Cognitive Development Following Prenatal Stress: The Role of Maternal Sensitivity

Maternal stressful life events experienced during pregnancy may influence infant postnatal developmental and cognitive outcomes. However, less is known about how factors like infant sex and age of cognitive assessment may influence their associations. The current study investigated the relations between prenatal stress, infant birth outcomes, infant cognitive development, and the potential moderating role of maternal sensitivity. Longitudinal data from 322 low income, Mexican American mother infant dyads were examined during prenatal, 12-month, and 24-month time periods. Mothers self-reported prenatal stress during pregnancy, and infants’ cognitive development was assessed at both 12 months and 24 months. Birth outcomes (birth weight and gestational age) were obtained from hospital birth records. Results indicated that more maternal sensitivity was associated with higher cognitive development scores. Further, associations between prenatal stress and cognitive development depended on maternal sensitivity, such that prenatal stress was only associated with higher cognitive scores at 24 months at low levels of maternal sensitivity. While birth outcomes were not found to mediate these relations, females with poorer birth outcomes did have significantly poorer cognitive development. Results suggest that maternal sensitivity may support early infant cognitive development and underscore the importance of examining potential enduring and latent effects across the infancy and early childhood period.