Long-Term Mental Health Effects of Exposure to Earthquake-Related Prenatal Maternal Stress

Abstract

ABSTRACT Background: Many studies involving human subjects have shown that exposure to negative factors during pregnancy can have both short- and long-term effects. This study aims to examine the effects on the mental health of the adolescent children of mothers exposed to prenatal maternal stress during earthquakes. Method: The sample consisted of 407 adolescents aged 17 years at the time the study was conducted, as well as their mothers, who were pregnant during the earthquake of August 17, 1999 in Turkey. The mothers’ mental state were evaluated using the Beck Depression Inventory (BDI), the Beck Anxiety Inventory (BAI) and the Traumatic Stress Symptom Checklist (TSSC). The evaluations of the mental status of the mother following earthquake exposure in pregnancy were conducted retrospectively using self-reported depression, anxiety and trauma scales. The mothers were asked to fill out the BDI and BAI questionnaires based on their mental state in the week following the earthquake, while for the TSSC they were asked to select the statements that best described their status in the 6 months following the earthquake. The adolescents’ current depression, anxiety and Attention Deficit Hyperactivity Disorder (ADHD) symptoms were evaluated with the BDI, BAI and the Wender Utah Rating Scale. Given the contribution of stressful events to their current mental status and to the long-term effects of perinatal stress, the Traumatic Experiences List (TEL) was also administered. The presence of depression, anxiety and ADHD among adolescents and the link to the mother’s mental status, and the factors predicting depression, anxiety and ADHD were analyzed. Results: The adolescents whose mothers had mental complaints during pregnancy were found to have significantly higher levels of depression and mental complaints than those whose mothers had no mental complaints in their case histories (p