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Pregnancy as a period of risk, adaptation, and resilience for mothers and infants
Open accessAbstract
The pregnancy period represents a unique window of opportunity to identify risks to both the fetus and mother and to deter the intergenerational transmission of adversity and mental health problems. Although the maternal–fetal dyad is especially vulnerable to the effects of stress during pregnancy, less is known about how the dyad is also receptive to salutary, resilience-promoting influences. The present review adopts life span and intergenerational perspectives to review four key areas of research. The first part describes how pregnancy is a sensitive period for both the mother and fetus. In the second part, the focus is on antecedents of maternal prenatal risks pertaining to prenatal stress response systems and mental health. The third part then turns to elucidating how these alterations in prenatal stress physiology and mental health problems may affect infant and child outcomes. The fourth part underscores how pregnancy is also a time of heightened fetal receptivity to maternal and environmental signals, with profound implications for adaptation. This section also reviews empirical evidence of promotive and protective factors that buffer the mother and fetus from developmental and adaptational problems and covers a sample of rigorous evidence-based prenatal interventions that prevent maladaptation in the maternal–fetal dyad before babies are born. Finally, recommendations elaborate on how to further strengthen understanding of pregnancy as a period of multilevel risk and resilience, enhance comprehensive prenatal screening, and expand on prenatal interventions to promote maternal–fetal adaptation before birth.
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“Adverse conditions, such as the pandemic, during developmental windows of heightened plasticity increase the risk of maladaptive stress responses.”
From Post-partum Women’s Anxiety and Parenting Stress: Home-Visiting Protective Effect During the COVID-19 Pandemic (2022) · cites this paper as Davis & Narayan, 2020
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“However, the extant literature suggests that these practices may increase the risk of postpartum depression in some mothers [5, 6].”
From Understanding mothers’ lived experiences of postpartum depression: a qualitative phenomenological study (2025) · cites this paper as [6]
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Cited by
Sorted by citations
Intergenerational transmission and prevention of adverse childhood experiences (ACEs)
Narayan, A. J., Lieberman, A. F., & Masten, A. S. (2021) · Clinical psychology review · doi:10.1016/j.cpr.2021.101997 · Cited by 436
Self-citationMental health of pregnant and postpartum women in response to the COVID-19 pandemic
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“Infants’ regulatory skills are highly susceptible to alterations in the caregiving environment (Davis & Narayan, 2020; Gartstein & Skinner, 2018).”
BackgroundHidden pandemic: COVID-19-related stress, SLC6A4 methylation, and infants’ temperament at 3 months
Provenzi, L., Mambretti, F., Villa, M., Grumi, S., Citterio, A., Bertazzoli, E., Biasucci, G., Decembrino, L., Falcone, R., Gardella, B., et al. (2021) · Scientific Reports · doi:10.1038/s41598-021-95053-z · Cited by 58
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“Higher maternal stress before conception and during pregnancy increases the risk for low birth weight, preterm birth, and offspring mental and physical health problems (Davis and Narayan, 2020; Keenan et al., 2018; Staneva et al., 2015; van den Bergh et al., 2020).”
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“1 3 that pregnancy is an important life stage for development of future chronic disease risk not only for the fetus but also the mother [48], consideration of health risks associated with PFAS exposure during the prenatal period should be a priority and a method of sustained primordial prevention of chronic disease.”
MethodRoubinov, D., Browne, D. T., LeWinn, K. Z., Lisha, N. E., Mason, W. A., & Bush, N. R. (2022) · Journal of Affective Disorders · doi:10.1016/j.jad.2022.04.030 · Cited by 39
Syama, K. P., Blais, E., & Kumarathasan, P. (2025) · Science of The Total Environment · doi:10.1016/j.scitotenv.2025.178999 · Cited by 39
Early adversity, stress, and neurobehavioral development
Gunnar, M. R. (2020) · Development and Psychopathology · doi:10.1017/s0954579420001649 · Cited by 44
Liu, S. R., & Glynn, L. M. (2021) · F&S Reports · doi:10.1016/j.xfre.2021.10.003 · Cited by 42
Resilience Processes in Development: Multisystem Integration Emerging from Four Waves of Research
Masten, A. S., Narayan, A. J., & Wright, M. O. (2023) · Springer eBooks · doi:10.1007/978-3-031-14728-9_2 · Cited by 47
Self-citationExposure to prenatal maternal distress and infant white matter neurodevelopment
Demers, C. H., Bagonis, M., Al‐Ali, K., Garcia, S. E., Styner, M. A., Gilmore, J. H., Hoffman, M. C., Hankin, B. L., & Davis, E. P. (2021) · Development and Psychopathology · doi:10.1017/s0954579421000742 · Cited by 38
“…health importance, as it indicates impairment not only in maternal psychological wellbeing, but also has robust long-term consequences for child mental health (Capron et al., 2015; Davis & Narayan, 2020; O ’ Donnell, Glover, Barker, & O ’ Connor, 2014; Plant, Pariante, Sharp, & Pawlby, 2015).”
