affiliation:
Fukushima Regional Center for the Japan Environmental and Children’s Study, Fukushima, Japan Department of Obstetrics and Gynecology, Fukushima Medical University School of Medicine, Fukushima, Japan
Hyo Kyozuka
Affiliation:
Fukushima Regional Center for the Japan Environmental and Children’s Study, Fukushima, Japan Department of Obstetrics and Gynecology, Fukushima Medical University School of Medicine, Fukushima, Japan
Yuka Ogata
Affiliation:
Fukushima Regional Center for the Japan Environmental and Children’s Study, Fukushima, Japan
Akiko Sato
Affiliation:
Fukushima Regional Center for the Japan Environmental and Children’s Study, Fukushima, Japan
Hirohito Metoki
Affiliation:
Division of Public Health, Hygiene and Epidemiology, Faculty of Medicine, Tohoku Medical and Pharmaceutical University, Sendai, Japan
Kosei Shinoki
Affiliation:
Fukushima Regional Center for the Japan Environmental and Children’s Study, Fukushima, Japan
Seiji Yasumura
Affiliation:
Fukushima Regional Center for the Japan Environmental and Children’s Study, Fukushima, Japan Department of Public Health, Fukushima Medical University School of Medicine, Fukushima, Japan
Mitsuaki Hosoya
Affiliation:
Fukushima Regional Center for the Japan Environmental and Children’s Study, Fukushima, Japan Department of Pediatrics, Fukushima Medical University School of Medicine, Fukushima, Japan
Koichi Hashimoto
Affiliation:
Fukushima Regional Center for the Japan Environmental and Children’s Study, Fukushima, Japan Department of Pediatrics, Fukushima Medical University School of Medicine, Fukushima, Japan
Keiya Fujimori
Affiliation:
Fukushima Regional Center for the Japan Environmental and Children’s Study, Fukushima, Japan Department of Obstetrics and Gynecology, Fukushima Medical University School of Medicine, Fukushima, Japan
*
Corresponding author: H. Nishigori; Email: nishigo@fmu.ac.jp
Get access Rights & Permissions [Opens in a new window]

Abstract

Maternal prenatal and postnatal psychological distress, including depression and anxiety, may affect children’s cognitive development. However, the findings have been inconsistent. We aimed to use the dataset from the Japan Environment and Children’s Study, a nationwide prospective birth cohort study, to examine this association. We evaluated the relationship between the maternal six-item version of the Kessler Psychological Distress Scale (K6) scores and cognitive development among children aged 4 years. K6 was administered twice during pregnancy (M-T1; first half of pregnancy, M-T2; second half of pregnancy) and 1 year postpartum (C-1y). Cognitive development was assessed by trained testers, using the Kyoto Scale of Psychological Development 2001. Multiple regression analysis was performed with the group with a K6 score ≤ 4 for both M-T1 and M-T2 and C-1y as a reference. Records from 1,630 boys and 1,657 girls were analyzed. In the group with K6 scores ≥ 5 in both M-T1 and M-T2 and C-1Y groups, boys had significantly lower developmental quotients (DQ) in the language-social developmental (L-S) area (partial regression coefficient: −4.09, 95% confidence interval: −6.88 – −1.31), while girls did not differ significantly in DQ for the L-S area. Among boys and girls, those with K6 scores ≤ 4 at any one or two periods during M-T1, M-T2, or C-1y did not have significantly lower DQ for the L-S area. Persistent maternal psychological distress from the first half of pregnancy to 1 year postpartum had a disadvantageous association with verbal cognitive development in boys, but not in girls aged 4 years.

Keywords

Maternal psychological distresspregnancypostpartumcognitive developmentJapan
Type
Original Article
Information
Journal of Developmental Origins of Health and Disease , Volume 14 , Issue 6 , December 2023 , pp. 781 - 794
Check for updates
Copyright
© The Author(s), 2024. Published by Cambridge University Press in association with The International Society for Developmental Origins of Health and Disease (DOHaD)

Access options

Get access to the full version of this content by using one of the access options below. (Log in options will check for institutional or personal access. Content may require purchase if you do not have access.)

