If you are pregnant, don’t panic, the effect has only been found for quite intense stresses, but these do seem to increase the chances of the child developing behavioural problems later in life.
Actually, the idea that motherly stress could affect the unborn child’s chance of developing mental illness is not new.
Researchers tracked down mothers who were pregnant when their partners were killed in the conflict, and compared them to mothers who were also pregnant at the time of the war, but whose partners were not killed in the fighting.
They found that children born to mothers whose partners were killed were more likely to develop schizophrenia later in life than the children born to mothers with partners who survived, suggesting that the stress of grief affected the child’s neurodevelopment.
This is thought to be due, at least in part, to the effect of stress-related hormone cortisol from the mother affecting the development of the foetus’ nervous system.
It is well known that birth complications can lead to a slight increase risk for schizophrenia later in life, probably because of the effect on the brain.
It is fascinating to think that the mother’s experiences can influence the development of the unborn child’s brain, however indirectly it might occur.
Link to BBC News story on conference presentation.