Self-citationAddressing Adverse Childhood and Adult Experiences During Prenatal Care
Johnson, S. B., Kasparian, N. A., Cullum, A. S., FLANAGAN, T. A., Ponting, C., Kowalewski, L., & Main, E. K. (2023) · Obstetrics and Gynecology · doi:10.1097/aog.0000000000005199 · Cited by 32
Zhu, Y., Zhang, G., & Anme, T. (2023) · European Journal of Psychotraumatology · doi:10.1080/20008066.2023.2185414 · Cited by 37
“In particular, if women report high ACEs and low positive childhood experiences, assessing PCEs during pregnancy, adulthood, and parenthood may promote chances to provide resources and take preventive action before children are born (Davis & Narayan, 2020).”
BackgroundPrenatal Exposure to Nonpersistent Environmental Chemicals and Postpartum Depression
Jacobson, M. H., Hamra, G. B., Monk, C. E., Crum, R. M., Upadhyaya, S. G., Avalos, L. A., Bastain, T. M., Barrett, E. S., Bush, N. R., Dunlop, A. L., et al. (2023) · JAMA Psychiatry · doi:10.1001/jamapsychiatry.2023.3542 · Cited by 32
Aschbacher, K., Hagan, M. J., Steine, I. M., Rivera, L. M., Cole, S. W., Baccarella, A., Epel, E. S., Lieberman, A. F., & Bush, N. R. (2021) · Translational Psychiatry · doi:10.1038/s41398-021-01498-1 · Cited by 32
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Đukić, J., Johann, A., Henninger, M., & Ehlert, U. (2024) · Frontiers in Global Women s Health · doi:10.3389/fgwh.2024.1428494 · Cited by 30
“So far, only a limited number of studies have assessed SS longitudinally during pregnancy and postpartum in the same women, meaning that knowledge regarding the progression of SS trajectories during the entire peripartum period is limited (26, 27).”
BackgroundCraig, F., Gioia, M. C., Muggeo, V. M. R., Cajiao-Nieto, J., Aloi, A., Martino, I., Tenuta, F., Cerasa, A., & Costabile, A. (2021) · Journal of Affective Disorders · doi:10.1016/j.jad.2021.08.102 · Cited by 30
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“Massive neurogenesis, neuronal migration to the cortex and synaptogenesis, among others, are crucial processes for a future brain healthy function (Davis and Narayan, 2020).”
BackgroundAhmad, S. I., Shih, E., LeWinn, K. Z., Rivera, L. M., Graff, J. C., Mason, W. A., Karr, C. J., Sathyanarayana, S., Tylavsky, F. A., & Bush, N. R. (2022) · Frontiers in Psychiatry · doi:10.3389/fpsyt.2022.838535 · Cited by 27
“These findings also suggest that many individuals are capable of providing high quality parenting despite prior exposure to adversity and violence (14, 66, 97).”
BackgroundClark, H. M., Hankin, B. L., Narayan, A. J., & Davis, E. P. (2024) · Development and Psychopathology · doi:10.1017/s0954579422001390 · Cited by 24
Self-citationFirouzbakht, M., Rahmani, N., Nia, H. S., & Omidvar, S. (2022) · BMC Psychiatry · doi:10.1186/s12888-022-03792-8 · Cited by 27
“a resilience approach, one can shed light on this critically significant problem [10].”
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Adverse and Benevolent Childhood Experiences Predict Prenatal Sleep Quality
Nevarez-Brewster, M., Aran, Ö., Narayan, A. J., Harrall, K. K., Brown, S. M., Hankin, B. L., & Davis, E. P. (2022) · Adversity and Resilience Science · doi:10.1007/s42844-022-00070-0 · Cited by 24
“Pregnancy may be a sensitive window when individuals are particularly vulnerable to the long-reaching effects of ACEs (Davis & Narayan, 2020).”