References

Gentile, S. Untreated depression during pregnancy: short- and long-term effects in offspring. A systematic review. Neuroscience. 2017; 342, 154–166.CrossRefGoogle Scholar
van den Bergh, BRH, van den Heuvel, MI, Lahti, M, et al. Prenatal developmental origins of behavior and mental health: the influence of maternal stress in pregnancy. Neurosci Biobehav Rev. 2020; 117, 26–64.CrossRefGoogle ScholarPubMed
Aoyagi, SS, Tsuchiya, KJ. Does maternal postpartum depression affect children’s developmental outcomes? J Obstet Gynaecol Res. 2019; 45(9), 1809–1820.CrossRefGoogle ScholarPubMed
Oyetunji, A, Chandra, P. Postpartum stress and infant outcome: a review of current literature. Psychiatry Res. 2020; 284, 112769.CrossRefGoogle ScholarPubMed
Rees, S, Channon, S, Waters, CS. The impact of maternal prenatal and postnatal anxiety on children’s emotional problems: a systematic review. Eur Child Adolesc Psychiatry. 2019; 28(2), 257–280.CrossRefGoogle ScholarPubMed
Kawamoto, T, Nitta, H, Murata, K, et al. Rationale and study design of the Japan environment and children’s study (JECS). BMC Public Health. 2014; 14(1), 25.CrossRefGoogle ScholarPubMed
Michikawa, T, Nitta, H, Nakayama, SF, et al. Baseline profile of participants in the Japan environment and children’s study (JECS). J Epidemiol. 2018; 28(2), 99–104.CrossRefGoogle ScholarPubMed
Sekiyama, M, Yamazaki, S, Michikawa, T, et al. Study design and participants’ profile in the sub-cohort study in the Japan environment and children’s study (JECS). J Epidemiol. 2022; 32(5), 228–236.CrossRefGoogle ScholarPubMed
Mezawa, H, Tomotaki, A, Yamamoto-Hanada, K, et al. Prevalence of congenital anomalies in the Japan environment and children’s study. J Epidemiol. 2019; 29(7), 247–256.CrossRefGoogle ScholarPubMed
Kessler, RC, Andrews, G, Colpe, LJ, et al. Short screening scales to monitor population prevalences and trends in non-specific psychological distress. Psychol Med. 2002; 32(6), 959–976.CrossRefGoogle ScholarPubMed
Kessler, RC, Barker, PR, Colpe, LJ, et al. Screening for serious mental illness in the general population. Arch Gen Psychiatry. 2003; 60(2), 184–189.CrossRefGoogle ScholarPubMed
Furukawa, TA, Kawakami, N, Saitoh, M, et al. The performance of the Japanese version of the K6 and K10 in the world mental health survey Japan. Int J Methods Psychiatr Res. 2008; 17(3), 152–158.CrossRefGoogle ScholarPubMed
Sakurai, K, Nishi, A, Kondo, K, Yanagida, K, Kawakami, N. Screening performance of K6/K10 and other screening instruments for mood and anxiety disorders in Japan. Psychiatry Clin Neurosci. 2011; 65(5), 434–441.CrossRefGoogle ScholarPubMed
Nishigori, T, Hashimoto, K, Mori, M, et al. Association between maternal prenatal psychological distress and autism spectrum disorder among 3-year-old children: the Japan environment and children’s study. J Dev Orig Health Dis. 2023; 14(1), 70–76.CrossRefGoogle ScholarPubMed
Mori, M, Nishigori, T, Ogata, Y, et al. Maternal prenatal psychological distress and motor/cognitive development in two-year-old offspring: the Japan environment and children’s study. J Dev Orig Health Dis. 2023; 14(3), 389–401.CrossRefGoogle ScholarPubMed
Koyama, T, Osada, H, Tsujii, H, Kurita, H. Utility of the kyoto scale of psychological development in cognitive assessment of children with pervasive developmental disorders. Psychiatry Clin Neurosci. 2009; 63(2), 241–243.CrossRefGoogle ScholarPubMed
Society for the Kyoto Scale of Psychological Development Test. Shinpan K Shiki Hattatsu Kensahou 2001 Nenban (the Kyoto Scale of Psychological Development Test 2001), 2008. Nakanishiya Shuppan, Kyoto Japan.Google Scholar
Nishigori, H, Nishigori, T, Obara, T, et al. Prenatal folic acid supplement/dietary folate and cognitive development in 4-year-old offspring from the Japan environment and children’s study. Sci Rep. 2023; 13(1), 9541.CrossRefGoogle ScholarPubMed
King, S, Dancause, K, Turcotte-Tremblay, AM, Veru, F, Laplante, DP. Using natural disasters to study the effects of prenatal maternal stress on child health and development. Birth Defects Res C Embryo Today. 2012; 96(4), 273–288.CrossRefGoogle Scholar
Simcock, G, Elgbeili, G, Laplante, DP, et al. The effects of prenatal maternal stress on early temperament: the 2011 Queensland flood study. J Dev Behav Pediatr. 2017; 38(5), 310–321.CrossRefGoogle ScholarPubMed
Gerardin, P, Wendland, J, Bodeau, N, et al. Depression during pregnancy: is the developmental impact earlier in boys? A prospective case-control study. J Clin Psychiatry. 2011; 72(03), 378–387.CrossRefGoogle Scholar
