Pregnancy stress

Maternal anxiety levels in pregnancy and a child's susceptibility to ADHD, years later are linked.

A new study conducted by researchers at Belgium's Catholic University of Leuven has revealed that there is a strong link between maternal anxiety levels early in pregnancy and a child's susceptibility to attention deficit hyperactivity disorder (ADHD) years later.

According to WebMd, Van den Bergh and colleagues followed 71 mothers and their first-born children from pregnancy through early childhood. The mothers completed questionnaires designed to measure anxiety throughout their pregnancies, and the children were assessed for ADHD and other behavioral disorders between the ages of 8 and 9.

Maternal anxiety levels during the 12th and 22nd week of pregnancy were strongly linked to ADHD in the children. Previous findings from the same group of mothers and children showed a link between anxiety during this developmental period and temperament during early childhood.

Bergh said that pregnant women should do all they can to reduce the stresses and anxiety in their lives, especially early in their pregnancies.

"This is some of the strongest evidence yet to suggest that anxiety during pregnancy influences the offspring's risk for attention hyperactivity disorders ", Bergh was quoted as saying.

"Obviously, genetic predisposition plays an important role in these disorders, but this suggests an interaction between environmental factors and genes," he added.