BackgroundSelf-citationNew policies on skin-to-skin contact warrant an oxytocin-based perspective on perinatal health care
Bergman, N. (2024) · Frontiers in Psychology · doi:10.3389/fpsyg.2024.1385320 · Cited by 30
Maternal early life stress is associated with pro-inflammatory processes during pregnancy
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Bush, N. R., Noroña-Zhou, A. N., Coccia, M., Rudd, K. L., Ahmad, S. I., Loftus, C. T., Swan, S. H., Nguyen, R. H. N., Barrett, E. S., Tylavsky, F. A., et al. (2023) · Social Psychiatry and Psychiatric Epidemiology · doi:10.1007/s00127-022-02401-z · Cited by 21
“…Origins of Health and Disease (DOHaD) framework posits that maternal experiences of stress during pregnancy influence children’s developmental outcomes, including mental health [3], through both maternal-placental-fetal biological pathways and postnatal environmental differences [4–9].”
Mahini, E., Hakimi, S., Shahrokhi, H., Salahi, B., Baniadam, K. O., & Ranjbar, F. (2023) · BMC Psychiatry · doi:10.1186/s12888-023-04823-8 · Cited by 29
“The results showed that the most important factors related to depression or anxiety before delivery were a lack of a spouse or social support, a history of abuse or domestic violence, a personal history of psychological disorders, unintended pregnancy, traumatic life events, and high perceivable stress, the complicati…”
BackgroundGrande, L. A., Swales, D. A., Sandman, C. A., Glynn, L. M., & Davis, E. P. (2021) · Development and Psychopathology · doi:10.1017/s0954579421000286 · Cited by 23
“Few studies have directly assessed processes that promote resilience following prenatal adversity (Atzl, Grande, Davis, & Narayan, 2019; Davis & Narayan, 2020; D ’ Anna-Hernandez & Rivera, 2014; Røsand, Slinning, Eberhard-Gran, Røysamb, & Tambs, 2011).”
Self-citationPregnancy During the COVID-19 Pandemic: Communicated Narrative Sense-Making and Resilience
Horstman, H. K., Leverenz, A., Morrison, S., Jordan, E., Baltazar, A., Cen, X., Charvat, E. J., Okafor, B. E., & Butauski, M. (2023) · Health Communication · doi:10.1080/10410236.2022.2163103 · Cited by 20
Swales, D. A., Davis, E. P., Mahrer, N. E., Guardino, C. M., Shalowitz, M. U., Ramey, S. L., & Schetter, C. D. (2022) · Development and Psychopathology · doi:10.1017/s0954579421001760 · Cited by 20
“…suggests that offspring may be more vulnerable to the biopsychosocial sequelae of maternal trauma during the fetal period of development (Bouvette-Turcot et al., 2020; Bowers & Yehuda, 2016; Buss et al., 2017; Davis & Narayan, 2020; Keenan et al., 2018; Swales et al., 2018; Yehuda &Meaney, 2018).”
Self-citationNevarez-Brewster, M., Demers, C. H., Mejia, A., Haase, M. H., Bagonis, M., Kim, S. H., Gilmore, J. H., Hoffman, M. C., Styner, M. A., Hankin, B. L., et al. (2022) · Developmental Cognitive Neuroscience · doi:10.1016/j.dcn.2022.101174 · Cited by 19
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Self-citationBush, N. R. (2024) · Development and Psychopathology · doi:10.1017/s0954579424000488 · Cited by 21
“This sensitivity is key to survival outside the womb, as it allows tailoring and adaptation to changing inputs (Entringer et al., 2015) in a manner that can have positive and negative implications for development and health across the lifecourse (Davis & Narayan, 2020).”
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“…epigenetic changes and changes in maternal biological stress responses expose offspring to more maternal stress hormones in utero and thus potentiate neuroendocrine changes in childhood in both stress and non-stress conditions (Bowers & Yehuda, 2015; Davis & Narayan, 2020; Yehuda & Lerner, 2018).”
InfluentialNazzari, S., Grumi, S., Biasucci, G., Decembrino, L., Fazzi, E. M., Giacchero, R., Magnani, M. L., Nacinovich, R., Scelsa, B., Spinillo, A., et al. (2023) · PLoS ONE · doi:10.1371/journal.pone.0284578 · Cited by 19
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Cannabis Use during Pregnancy: An Update
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“It is well-known that pregnancy heralds a very special time with marked physiological and psychological change, during which maternal behaviors and exposures can yield lasting impacts on the health of the mother and fetus [3–5].”
