Prenatal Exposure To Stress: A Case Study

The research is discussing the effects of prenatal stress (PS) on the development of socioemotional symptoms as well as neurodevelopmental disorders. The study arises from existing literatures where a significant relationship has been established between prenatal stress and social deficits such as autism and attention-deficit hypersensitivity disorder among children and schizophrenia among adolescents. King et al. identifies exposures to environmental hardships and stressful events as the underlying factor in the development of PS (274). The aspect has a negative impact on the immune and endocrine system as well as neurological development (Charil et al. 56). Studies have revealed that PS affects several aspects of brain development in the fetal stage. It increases rate of cell death and reduces rate of proliferation in the hypothalamus-pituitary axis (Schoenfeld and Gould 15).

Throughout life, both children and adults experience varying amounts of stress in their everyday lives. For the most part, this has been proven to be healthy and crucial in strengthening their response to such stimuli later in life. This paper will focus on the findings of various studies in which researchers have found links between stress exposure and childhood development. Specifically, this paper will focus on the effects of what is known as toxic stress and its effects on the development of a child and its role in the development of mental disorders as the child transitions into adulthood.

The prenatal period is when quick changes in the fetal organs are vulnerable to organizing change and stability but also building internal working system to trigger emotional responses (McEwen et al. 2013). It is a critical time for brain development and the PFC (McEwen et al. 2013). It exposes a selection of long -term modifications on brain development and behaviour (Entringer et al. 2009). Prenatal exposure to stress affects hormones in the body including the physiology and anatomy that relate to increasing drug levels, cortical communication and more (Entringer et al. 2009). Fetal stress is any event that interrupts a fetal process in stability in the body. (Entringer et al. 2009). During pregnancy, maternal stress impends the fetal nervous system and shortens the length of maturation due to many issues and concerns affecting the mother (Entringer et al. 2009). During pregnancy, maternal psychosocial stress threatens the fetal nervous system and contracts the length of gestation (Entringer et al. 2009). High levels of placental corticotrophin- releasing hormone

It has been said that exposure to prenatal maternal stress can have lifelong consequences resulting in problems with child cognitive development and motor skills as young as the age of 16 months. The researchers that conducted this study hypothesized that the severity of objective hardship and subjective stress reactions would predict different aspects of child development.

Another important part of this study was looking at how these effects occurred during different stages of prenatal development, as the “consequences of prenatal maternal stress were determined by the

Stress is a common issue that all people of all different backgrounds experience, weather it is environmental, situational, or family related it can happen to anyone. However, stress in pregnant women can be a health hazard for both the mother and the unborn baby. The baby can be born premature, have many organ developmental issues, and the mother can suffer from many complications as well. The connection

Technological advances in the past decade have allowed scientists to study the brain in ways that have led to new understanding about how young children develop. There is a new understanding of both the capabilities and the vulnerabilities of infants and young children and that understanding is has influenced the work of caregivers and teachers. During pregnancy, the basic architecture of the brain is formed. Although, certain experiences do influence the developing brain during pregnancy, such as maternal health and stress, intake of drugs and/or alcohol, and quality of maternal nutrition.

Parents who undergo their own personal toxic stress may neglect or become violent and abusive towards their child, creating negative experiences that will harm their brain development. Parents are vital influencers for their children and must have proper knowledge and understanding on how toxic stress impacts child brain development. Marotz (2015) states, "Children who grow up in an environment where families are caring and emotionally responsive, provide meaningful supervision and discipline that is consistent and developmentally

Also, the HPA axis experiences a diminished response across different stressors in pregnancy. Cortisol levels have been found to decrease quickly after birth. Also, many areas of the body are dampened due to the diminished response experienced. These include more areas than the HPA axis, including a dampened blood pressure and a dampened heart rate (Glynn, Davis, Sandman, 2013). The Glynn et al. study found that administration of CRH during the third trimester actually produced no response in the women studied (2013). In addition to parts of the body being dampened, weakened psychological responses to stress have been shown. It is believed that these act as an adaptive value that protects the mother and benefits the child.

