Prenatal maternal stress: triangulating evidence for intrauterine exposure effects on birth and early childhood outcomes across multiple approaches

Abstract excerpt

BACKGROUND: Maternal stress during pregnancy may impact offspring development via changes in the intrauterine environment. However, genetic and environmental factors shared between mothers and children might skew our understanding of this pathway. This study assesses whether prenatal maternal stress has causal links to offspring outcomes: birthweight, gestational age, or emotional and behavioral difficulties,...