Association between prenatal exposure to the Haiti 2010 earthquake, consequent maternal PTSD and autistic symptoms in offspring

Abstract

ObjectiveThe present work reports findings from a study that examined the association between pregnant women's exposure to the 2010 earthquake in Haiti and Autism Spectrum Disorders (ASD) symptoms/behaviors in their offspring at age three. MethodA sample of 364 mother–offspring dyads who survived the 2010 earthquake in Haiti (mean (SD) age=27.31 (5.93)) participated in the study. Maternal data were elicited via the Earthquake Experience Questionnaire (EEQ), the Peritraumatic Distress Inventory (PDI), and the PTSD Checklist Specific (PCL-S). Child-related data were obtained from maternal completion of the Échelle d’Évaluation des Comportements Autistiques Révisée (ECAR) (Autistic Behaviors Scale Revised) and the Child Behavior Checklist (CBCL). ResultsPeritraumatic distress was significantly associated with maternal PTSD symptoms (r=.64, p=0.01). Moreover, when maternal PTSD symptoms were added to final models of predictors for offspring autistic behaviors and pervasive developmental disorder, the amount of variance explained increased respectively from 14 to 21% and 15 to 23%. ConclusionsExposure to the 2010 earthquake in Haiti during pregnancy may be a risk factor for maternal PTSD, which may be associated with the presence of ASD symptoms/behaviors in the offspring at age three. This study underscores the effect of maternal exposure to disasters on the trajectory of child development, a critical factor in planning disaster preparedness programs.