Prenatal maternal mood instability and child externalizing problems: An ecological momentary assessment study.

ABSTRACT: This study examines whether exposure to affect fluctuations during fetal development have implications for child psychopathology. To evaluate maternal mood instability, participants (N = 154) completed Ecological Momentary Assessment (EMA) eight times per day across three days at 15-, 25-, and 35-weeks' gestation, and then at two months postpartum. The EMA measured depressive symptoms (Center for Epidemiologic Studies Depression Scale), anxiety (Profile of Mood States), and stress (Perceived Stress Scale). Mood instability was quantified by calculating root mean square of successive differences (RMSSD), which captures both variability and temporal dependency of mood states. When the children were 3 years old, mothers reported on their child's externalizing symptoms with the Child Behavior

SUBMITTER: Srivastava SG 

PROVIDER: S-EPMC12765513 | biostudies-literature | 2025 Dec

REPOSITORIES: biostudies-literature