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Nevarez-Brewster, M., Han, D., Todd, E. L., Keim, P., Doom, J. R., & Davis, E. P. (2024) · Psychosomatic Medicine · doi:10.1097/psy.0000000000001352 · Cited by 18
Self-citationNoroña-Zhou, A. N., Coccia, M., Sullivan, A., O’Connor, T. G., Collett, B. R., Derefinko, K. J., Renner, L. M., Loftus, C. T., Roubinov, D. S., Carroll, K. N., et al. (2022) · Research on Child and Adolescent Psychopathology · doi:10.1007/s10802-022-01002-3 · Cited by 17
“Experiences of stress and adversity, defined as experiences or conditions that threaten, or are perceived to threaten, physiological equilibrium (Loman & Gunnar, 2010; Weinstock, 2005), during sensitive periods of development may have especially enduring impacts on health (Davis & Narayan, 2020).”
BackgroundPrenatal Dietary Exposure to Endocrine Disruptors and Its Lasting Impact on Offspring Health
Potiris, A., Daponte, N., Moustakli, E., Zikopoulos, A., Kokkosi, E., Arkouli, N., Anagnostaki, I., Vogiatzoglou, A. L., Tzeli, M., Sarella, A., et al. (2025) · Toxics · doi:10.3390/toxics13100864 · Cited by 27
“Pregnancy is a critical period in an individual’s life, during which exposure to environmental factors can have lasting health consequences [1].”
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“Pregnant women in particular, are at a heightened risk of experiencing psychological distress [1], and complex psychological and physiological changes which occur during pregnancy can impart additional mental health vulnerabilities [2].”
BackgroundInfluences of adversity across the lifespan on respiratory sinus arrhythmia during pregnancy
Kaliush, P. R., Terrell, S., Vlisides‐Henry, R. D., Lin, B., Neff, D., Shakiba, N., Conradt, E. D., & Crowell, S. E. (2021) · Developmental Psychobiology · doi:10.1002/dev.22132 · Cited by 14
“…emotion regulation; pregnancy; prenatal stress; respiratory sinus arrhythmia 1 INTRODUCTION In order to meet the incredible demands of fetal growth and development, pregnant women endure some of the most profound physiological changes in the female lifespan (Davis & Narayan, 2020; Schaffir, 2016).”
BackgroundA multilevel developmental psychopathology model of childbirth and the perinatal transition
Kaliush, P. R., Conradt, E. D., Kerig, P. K., Williams, P., & Crowell, S. E. (2023) · Development and Psychopathology · doi:10.1017/s0954579422001389 · Cited by 17
“Indeed, social support is “one of the most robust correlates of better maternal mental health” and is associated with lower depressive and anxiety symptoms among birthing parents across racial, ethnic, and income groups (Atzl et al., 2019; Davis & Narayan, 2020, p. 1632).”
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“In addition, the psychological distress domain is usually mentioned as having the greatest impact on the OHRQoL because of the psychological changes that occur during this phase [32].”
Noroña-Zhou, A. N., Ashby, B. D., Richardson, G., Ehmer, A. C., Scott, S. M., Dardar, S., Marshall, L., & Talmi, A. (2023) · Health Equity · doi:10.1089/heq.2023.0075 · Cited by 13
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“…difficulties in performing daily activities, failure to seek prenatal care, inadequate diet and use of harmful substances (drugs, tobacco, and alcohol), postpartum depression, complicated birth, preterm birth, increased risk of fetal growth restriction and low birth weight [2, 3, 20–23].”
BackgroundMaternal Adverse Childhood Experiences and Biological Aging During Pregnancy and in Newborns
Dye, C. K., Alschuler, D. M., Wu, H., Duarte, C. S., Monk, C. E., Belsky, D. W., Lee, S., O’Donnell, K. J., Baccarelli, A., & Scorza, P. (2024) · JAMA Network Open · doi:10.1001/jamanetworkopen.2024.27063 · Cited by 15
Rinne, G. R., Mahrer, N. E., Guardino, C. M., Shalowitz, M. U., Ramey, S. L., & Schetter, C. D. (2023) · Journal of Family Psychology · doi:10.1037/fam0001076 · Cited by 13
How prenatal cortisol levels may differentially affect the neurodevelopment of boys and girls
Mariño-Narváez, C., Puertas‐Gonzalez, J. A., Romero‐Gonzalez, B., González-Pérez, R., & Peralta‐Ramírez, M. I. (2023) · Early Human Development · doi:10.1016/j.earlhumdev.2023.105874 · Cited by 11
Ai, Y., Huang, J., & Zhu, T. (2024) · Clinical and Translational Allergy · doi:10.1002/clt2.12346 · Cited by 13
“39 Elevated inflammatory and pro ‐ inflammatory biomarkers were observed when mothers experienced stress during the prenatal period.”
