SUMMARY AND KEY ISSUES
In summary, there is substantial evidence that
anxiety, depression, and stress in pregnancy are
risk factors for adverse outcomes for mothers and
children. More specifically, anxiety in pregnancy is
associated with shorter gestation and has adverse
implications for fetal neurodevelopment and child
outcomes. Furthermore, anxiety about a particular
pregnancy seems to be especially potent. Finally,
chronic strain, exposure to racism, and depressive
symptoms in mothers during pregnancy are
associated with lower birth weight infants with
consequences for development as well. These
differential risk factors and related pathways to
PTB and LBW deserve further investigation.
Beyond this, women with high stress, anxiety,
and depressive symptoms in pregnancy are more
likely to be impaired during the postpartum period.
Postpartum affective disturbance and stress in turn
impair parenting quality and effectiveness [48].
Figure 1 summarizes the evidence that has been