The negative effects of prenatal stress on infant development indicate the need for a public education policy. Socioeconomic status, racial background, and level of perceived support all increase the risk for prenatal stress exposure and subsequent health outcomes. An education policy designed to provide information on how prenatal stress impacts the developing fetus and referrals to social workers to reduce specific stressors could have a positive impact on the development of the fetus. Social workers could also provide counseling or other support services to reduce the stress of pregnant women.

Now you may be wondering but how does it affect the baby and the mother? Stress affects the baby in many ways. First, the baby could be born as a pre-term baby. The reason why the baby could be born as a pre-term is because whatever the mother’s mood is it goes to baby too. The baby then has to deal with the high levels of stress on its own. This causes the baby to not have fully formed organs. According to Dr. Wadhwa pre-term babies are susceptible to a range of complications later, including chronic lung disease, development delays, learning disorders, and infant mortality (Feature, 2005). The earlier the baby is born the higher the risk of breathing problems they have. The baby will also be born with disabilities. This disease is called cerebral palsy. Cerebral palsy is a general term for a group of permanent, non-progressive movement disorders that cause physical disability. Researcher found that when the mother is stressed out when pregnant it causes damage in the utero. Then when the child is now in adult they are at a high risk to have chronic health problems. They will also have heart diseases and diabetes. Mothers are affected by stress because it causes their brains to release hormones such as corticotrophin-release hormone, also known as CRH. CRH is what causes women to have a pre-mature labor. CRH does not only cause the mother to have a pre-term labor but she could also have a miscarriage. Stress causes the mother to cause allergic reactions with the chemicals

notably altering behaviour and cognition, as well as disease susceptibility in adulthood (6). Stress hormones like glucocorticoids and CRH could interact with their receptors in the foetal brain, which have an influence on neuronal differentiation and function at different stages of development (9). During pregnancy, maternal psychosocial stress threatens the CNS and shortens the length of gestation (8). Low birth weight can also alter brain development and is associated with behavioural and cognitive disorders in adulthood (1, 4, 5, 6, 7, 8, 9). The offspring of stressed mothers are more likely to have reduced head circumferences (7), show emotional problems (7, 9), impaired memory (4, 5, 7) as well as supress cognitive performances including schizophrenia (5, 6, 9), attention deficit (5, 6, 9), antisocial behaviour (2, 6, 7), increased vulnerability to post-traumatic stress disorder (PTSD), learning difficulties (6, 9), anxiety disorders and depression (4, 6, 8, 9), impaired intelligence and thus lower school grades (7,

The French EDEN Study, conducted between 2003 and 2006 on 2002 parents and children from 24-28 weeks gestation until the children were 3 years of age reports that there were significant correlations between prenatal anxiety and cognitive developmental delays at two and three years. The study, which was published in the online journal PLOS ONE in August of 2015, says the risk of cognitive delay is higher in offspring of parents who experienced prenatal depression

In this experiment researchers sought out to take measurements in prenatal maternal stress, infancy maternal depression, infancy negative parenting, basal cortisol levels, adrenarche levels,

There are two types of stress that affect the human body. They are categorized as: eustress and distress. Eustress has a positive effect, while distress has a negative effect. Not every individual handles stress the same way. As we develop throughout our life, we are forcibly taught ways to react to the amount of stress life gives us. Children are taught how to react to the stressors of life by their environment, parents, and many other factors that contribute. An article by, Ross A. Thompson entitled, “Stress and Child Development” explains why the author thinks that children are taught to handle stress by their environment. Essentially it is more than just their parents teaching them how to cope with stress but their surroundings have a major influence. The main point of the article emphasizes that the plasticity of the developing brain and other biological systems, the neurobiological response to chronic stress can be buffered and even