Prenatal mental health and emotional experiences during the pandemic: associations with infant neurodevelopment screening results

Background This study determined whether parental mental health and emotional experiences during the prenatal period were linked to infant developmental outcomes through the Ages and Stages Questionnaire (ASQ-3) at 8-10 months. Methods Participants included 133 individuals who were living in the US and were pregnant or had given birth within 6 months prior to enrollment. Respondents were majority White with high education and income levels. Online surveys were administered from May 2020 to September 2021; follow-up surveys were administered from November 2020 to August 2022. Results Parent generalized anxiety symptoms were positively associated with infant communication (beta = 0.34, 95% CI [0.15, 1.76], p < 0.05), while parent-fetal bonding was positively associated with infant communication (beta = 0.20, 95% CI [0.05, 0.76], p < 0.05) and personal-social performance (beta = 0.20, 95% CI [0.04, 0.74], p < 0.05). COVID-19-related worry was negatively associated with infant communication (beta = -0.30, 95% CI [-0.75, -0.12], p < 0.05) and fine motor performance (beta = -0.25, 95% CI [-0.66, -0.03], p < 0.05). Conclusion Parent mental health and emotional experiences may contribute to infant developmental outcomes in high risk conditions such as a pandemic.