Many pregnant women are worried by one thing or another and this
is compounded by a fear that their anxiety can also harm the
foetus. Researcher Mona Bekkhus can reassure expectant mothers
that there are no specific maternal psychological conditions
that prenatally represent a risk of future behaviour issues.
Bekkhus has carried out research on various risk factors for
child behaviour difficulties, before birth and after. “If the
mother is long-term mentally ill and the family has prolonged
conflicts, this can increase the likelihood of behaviour
problems for the child.” “But psychological disorders of shorter
duration do not raise this risk for the kids,” says Bekkhus.
Bekkhus used the “Norwegian Mother and Child Cohort Study”,
which comprises data from 100,000 pregnant women in the period
1999 to 2008 in her doctoral thesis at the Department of
Psychology at the University of Oslo. She says it’s a pleasure
to release some results that for once indicate there’s something
that doesn’t pose a risk for the unbo