Loomans, EM, van der Stelt, O, Van Eijsden, M, et al. Antenatal maternal anxiety is associated with problem behaviour at age five. Early Hum Dev. 2011; 87(8), 565–570.CrossRefGoogle ScholarPubMed
Li, J, Olsen, J, Vestergaard, M, Obel, C. Attention-deficit/hyperactivity disorder in the offspring following prenatal maternal bereavement: a nationwide follow-up study in Denmark. Eur Child Adolesc Psychiatry. 2010; 19(10), 747–753.CrossRefGoogle ScholarPubMed
Zhu, P, Hao, JH, Tao, RX, et al. Sex-specific and time-dependent effects of prenatal stress on the early behavioral symptoms of ADHD: a longitudinal study in China. Eur Child Adolesc Psychiatry. 2015; 24(9), 1139–1147.CrossRefGoogle ScholarPubMed
Fineberg, AM, Ellman, LM, Schaefer, CA, et al. Fetal exposure to maternal stress and risk for schizophrenia spectrum disorders among offspring: differential influences of fetal sex. Psychiatry Res. 2016; 236, 91–97.CrossRefGoogle ScholarPubMed
Glasheen, C, Richardson, GA, Kim, KH, et al. Exposure to maternal pre- and postnatal depression and anxiety symptoms: risk for major depression, anxiety disorders, and conduct disorder in adolescent offspring. Dev Psychopathol. 2013; 25(4pt1), 1045–1063.CrossRefGoogle ScholarPubMed
Buss, C, Davis, EP, Shahbaba, B, et al. Maternal cortisol over the course of pregnancy and subsequent child amygdala and hippocampus volumes and affective problems. Proc Natl Acad Sci U S A. 2012; 109(20), E1312–E1319.CrossRefGoogle ScholarPubMed
Braithwaite, EC, Murphy, SE, Ramchandani, PG, Hill, J. Associations between biological markers of prenatal stress and infant negative emotionality are specific to sex. Psychoneuroendocrino. 2017; 86, 1–7.CrossRefGoogle ScholarPubMed
Braithwaite, EC, Pickles, A, Sharp, H, et al. Maternal prenatal cortisol predicts infant negative emotionality in a sex-dependent manner. Physiol Behav. 2017; 175, 31–36.CrossRefGoogle Scholar
Wright, N, Pickles, A, Braithwaite, EC, Sharp, H, Hill, J. Sex-dependent associations between maternal prenatal cortisol and child callous-unemotional traits: findings from the wirral child health and development study. Psychoneuroendocrino. 2019; 109, 104409.CrossRefGoogle ScholarPubMed
Weinstock, M. Gender differences in the effects of prenatal stress on brain development and behaviour. Neurochem Res. 2007; 32(10), 1730–1740.CrossRefGoogle ScholarPubMed
Schulz, KM, Pearson, JN, Neeley, EW, et al. Maternal stress during pregnancy causes sex-specific alterations in offspring memory performance, social interactions, indices of anxiety, and body mass. Physiol Behav. 2011; 104(2), 340–347.CrossRefGoogle ScholarPubMed
Zagron, G, Weinstock, M. Maternal adrenal hormone secretion mediates behavioural alterations induced by prenatal stress in male and female rats. Behav Brain Res. 2006; 175(2), 323–328.CrossRefGoogle ScholarPubMed
Weinstock, M. Sex-dependent changes induced by prenatal stress in cortical and hippocampal morphology and behaviour in rats: an update. Ann Ny Acad Sci. 2011; 14(6), 604–613.Google ScholarPubMed
Liu, F, Day, M, Muñiz, LC, et al. Activation of estrogen receptor-β regulates hippocampal synaptic plasticity and improves memory. Nat Neurosci. 2008; 11(3), 334–343.CrossRefGoogle ScholarPubMed
Ping, SE, Trieu, J, Wlodek, ME, Barrett, GL. Effects of estrogen on basal forebrain cholinergic neurons and spatial learning. J Neurosci Res. 2008; 86(7), 1588–1598.CrossRefGoogle ScholarPubMed
Weinstock, M. Prenatal stressors in rodents: effects on behavior. Neurobiol Stress. 2017; 6, 3–13.CrossRefGoogle ScholarPubMed
Lin, Y, Xu, J, Huang, J, et al. Effects of prenatal and postnatal maternal emotional stress on toddlers’ cognitive and temperamental development. J Affect Disord. 2017; 207, 9–17.CrossRefGoogle ScholarPubMed
van der Waerden, J, Galéra, C, Larroque, B, et al. Maternal depression trajectories and children’s behavior at Age 5 years. J Pediatr. 2015; 166(6), 1440–1448.e1.CrossRefGoogle ScholarPubMed
Fransson, E, Sörensen, F, Kunovac Kallak, TK, et al. Maternal perinatal depressive symptoms trajectories and impact on toddler behavior – the importance of symptom duration and maternal bonding. J Affect Disord. 2020; 273, 542–551.CrossRefGoogle ScholarPubMed
Srinivasan, R, Pearson, RM, Johnson, S, Lewis, G, Lewis, G. Maternal perinatal depressive symptoms and offspring psychotic experiences at 18 years of age: a longitudinal study. Lancet Psychiat. 2020; 7(5), 431–440.CrossRefGoogle ScholarPubMed
Oh, Y, Joung, YS, Baek, JH, Yoo, N. Maternal depression trajectories and child executive function over 9 years. J Affect Disord. 2020; 276, 646–652 CrossRefGoogle ScholarPubMed