PNMS and Infant Development as Assessed by Maturity of Play Behavior: A 2011 Queensland Flood Study

• In Event: Poster Session 02
  In Poster Session: PS 02 Topic - Cognitive Processes

Abstract

Background: Prenatal maternal stress (PNMS) may influence the cognitive development of children. This association between PNMS and cognitive development was observed in a study by Laplante et al. (2007), which followed Zelazo and Kearsely’s (1980) 15-minute play protocol to test the play maturity in 2-year-old infants whose mothers were affected by the Ice Storm in Quebec during pregnancy. Although Laplante et al. found a relationship between PNMS and impaired cognitive outcomes in the offspring, especially for children exposed in early pregnancy, barely any other studies have been conducted using observational methods that are unbiased by variables (like the child’s temperament) in order to arrive at definitive conclusions about play maturity in children. To date, no replications of the Laplante et al. (2007) study have been published using a different cohort affected by a different disaster during pregnancy.

Objective(s): The main goal was to replicate findings from Laplante et al., 2007 using subjects from a different disaster. The first objective of this study was to determine if PNMS and timing of exposure influence play maturity in children affected by a different disaster: the 2011 Queensland Flood (QF2011). The second objective was to determine if in-utero exposure to the flood in the 1st and 2nd trimester is a critical time period for creating a sensitivity to PNMS and impacting play maturity.

Hypothesis: It was hypothesized that exposure to higher levels of disaster related PNMS would predict higher levels of immature stereotypical play along with lower levels of mature functional play and play diversity in children at both 16 and 30 months of age. It was also anticipated that the effects of PNMS on play behavior will be greatest for children exposed to the flood during the 1st or 2nd trimester.

Method: The 230 women who had been exposed to the 2011 flooding in Queensland, Australia during their 1st, 2nd, or 3rd trimester of pregnancy were recruited shortly after the flood in order to assess their PNMS. The study used videos available from their children whose play behavior was assessed at 16 months (n = 142) and at 30 months (n = 135). The Mangold Observer video coding software was used to code the play behavior.

Results: For children at the ages of 16 and 30 months, a trimester effect was visible where early exposure to the disaster rendered the children sensitive to the effects of PNMS. At 16 months, early exposure was associated with greater sensitivity to PNMS such that the higher the PNMS the better cognitive development (interactions); however, late exposure was generally associated with worse cognitive outcomes (especially main effects). At 30 months, no significant main effects were found between PNMS and play maturity. However, a similar timing-by-PNMS interaction trend was found where early exposure was sensitive to PNMS.

Discussion: These findings lend support to the idea that timing influences the relationship between PNMS and child cognitive outcomes.

Group Authors

Ruchika Bhattacharya
David Laplante
Guillaume Elgbeili
Xia Zhang
Gabrielle Simcock
Sue Kildea
Suzanne King

Author

• Ruchika Bhattacharya, McGill University
  Presenting Author