A mother’s stress during pregnancy might be related to her child’s later movement and coordination, suggest the results of a study led by researchers at the University of Notre Dame in Australia. In the study, mothers completed questionnaires at 18 and 34 weeks pregnant, answering questions about their stress levels. When the children born of those pregnancies were ages 10, 14, and 17 years old, researches assessed their motor development and coordination using a 10-item movement test. The researchers found that children born to mothers who experienced more stressful events during pregnancy scored lower on motor development across all three survey years (Child Development, online Oct. 14).

Secondly, research conducted by a team of U.S. and U.K. scientists found that young people’s employment status may be hindered by mental health issues. The investigators assessed commitment to work, mental health problems and substance use disorders more than 2,000 Britons at age 18. Unemployed participants showed greater vulnerability for mental health issues including higher rates of mental health and substance abuse problems. Nearly 60 percent of unemployed participants had already experienced more than one mental health problem in childhood or adolescence, compared with around 35 percent of young people who were employed or pursuing education and training (Journal of Child Psychology and Psychiatry, online Aug. 26).

Happy holidays from the Susie Bean Gives Team