Maternal anxiety, exposure to the COVID-19 pandemic and socioemotional development of offspring

LÓPEZ-MORALES, HERNÁN; DEL VALLE, MACARENA VERÓNICA; LÓPEZ, MARCELA; ANDRÉS, MARÍA LAURA; GARCÍA, MATÍAS JONÁS; CANET JURIC, LORENA; URQUIJO, SEBASTIÁN

Journal of Applied Developmental Psychology

Elsevier

Año: 2023

0193-3973

The COVID -19 pandemic context may predispose mothers to increased maternal psychopathological symptomatology, which may be associated with offspring socioemotional development. The aim of this study is to analyze the relationships between prenatal anxiety and depression and exposure to the COVID -19 pandemic with offspring socioemotional development, controlling for postnatal anxiety and depression. A total of 105 mother-infant dyads were studied at different pre- and postnatal periods. Questionnaires were used to assess the impact of the pandemic, indicators of psychopathology, and socioemotional development of the offspring. Results suggest that negative pandemic experiences are indirectly associated with offspring socioemotional development via prenatal maternal anxiety symptomatology (which acts as a mediator) and after controlling for postnatal anxiety and depression. These indicators predispose to emotional deficits and increase the risk for psychopathological and neurodevelopmental disorders. It is important to adopt health policies that provide timely assessment of development in early childhood so that early intervention can be made to reduce the risks associated with these deficits.