BackgroundBULGUROĞLU, M., & BULGUROĞLU, H. İ. (2024) · Scientific Reports · doi:10.1038/s41598-024-67290-5 · Cited by 11
Nadarasan, S., Phuna, Z. X., Zaman, R., Tan, C. K., Bustami, N. A., Ho, Y. B., Kosasih, S. J., & Tan, E. S. S. (2025) · Toxicology Reports · doi:10.1016/j.toxrep.2025.102143 · Cited by 14
“They are highly susceptible to trauma and environmental toxins [42].”
Rinne, G. R., Barclay, M. E., Somers, J. A., Mahrer, N. E., Shalowitz, M. U., Ramey, S. L., Schetter, C. D., & Lee, S. S. (2024) · Developmental Psychology · doi:10.1037/dev0001728 · Cited by 10
Lamsal, R., Yeh, E. A., Pullenayegum, E., & Ungar, W. J. (2024) · PharmacoEconomics · doi:10.1007/s40273-024-01397-5 · Cited by 12
“This sensitive period can be influenced by adversities, but it is also a time when positive factors can significantly impact the health and well-being of the pregnant woman and her offspring [125, 127–133].”
BackgroundInteroception in pregnancy: Implications for peripartum depression
Savoca, P. W., Glynn, L. M., Fox, M. M., Richards, M., & Callaghan, B. L. (2024) · Neuroscience & Biobehavioral Reviews · doi:10.1016/j.neubiorev.2024.105874 · Cited by 12
“Such changes include hormonal flux, growth of the placental organ, immunological and commensal microbial shifts, and a rapidly changing body to accommodate the growing fetus (Davis and Narayan, 2020; Glynn et al., 2018; Kazma et al., 2020).”
Tenant Right-to-Counsel and Adverse Birth Outcomes in New York, New York
Leifheit, K. M., Chen, K. L., Anderson, N. W., Yama, C. L., Sriram, A., Pollack, C. E., Gemmill, A., & Zimmerman, F. J. (2024) · Archives of Pediatrics and Adolescent Medicine · doi:10.1001/jamapediatrics.2024.4699 · Cited by 10
Epigenetic mechanisms linking pregnancy complications to cardiovascular disease in offspring
Talpur, K. R., Bano, I., & Abdullah, M. W. (2024) · Exploration of Cardiology · doi:10.37349/ec.2024.00037 · Cited by 11
Deutsch, A. R., Vargas, M., Lucchini, M., Brink, L. T., Odendaal, H. J., & Elliott, A. (2022) · Journal of Affective Disorders Reports · doi:10.1016/j.jadr.2022.100365 · Cited by 11
“It is clear that antenatal mental health plays a role in wellbeing for both mother and offspring, both individually and dyadically (Davis and Narayan, 2020; Ramey et al., 2015).”
BackgroundMaternal anxiety during pregnancy predicts infant attention to affective faces
Hennessey, E. P., Swales, D. A., Markant, J. C., Hoffman, M. C., Hankin, B. L., & Davis, E. P. (2023) · Journal of Affective Disorders · doi:10.1016/j.jad.2023.09.031 · Cited by 10
Self-citationPatterns and predictors of perinatal posttraumatic stress symptoms: A latent transition analysis
Paulson, J. L., Miller‐Graff, L. E., Jamison, L. E., Scheid, C. R., & Howell, K. H. (2022) · Journal of Affective Disorders · doi:10.1016/j.jad.2022.09.068 · Cited by 11
Bhamani, S. S., Arthur, D., Parys, A. V., Letourneau, N. L., Wagnild, G. M., & Degomme, O. (2023) · International Journal of Environmental Research and Public Health · doi:10.3390/ijerph20085517 · Cited by 9
“The pregnancy period is considered a window of opportunity to foster resilience and adaptation in mothers and their newborns [42].”
BackgroundWiley, K. S., Fox, M. M., Gildner, T. E., & Thayer, Z. M. (2023) · Child Development · doi:10.1111/cdev.13934 · Cited by 10
He, S., Zhou, F., Tian, G., Cui, Y., & Yan, Y. (2023) · Journal of Autism and Developmental Disorders · doi:10.1007/s10803-023-06169-2 · Cited by 9
“Pregnancy marks a period of dynamic neurodevelopment, during which the developing fetus is particularly vulnerable to external influences (Davis & Narayan, 2020).”
