1070 - DUAL BURDENS OF MATERNAL DISTRESS: PRENATAL EXPOSURE TO HURRICANE MARIA AND POSTNATAL EXPOSURE TO COVID-19 ON PRESCHOOL NEURODEVELOPMENT

Session: D04S005 - Climate & Health 2
AUTHORS:
Rodriguez-Soto Nayra (University of Puerto Rico, Medical Sciences Campus ~ San Juan ~ Puerto Rico) , Rivera-Gonzalez Wanda (Carlos Albizu University ~ San Juan ~ Puerto Rico) , Buxó Carmen (University of Puerto Rico, Medical Sciences Campus ~ San Juan ~ Puerto Rico) , Rivas-Tumanyan Sona (University of Puerto Rico, Medical Sciences Campus ~ San Juan ~ Puerto Rico) , Morou-Bermudez Evangelia (University of Puerto Rico, Medical Sciences Campus ~ San Juan ~ Puerto Rico) , Martínez-González Karen (University of Puerto Rico, Medical Sciences Campus ~ San Juan ~ Puerto Rico)
Abstract text:
Introduction: The pregnancy and early childhood stages are critical windows for brain development, shaping both structural and functional foundations. In September 2017, Puerto Rico (PR) was devastated by Hurricane Maria (HM), a category 4 storm that affected the entire island and caused psychological distress (i.e., perceived stress and depression) among pregnant women. Prenatal disaster-related distress is linked to adverse child neurodevelopment, the foundation of long-term cognitive, motor and social skills. Additional postnatal stressors may compound this prenatal vulnerability, further intensifying developmental risks.


Purpose: We aimed to examine the effects of HM and COVID-19 maternal distress on their preschooler's neurodevelopment.


Method: 54 women who were pregnant during HM, and their preschooler-aged children were recruited. Mothers were interviewed in 2019 (T1; children aged 12-24 months) to understand HM distress and in 2021 (T2; children aged 36-59 months) to examine COVID-19 distress on child neurodevelopment. At T1 and T2 maternal distress was measured with perceived stress and depression scales and at T2 completed the Ages and Stages Questionnaire (ASQ-3).


Results: 48.1% of mothers were married. Children were 61.1% male, with developmental delay in 16.6% (n=9). Lineal regression models, adjusted for child sex, maternal education and HM trimester of pregnancy exposure, showed that maternal depression at T1 was related to lower communication (B=-.805, p=.005), fine motor (B= -1.046, p=.014), problem-solving (B=-.542, p =.022), and personal-social (B=-1.040, p <.001) and at T2 to personal-social (B= -.626, p=.010) scores. Additionally, maternal perceived stress at T1 was related to lower personal-social (B=-.510, p=.014) and at T2 to lower fine motor (B= -.706, p=.017), problem-solving (B=-.346, p=.034), and personal-social (B=-.584, p=.001) scores.


Conclusion: Early exposure to maternal distress due to HM and COVID-19 were linked to preschool neurodevelopment. Trauma-informed approaches to mitigate the impact of maternal distress on child neurodevelopment, as well as early intervention for children, are needed.