A new Japan research highlights the critical role of maternal mental health in early child development.
More than 23,000 mothers and their children data were analyzed data under the research, examining how maternal stress affected child development.
Experts found a clear association between maternal mental depression and increased autism-like symptoms in kids.
Strengthening the evidence, the scientists also conducted biological experiments on mice, which favored the link between motherhood stress and developmental changes related to autism.
Autism risk differs gender differences
Overall boys showed more autism-like symptoms compare to their mother’s mental health. The effects of parental depression were pronounced in girls.
Girls exposed to maternal depression were more expected to be born with low birth weight and revealed not strong emotional bonding with their mothers.
The findings noted that boys exhibited more autism-like traits than girls, independent of whether their mothers experienced stress.
Importance of stress hormones
As per the report, mental stress affects levels of oxytocin, a hormone crucial for bonding and social behavior.
Disruptions in oxytocin may help elaborate the biological pathway linking motherhood depression to autism risk.
investigators stressed that screening mothers for mental health issues during pregnancy and following childbirth is important. Early identification and support could play a key role in reducing potential risks for kids.
Separately, a study involving more than 140,000 pregnant women revealed that using antidepressants during the second and third trimesters almost doubled the risk of autism in children.
This research has reignited debate among diagnosis, particularly the underdiagnosis of autism in girls, and the need to monitor mental health treatments in the course of pregnancy.
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