Link between stress in pregnancy and ADHD unfounded

Conclusion Despite the media headlines and scaremongering, ADHD is never mentioned in the study. The researchers cite animal studies which suggest increased levels of the stress hormone cortisol may speed up development before birth. They say this may prevent proper maturation of the organs and so could cause any "mental or physical illness" occurring later in life, such as ADHD. However, for ethical reasons, the levels of stress hormones in the amniotic fluid were only measured once in this study. This means we are unable to tell whether they changed during periods of maternal stress or during the pregnancy. Though the researchers say that the levels were higher in women who reported higher social overload, this was based on such a small sample of women that we cannot say for sure this effect would be seen in all pregnant women. We also have no information on whether any of the babies who were healthy at birth developed any problems during childhood, such as ADHD. Other limitations of the study include the fact that measures of chronic maternal stress relied on accuracy of reporting in the questionnaire and only looked at stress due to caring for other people. This would not have taken into account many other types of stress which women may experience during pregnancy. The average age of women in the study was 37 and it may also be that the findings may apply to younger pregnant women. In conclusion, this study does not show a link between stress during pregnancy ...
Source: NHS News Feed - Category: Consumer Health News Tags: Pregnancy/child Mental health Source Type: news