Maternal Psychological Distress Before and After Childbirth and Neurodevelopmental Delay in Toddlers

Is the timing of maternal psychological distress differentially associated with the risk of neurodevelopmental delay in toddlers?In this birth cohort study of 82 418 mother-child pairs, maternal psychological distress at 1 year post partum had an estimated higher risk of neurodevelopmental delay in toddlers than psychological distress during mid- to late pregnancy, with no salient multiplicative interaction between time points observed.These findings suggest the importance of maintaining maternal mental health from pregnancy through 1 year post partum.

Corresponding Author: Kenta Matsumura, PhD, Graduate School of Health Sciences, Aomori University of Health and Welfare, 58-1 Aza-Maze, Oaza Hamadate, Aomori City, Aomori 030-8505, Japan (k_matsumura@ms.auhw.ac.jp).

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