Tuesday, July 5, 2022
SCIENMAG: Latest Science and Health News
No Result
View All Result
  • Login
  • HOME PAGE
  • BIOLOGY
  • CHEMISTRY AND PHYSICS
  • MEDICINE
    • Cancer
    • Infectious Emerging Diseases
  • SPACE
  • TECHNOLOGY
  • CONTACT US
  • HOME PAGE
  • BIOLOGY
  • CHEMISTRY AND PHYSICS
  • MEDICINE
    • Cancer
    • Infectious Emerging Diseases
  • SPACE
  • TECHNOLOGY
  • CONTACT US
No Result
View All Result
Scienmag - Latest science news from science magazine
No Result
View All Result
Home SCIENCE NEWS Biology

Now is the time to study impact of pandemic on mothers and babies

March 10, 2021
in Biology
0
Share on FacebookShare on Twitter

University of Houston researcher issues a call for new methods to combat stress and social isolation

IMAGE

Credit: University of Houston

If past natural disasters have taught us anything about their effects on pregnant women and developing babies, it is to pay close attention, for the added stress will surely have an impact on them. Amanda Venta, associate professor of psychology at the University of Houston, is sounding that alarm as it relates to the COVID-19 pandemic in a newly released study published in Child Psychiatry & Human Development.

“There is strong evidence to suggest that the coronavirus pandemic will affect mothers and infants through immune pathways that, in previous research, have been shown to link stress and social isolation during the pre- and post-natal periods with deficits in maternal mental health and infant well-being and development across developmental stages,” reports Venta.

Research is clear about the link between the mind and body and maternal stress having toxic inflammatory effects on both mothers and infants.

“A pregnant mom’s immune system translates to her baby, so when she releases inflammatory cytokines, which can be in response to stress, those get passed to the baby both before birth and through breast milk,” said Venta. “When we see elevated inflammatory cytokines in babies, we know there is increased risk for later developmental problems.”

One of the studies Venta used in her summary was “Project Ice Storm,” which examined effects of in utero exposure to varying levels of prenatal maternal stress resulting from the 1998 Quebec ice storm, which left millions of people without electricity for up to 40 days. Follow-ups with children until the age of 19 showed significant effects on temperament, behavior, motor development, physical development, IQ, attention and language development.

And though there is no current data yet linking mothers’ stress during the COVID-19 pandemic to infant outcomes, now is the time to start taking stock, according to Venta.

“We know that when moms are socially isolated it increases stress. We need to do something from a research standpoint, and we need to do things differently clinically. When moms are supported by their partner, family and friends, or even their doctor, those kinds of social relationships can reduce inflammation,” said Venta, who speaks from the trenches. She is five months pregnant and her Ob/Gyn has yet to ask if she is isolated, stressed, or feels supported– questions that are currently far outside the standard of prenatal care.

The report concludes that research on the psychological and biological cascades of stress and social isolation on mothers and infants is needed immediately and recommends specific areas for future research:

  • Assess infant developmental and maternal mental health outcomes during COVID-19 and in the aftermath
  • Examine mechanisms of resilience and risk
  • Pilot interventions for immediate use

“We must move quickly to understand the risk of long-term adversity for these families and, relatedly, identify protective factors that can be leveraged to mitigate the catastrophe of adverse outcomes for this birth cohort,” said Venta.

###

Media Contact
Laurie Fickman
[email protected]

Original Source

https://uh.edu/news-events/stories/2021/march-2021/03092021-amanda-venta-pregnancy-pandemic-isolation.php

Tags: Developmental/Reproductive BiologyEnvironmental HealthEvolutionGynecologyMedicine/HealthMental HealthPediatricsStress/Anxiety
Share25Tweet16Share4ShareSendShare
  • New imaging technology less accurate than MRI at detecting prostate cancer, trial shows

    66 shares
    Share 26 Tweet 17
  • Alcohol changes brain activity differently in male and female mice

    65 shares
    Share 26 Tweet 16
  • Scientists discover key to hepatitis A virus replication, show drug effectiveness

    65 shares
    Share 26 Tweet 16
  • Study explores coevolution of mammals and their lice

    65 shares
    Share 26 Tweet 16
  • COVID-19 fattens up our body’s cells to fuel its viral takeover

    95 shares
    Share 38 Tweet 24
  • Magnetic spins that ‘freeze’ when heated: Nature in the wrong direction

    65 shares
    Share 26 Tweet 16
ADVERTISEMENT

About us

We bring you the latest science news from best research centers and universities around the world. Check our website.

Latest NEWS

nTIDE May 2022 COVID Update: Uncertainty about inflation tempers good news for people with disabilities

COVID-19 fattens up our body’s cells to fuel its viral takeover

The pair of Orcas deterring Great White Sharks – by ripping open their torsos for livers

Subscribe to Blog via Email

Enter your email address to subscribe to this blog and receive notifications of new posts by email.

Join 190 other subscribers

© 2022 Scienmag- Science Magazine: Latest Science News.

No Result
View All Result
  • HOME PAGE
  • BIOLOGY
  • CHEMISTRY AND PHYSICS
  • MEDICINE
    • Cancer
    • Infectious Emerging Diseases
  • SPACE
  • TECHNOLOGY
  • CONTACT US

© 2022 Scienmag- Science Magazine: Latest Science News.

Welcome Back!

Login to your account below

Forgotten Password?

Retrieve your password

Please enter your username or email address to reset your password.

Log In
Posting....