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Impact of maternal age on infants' emotional regulation and psychomotor development

Published online by Cambridge University Press:  05 March 2021

Alba Moreno-Giménez ,
Laura Campos-Berga ,
Alicja Nowak ,
Rosa Sahuquillo-Leal ,
Ana D'Ocon ,
David Hervás ,
Pablo Navalón ,
Máximo Vento  and
Ana García-Blanco Open the ORCID record for Ana García-Blanco [Opens in a new window]
Alba Moreno-Giménez
Affiliation:
Department of Personality, Assessment and Psychological Treatment, University of Valencia, Valencia, Spain
Laura Campos-Berga
Affiliation:
University and Polytechnic Hospital La Fe, Valencia, Spain
Alicja Nowak
Affiliation:
Department of Health Psychology and Clinical Psychology, Adam Mickiewicz University, Poznań, Poland
Rosa Sahuquillo-Leal
Affiliation:
Department of Personality, Assessment and Psychological Treatment, University of Valencia, Valencia, Spain
Ana D'Ocon
Affiliation:
Department of Personality, Assessment and Psychological Treatment, University of Valencia, Valencia, Spain
David Hervás
Affiliation:
Department of Personality, Assessment and Psychological Treatment, University of Valencia, Valencia, Spain Health Research Institute La Fe, Valencia, Spain
Pablo Navalón
Affiliation:
University and Polytechnic Hospital La Fe, Valencia, Spain Health Research Institute La Fe, Valencia, Spain
Máximo Vento
Affiliation:
University and Polytechnic Hospital La Fe, Valencia, Spain Health Research Institute La Fe, Valencia, Spain
Ana García-Blanco*
Affiliation:
Department of Personality, Assessment and Psychological Treatment, University of Valencia, Valencia, Spain University and Polytechnic Hospital La Fe, Valencia, Spain Health Research Institute La Fe, Valencia, Spain
*
Author for correspondence: Ana García-Blanco, E-mail: ana.garcia-blanco@uv.es
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Abstract

Background

Maternal age has progressively increased in industrialized countries. Most studies focus on the consequences of delayed motherhood for women's physical and mental health, but little is known about potential effects on infants' neurodevelopment. This prospective study examines the association between maternal age and offspring neurodevelopment in terms of both psychomotor development (Ages & Stages Questionnaires-3) and emotional competences (Early Childhood Behavior Questionnaire).

Methods

We evaluated a cohort of healthy pregnant women aged 20–41 years and their offspring, assessed at 38 weeks gestation (n = 131) and 24 months after birth (n = 101). Potential age-related variables were considered (paternal age, education level, parity, social support, maternal cortisol levels, and maternal anxiety and depressive symptoms). Bayesian ordinal regression models were performed for each neurodevelopmental outcome.

Results

Maternal age was negatively associated with poor child development in terms of personal-social skills [odds ratio (OR) −0.13, 95% confidence interval (CI) 0.77–0.99] and with difficult temperament in terms of worse emotional regulation (OR −0.13, 95% CI 0.78–0.96) and lower positive affect (OR 0.16, 95% CI 0.75–0.95). As for age-related variables, whereas maternal anxiety symptoms and cortisol levels were also correlated with poor child development and difficult temperament, maternal social support and parental educational level were associated with better psychomotor and emotional competences.

Conclusion

Increasing maternal age may be associated with child temperament difficulties and psychomotor delay in terms of social interaction skills. Early detection of neurodevelopment difficulties in these babies would allow preventive psychosocial interventions to avoid future neuropsychiatric disorders.

Keywords

Emotional regulationmaternal ageprenatal stresspsychomotor developmentsocial supporttemperament
Type
Original Article
Information
Psychological Medicine , Volume 52 , Issue 15 , November 2022 , pp. 3708 - 3719
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Copyright
Copyright © The Author(s), 2021. Published by Cambridge University Press

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