Dynamic Associations Among Sleep, Emotion Dysregulation, and Desire to Live in a Perinatal Sample
Kaliush, P. R., Butner, J., Williams, P., Conradt, E. D., & Crowell, S. E. (2024) · Psychosomatic Medicine · doi:10.1097/psy.0000000000001297 · Cited by 9
The Relationship between Body Mass Index, Body Dissatisfaction and Mood Symptoms in Pregnant Women
Grano, C., Vacca, M., & Lombardo, C. (2024) · Journal of Clinical Medicine · doi:10.3390/jcm13082424 · Cited by 10
“Body image theory and practice should be implemented by the inclusion of evidence-based clinical interventions to promote psychological well-being during the antenatal period [1].”
Roberti, E., Giacchero, R., Grumi, S., Biasucci, G., Cuzzani, L., Decembrino, L., Magnani, M. L., Motta, M., Nacinovich, R., Pisoni, C., et al. (2022) · Maternal and Child Health Journal · doi:10.1007/s10995-022-03540-0 · Cited by 8
“…literature has extensively demonstrated that individuals exposed to such intense adverse conditions during developmental windows of heightened plasticity (Kim, 2016) may be susceptible to developing maladaptive stress responses and affective symptoms (Davis & Narayan, 2020; Pluess & Belsky, 2011).”
BackgroundSilva-Fernández, C. S., Garrosa, E., & Ramiro‐Cortijo, D. (2025) · Nursing Reports · doi:10.3390/nursrep15030105 · Cited by 8
“This recommendation is complementary to the ones already given by experts, including attention to the beliefs and socio-emotional needs of women [7,11].”
Zeng, R., Chen, J., Peng, Y., Xu, W., Tao, Y., Li, M., Zhang, R.-Q., Meng, J., Li, Z., Zeng, L., et al. (2023) · Neurobiology of Stress · doi:10.1016/j.ynstr.2023.100591 · Cited by 8
“The prenatal period is a time of rapid development, during which the brain is particularly plastic and also sensitive to environmental influences (Davis and Narayan, 2020; Gyllenhammer et al., 2022).”
Haeken, S. V., Braeken, M. A. K. A., Horsch, A., Oosterman, M., & Bogaerts, A. (2023) · BMC Psychology · doi:10.1186/s40359-023-01301-4 · Cited by 8
“The perinatal period provides opportunities to promote mental health and resilience of future parents and, consequently, prevent the intergenerational transmission of stress and psychopathology in the next generation [10].”
BackgroundLindstedt, J., Korja, R., Carter, A. S., Pihlaja, P., & Ahlqvist‐Björkroth, S. (2024) · Attachment & Human Development · doi:10.1080/14616734.2024.2376765 · Cited by 7
“Pregnancy provides opportunities to recognize and address crucial prenatal factors affecting early parent-child relationships and subsequent child development (e.g. Davis & Narayan, 2020).”
Tadjine, L., & Swords, L. (2024) · Community Mental Health Journal · doi:10.1007/s10597-024-01353-9 · Cited by 7
“As mentioned, during the pregnancy period childhood memories become more salient as mothers contemplate their experiences and consider how they would like to raise their child (Davis & Narayan, 2020).”
InfluentialThe effects of pilates method in pregnant women: scoping review
Turan, A., Gerçek, H., Ünüvar, B. S., Fındık, F. Y., & Özgül, S. (2025) · BMC Pregnancy and Childbirth · doi:10.1186/s12884-025-07622-z · Cited by 7
“Pregnancy is a natural physiological event, but the stress reactions it causes in the body are a process that affects all body systems and requires the physical, mental and social adaptation of the woman [1, 2].”
Schroeder, B. E., Kuller, J. A., & Dotters-Katz, S. K. (2025) · Pregnancy · doi:10.1002/pmf2.70081 · Cited by 7
“High levels of resilience are likely to reduce perinatal stress, anxiety, and depression, as well as disrupt the intergenerational cycle of trauma for their infants [57, 98, 99].”
