Lifetime psychopathology in the offspring of parents with anxiety disorders: A systematic review

Background: The offspring of parents with Anxiety Disorders (AD) are at high risk for different types of psy-chopathology, including AD. However, little is known about how parental anxiety during pregnancy and/or the postnatal period might result in alterations in behavior or neurodevelopmental changes in offspring. To examine the effect of parental AD on offspring behavior and neurodevelopment, we conducted a systematic review.Methods: Following PRISMA guidelines, we searched the Web of Science, PubMed, and PsycINFO databases.Results: Forty-seven articles met the inclusion criteria for the systematic review. Prenatal maternal anxiety is related to negative temperament, increased attention to fearful vocalizations, decreased alertness, and impaired psychomotor and cognitive development in early and middle childhood. AD during the postnatal period is associated with greater negative temperament, internalizing symptoms, and anxiety symptoms in early child-hood, middle childhood, and adolescence.Conclusion: Our review is the first to demonstrate that prenatal and postnatal AD symptoms impact offspring. Future research should explore the mediating and moderating factors leading to the development of psycho-pathology in the offspring of parents with AD.