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Maternal prenatal psychological distress and motor/cognitive development in two-year-old offspring: The Japan Environment and Children’s Study

Published online by Cambridge University Press:  18 January 2023

Miyuki Mori ,
Toshie Nishigori ,
Yuka Ogata ,
Taeko Suzuki ,
Akiko Sato ,
Tsuyoshi Murata ,
Hyo Kyozuka ,
Akiko Yamaguchi ,
Hirohito Metoki Open the ORCID record for Hirohito Metoki [Opens in a new window]  and
Yoshie Shinohara
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Miyuki Mori
Affiliation:
Department of Development and Environmental Medicine, Fukushima Medical Center for Children and Women, Fukushima Medical University Graduate School of Medicine, 1 Hikarigaoka, Fukushima-city, Fukushima 960-1295, 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
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
Yuka Ogata
Affiliation:
Fukushima Regional Center for the Japan Environmental and Children’s Study, Fukushima, Japan
Taeko Suzuki
Affiliation:
Fukushima Regional Center for the Japan Environmental and Children’s Study, Fukushima, Japan Preparing Section for School of Midwifery, Fukushima Medical University, Fukushima, Japan
Akiko Sato
Affiliation:
Fukushima Regional Center for the Japan Environmental and Children’s Study, 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
Akiko Yamaguchi
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
Hirohito Metoki
Affiliation:
Division of Public Health, Hygiene and Epidemiology, Faculty of Medicine, Tohoku Medical and Pharmaceutical University, Miyagi, Japan
Yoshie Shinohara
Affiliation:
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
Toshifumi Takahashi
Affiliation:
Fukushima Regional Center for the Japan Environmental and Children’s Study, Fukushima, Japan Fukushima Medical Center for Children and Women, Fukushima Medical University, Fukushima, Japan
Kosei Shinoki
Affiliation:
Fukushima Regional Center for the Japan Environmental and Children’s Study, 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
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
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
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
Aya Goto
Affiliation:
Fukushima Regional Center for the Japan Environmental and Children’s Study, Fukushima, Japan Center for Integrated Science and Humanities, Fukushima Medical University, Fukushima, Japan
Hidekazu Nishigori*
Affiliation:
Department of Development and Environmental Medicine, Fukushima Medical Center for Children and Women, Fukushima Medical University Graduate School of Medicine, 1 Hikarigaoka, Fukushima-city, Fukushima 960-1295, Japan Fukushima Regional Center for the Japan Environmental and Children’s Study, Fukushima, Japan
*
Address for correspondence: Hidekazu Nishigori, MD, PhD, Department of Development and Environmental Medicine, Fukushima Medical Center for Children and Women, Fukushima Medical University Graduate School of Medicine, 1 Hikarigaoka Fukushima-City Fukushima 960-1295 Japan. Email: nishigo@fmu.ac.jp
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Abstract

Maternal prenatal psychological distress, including depression and anxiety, may affect offspring’s motor/cognitive development. However, research findings have been inconsistent. We used a dataset from the Japan Environment and Children’s Study to evaluate associations between maternal six-item Kessler Psychological Distress Scale (K6) scores and motor/cognitive development among offspring at two years of age. Their offspring’s motor/cognitive development was assessed using the Kyoto Scale of Psychological Development 2001. Records for 1859 male and 1817 female offspring were analyzed. The maternal K6 was administered twice during pregnancy: at a median of 14.6 weeks (M-T1) and 27.3 weeks (M-T2) of gestation. Multiple regression analysis was performed with the group with K6 scores ≤4 at both M-T1 and M-T2 as a reference. In the group with K6 scores ≥5 at both M-T1 and M-T2, male offspring had significantly lower developmental quotients (DQ) in the posture-motor area (partial regression coefficient [B]: −3.68, 95% confidence interval [CI]: −5.92 to −1.44) and language-social area (B: −1.93; 95%CI: −3.73 to −0.12), while female offspring had a lower DQ for the language-social area (B: −1.95; 95%CI: −3.73 to −0.17). In those with K6 scores ≥5 only at M-T1 or M-T2, male and female offspring did not differ significantly in DQ for any area. Continuous maternal psychological distress from the first to the second half of pregnancy was associated with lower motor and verbal cognitive development in male offspring and lower verbal cognitive development in female offspring at 2 years compared with the group without persistent maternal prenatal psychological distress.

Keywords

Maternal prenatal psychological distressoffspringmotor developmentverbal cognitive developmentJapan
Type
Original Article
Information
Journal of Developmental Origins of Health and Disease , Volume 14 , Issue 3 , June 2023 , pp. 389 - 401
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Copyright
© The Author(s), 2023. Published by Cambridge University Press in association with International Society for Developmental Origins of Health and Disease

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