Maternal psychosocial factors around delivery on development of 2-year-old children: A prospective cohort study

Aim: To explore whether maternal psychosocial factors around delivery are related to development of 2-year-old children.

Methods: Pregnant women going to the hospital for delivery were recruited, and their children were observed at 24 months. A total of 186 mother-child dyads completed the measurement. Self-report data of maternal psychosocial factors around delivery were selected from the Taiwanese version of the short-form 36. The Comprehensive Developmental Inventory for Infants and Toddlers was completed by interviewers and the main care givers for the child at 2 years old.

Results: Using the multiple linear regression analysis and adjusting for potential confounders, maternal vitality around delivery was found to have a significantly positive relationship with the whole Comprehensive Developmental Inventory for Infants and Toddlers (P = 0.005) and self-help development (P = 0.001), but work stress had a significantly negative relationship with motor development (seldom, P = 0.050; always, P = 0.048).

Conclusions: Maternal vitality around delivery was beneficial to a child's self-help development, while work stress seemed to be an adverse effect on child's motor development in later life. It is important to improve the psychosocial health of pregnant women.