Perspective View of Stress, Anxiety, and Depression among Pregnant Women: A Review
Karnwal, R., & Sharmila, K. (2024) · Journal of Ecophysiology and Occupational Health · doi:10.18311/jeoh/2024/35771 · Cited by 7
van Dijk, M. T., Talati, A., Gonzalez-Barrios, P., Crandall, A. J., & Lugo-Candelas, C. I. (2024) · Seminars in Perinatology · doi:10.1016/j.semperi.2024.151948 · Cited by 10
Reinelt, T., Suppiger, D., Frey, C., Oertel, R., & Natalucci, G. (2022) · Infancy · doi:10.1111/infa.12497 · Cited by 10
“During this vulnerable period, higher stress levels, however, increase the likelihood to suffer from psychological disorders such as maternal anxiety, and prenatal or postnatal depression (Davis & Narayan, 2020).”
BackgroundPregnancy-induced hypertension: risk factors and current treatment strategies
Kumar, C. S., Roy, S., Aishwarya, T., Setty, C. S., Afreen, O., Maheshwari, A., & Ansari, H. (2023) · Cellular Molecular and Biomedical Reports · doi:10.55705/cmbr.2023.387076.1111 · Cited by 7
Baransel, E. S., & Uçar, T. (2023) · Japan Journal of Nursing Science · doi:10.1111/jjns.12549 · Cited by 6
Ahmad, S. I., Rudd, K. L., LeWinn, K. Z., Mason, W. A., Graff, J. C., Roubinov, D. S., & Bush, N. R. (2024) · Development and Psychopathology · doi:10.1017/s0954579424001147 · Cited by 9
“…and parenting, literature also suggests that mothers who experience stress and related mental health problems can enjoy secure attachments with their offspring and be responsive and supportive parents (Daryanani et al., 2016; Davis & Narayan, 2020; Greene et al., 2020; Jones-Mason et al., 2023).”
Khoury, J. E., Giles, L., Atkinson, L. R., & González, A. (2024) · Psychoneuroendocrinology · doi:10.1016/j.psyneuen.2024.107251 · Cited by 6
“Pregnancy and early postpartum are periods of substantial change and potential vulnerability to stress for the expectant individual and new parent (Coussons-Read, 2013; Davis and Narayan, 2020).”
Zhou, A. M., Molina, N. C., Santana, M. L., Maylott, S. E., Wright, K. R., Conradt, E. D., & Crowell, S. E. (2025) · Journal of Affective Disorders · doi:10.1016/j.jad.2025.02.064 · Cited by 6
Socol, I. D., Abu-Awwad, A., Socol, F. G., Farcaş, S. S., Abu-Awwad, S.-A., Dumitriu, B.-I., Dumitriu, A., Iacob, D., Vasile, D.-V., & Andreescu, N. I. (2025) · Healthcare · doi:10.3390/healthcare13172211 · Cited by 7
“Preparing for motherhood is often viewed as a time of joy, anticipation, and personal transformation; however, pregnancy can also represent a period of heightened psychological vulnerability, due to a unique interplay of emotional, physical, and social stressors [1,2].”
A mixture analysis of urinary microplastic levels and risk of gestational diabetes
Ma, Z., Chu, D., Zhang, Y., Liu, M., Yang, X., & Yu, Y. (2025) · Environment International · doi:10.1016/j.envint.2025.109928 · Cited by 6
Associations between Adverse Childhood Experiences and Sexual Risk among Postpartum Women
Thomas, J. L., Lewis, J. B., Ickovics, J. R., & Cunningham, S. D. (2021) · International Journal of Environmental Research and Public Health · doi:10.3390/ijerph18073848 · Cited by 6
“Increasing empirical [18] and clinical [19] recognition of the risks of intergenerational transmission of maternal adversity suggests that further study of ACEs is needed to appropriately intervene to improve maternal and child health.”
BackgroundIntergenerational Resilience in the Context of Adverse Childhood Experiences (ACEs)
Narayan, A. J. (2023) · Issues in clinical child psychology · doi:10.1007/978-3-031-32597-7_2 · Cited by 8
Self-citationFang, J., Zhou, Y., He, Y., Zhou, J., Tang, J., Luo, Q., Guo, J., & Chen, G. (2024) · Ecotoxicology and Environmental Safety · doi:10.1016/j.ecoenv.2024.116427 · Cited by 6
Anxiety, prenatal distress, and resilience during the first trimester of gestation
Liébana‐Presa, C., Fernández, R. G., Martín‐Vázquez, C., Martínez-Fernández, M. C., & Hidalgo-Lópezosa, P. (2024) · Revista da Escola de Enfermagem da USP · doi:10.1590/1980-220x-reeusp-2023-0290en · Cited by 6
“Resilience is a positive psychological resource which can prevent mental disorders, and is a dynamic process that enables people at any stage of life to cope with adversity, bounce back after difficulties, manage unpleasant feelings, and adapt to change (5,15) .”
