Abstract
ObjectiveTo investigate the effect of parental personality on birth outcomes.DesignProspective cohort study.Setting727 pregnant women and 579 spouses receiving antenatal care at a single-center in rural Tokyo, Japan during 2010–2013.MethodsWe measured the association between maternal effect of parental personality traits assessed by the Cloninger’s Temperament and Character Inventory on birth outcomes, using multiple regression and adjusting for demographics.ResultsMaternal self-transcendence personality was inversely associated with gestational age [-0.26 (95% confidence interval (CI): -0.51 to -0.01) weeks per unit] and positively associated with preterm birth [odds ratio (OR) 2.60 (95% CI: 1.00 to 6.75) per unit], while paternal self-transcendence personality was positively associated with gestational age [0.31 (95% CI: 0.07 to 0.55) weeks per unit]. Maternal reward dependence was positively associated with fetal growth [0.30 (95% CI: 0.02 to 0.59) per unit]. Other maternal and paternal personality traits associated with adverse maternal behavior, such as novelty seeking, harm avoidance and self-directedness, were not associated with birth outcomes.ConclusionWe found that specific parental personality traits can be associated with birth outcomes.
Highlights
Preterm birth and restricted fetal growth have long been the most significant parameters of adverse outcomes in maternal-child health in many countries
Maternal self-transcendence personality was inversely associated with gestational age [-0.26 (95% confidence interval (CI): -0.51 to -0.01) weeks per unit] and positively associated with preterm birth [odds ratio (OR) 2.60 per unit], while paternal self-transcendence personality was positively associated with gestational age [0.31 weeks per unit]
Other maternal and paternal personality traits associated with adverse maternal behavior, such as novelty seeking, harm avoidance and self-directedness, were not associated with birth outcomes
Summary
Preterm birth and restricted fetal growth have long been the most significant parameters of adverse outcomes in maternal-child health in many countries. Recent research has shown that various maternal behaviors such as smoking [9,10], inadequate eating habits [11,12], and physical and psychosocial stress from overwork or domestic violence [13,14,15,16], are known to be risk factors of preterm birth and low birth weight deliveries. Previous studies measuring behavior using the Temperament and Character Inventory [17], a widely used psychobiological model that measures personality in seven dimensions (novelty seeking, harm avoidance, reward dependence, persistence, self-directedness, cooperativeness, and self-transcendence) have shown that personality is an underlying factor which determines behavior. Novelty-seeking personality was shown to be associated with smoking, and harm avoidance with nicotine dependence [18,19]. Depression has been reported to be associated with higher harm avoidance [20] and lower self-directedness [21] even among pregnant mothers [22,23], expectant fathers [23], and the general population [24]
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