Supporting maternal mental health before pregnancy could reduce the risk of babies developing respiratory illnesses in their first 18 months, according to new research.
The study shows that maternal distress during critical early life periods is linked to babies developing wheezing illnesses in their first year and a half.
The research involving Professor Keith Godfrey, from the NIHR Southampton Biomedical Research Centre was led by a team at the Singapore Institute for Clinical Sciences.
During the study, women were assessed before pregnancy, during pregnancy and after giving birth, while their children were monitored at ages three, six, 12 and 18 months. The team also looked at whether maternal distress had an effect on their babies developing eczema, rhinitis and allergic sensitisation.
A global issue
Allergy and respiratory infections are global health issues and impact the quality of life as well as school performance of children. The rapid increase in allergic diseases and respiratory illnesses is assumed to be due to environmental and lifestyle factors such as stress.
Keith said: “Findings from epidemiological studies strongly suggest that maternal health during preconception and over the course of pregnancy and postnatal development influence child's health and increasing evidence suggests that maternal distress is a risk factor for the development of allergic and respiratory illnesses in their offspring.
“To our knowledge, no previous studies have evaluated the impact of maternal distress during all three critical time periods – preconception, pregnancy and postnatal – and the development of allergic diseases and respiratory illnesses in the offspring.
“We used data from 332 mother-child pairs from the Singapore PREconception Study of long Term maternal and child Outcomes (S-PRESTO) to evaluate offspring eczema, wheeze and rhinitis symptoms in the babies.”
Research results
The research results showed that higher maternal distress during preconception and pregnancy was associated with an increased risk of wheeze development in the first 18 months of a child’s life. Women who received emotional and practical support from family during preconception had a decreased risk of their children developing wheezing illnesses.
No associations were observed between maternal distress and offspring eczema, rhinitis and allergic sensitisation.
Keith added: “This study has highlighted the importance of supporting maternal mental health, even before pregnancy, to improve offspring’s health.”