BackgroundHosseini, R., Emadian, S., Dogani, M., Ghazanfari, T., & Askari, N. (2024) · Brain Behavior & Immunity - Health · doi:10.1016/j.bbih.2024.100895 · Cited by 6
“These disorders can reduce a person ’ s resilience to adult stress and lead to disability in various aspects of their personal and social life (Davis and Narayan, 2020).”
Transmission of Human Life with a Gestational Carrier
Bulletti, C. (2023) · Biomedical Journal of Scientific & Technical Research · doi:10.26717/bjstr.2023.52.008227 · Cited by 6
Öcalan, D., Ceylantekin, Y., Karslı, T. A., & Dursun, P. (2023) · Current Psychology · doi:10.1007/s12144-023-05407-1 · Cited by 9
Okitundu-Luwa, D., Essam, B. I., Sombo, M.-T. A. S., Omba, A. N., Djamba, F. O., Kayembe, T. K., Mbuyi, T. K., Guédeney, A., & Kashala-Abotnes, E. (2021) · European Child & Adolescent Psychiatry · doi:10.1007/s00787-021-01873-9 · Cited by 6
Yin, L., Liu, M., Jiang, H., Shao, H., Wang, X., & Zhang, B. (2025) · Ecotoxicology and Environmental Safety · doi:10.1016/j.ecoenv.2025.119318 · Cited by 5
Experience of discrimination reported during pregnancy and infant's emerging effortful control
Rivera, K. M., D'Anna‐Hernandez, K., Hankin, B. L., Davis, E. P., & Doom, J. R. (2024) · Developmental Psychobiology · doi:10.1002/dev.22455 · Cited by 5
Self-citationAkter, M. S., Khan, A. H., Kabir, M. F., Hossain, M. Z., Rahman, E., Hossain, K. M. A., Hossain, T., Jahid, I. K., Yin, K. N., & Jahan, S. (2024) · Discover Public Health · doi:10.1186/s12982-024-00221-x · Cited by 5
“Health-related quality of life (HRQOL) is the term used to describe the health status as a crucial element of overall quality of life [3–5].”
Psychological Distress and Cardiovascular Health in Pregnancy
Satti, D. I., Chan, J. S. K., Metlock, F., Mszar, R., Mehta, A., Chan, R. N. C., Chang, R. P., Spitz, J. A., Saad, A., Gaffey, A. E., et al. (2025) · JACC Advances · doi:10.1016/j.jacadv.2025.101683 · Cited by 5
Metadata
- Authors
- Davis, E. P., & Narayan, A. J.
- Affiliations
- University of Denver (US)
- Corresponding author
- Davis, Elysia Poggi
- Venue
- Development and Psychopathology
- Publisher
- Cambridge University Press (CUP)
- Published
- 2020-12
- Volume
- 32
- Issue
- 5
- Pages
- 1625-1639
- ISSN
- 0954-5794 (ISSN-L)
- 1469-2198
- PMC
- PMC7863987
- OpenAlex
- W3119751906
- Cited by
- 297
- References
- 169
- Citations by year
- 2026: 72 · 2025: 72 · 2024: 60 · 2023: 49 · 2022: 26 · 2021: 16 · 2020: 1
- FWCI
- 3.84
- Type
- journal article
- Language
- en
- Open access
- hybrid
- doi.org
- Locations
- Development and Psychopathology (publishedVersion, cc-by)
- PubMed (publishedVersion)
- Europe PMC (PubMed Central) (acceptedVersion)
- PubMed Central (acceptedVersion)
- Funders
- Society for Research in Child Development
- National Institutes of Health (MH096889)
- National Heart, Lung, and Blood Institute (R01HL155744)
- National Institute of Mental Health (P50MH096889, R01MH109662)
- Topics
- Health Sciences › Medicine › Public Health, Environmental and Occupational Health › Maternal Mental Health During Pregnancy and Postpartum
- Health Sciences › Medicine › Pediatrics, Perinatology and Child Health › Birth, Development, and Health
- Health Sciences › Medicine › Pediatrics, Perinatology and Child Health › Maternal and Neonatal Healthcare
- Keywords
- pregnancy, maternal-fetal dyad, prenatal stress, resilience, prenatal mental health, prenatal intervention, fetal development, infant outcomes, child outcomes, prenatal screening, protective factors
- MeSH terms
- Child, Female, Humans, Infant, Mothers, Pregnancy, Protective Factors
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