Parental Stress During Prenatal Period - Essay Example

Parental Stress During Prenatal Period Parental Stress During Prenatal Period In APA Style Parental Stress During Prenatal Period 2 Stress during prenatal period greatly influences the capability of an individual to manage different stressors in adulthood. This vulnerability may be a result of abnormalities in the development of the forebrain dopaminergic and glutamatergic projection during pregnancy. According to studies, dopamine D2-like receptors increase in dorsal frontal cortex (DFC), medial prefrontal cortex (MPC) hippocampal CA1 region and core region of nucleus accumbens (NAc) of gestating rats.

These factors indicate that stress, occurring during gestation, has long lasting effects that may extend to adulthood of the offspring that have been stressed during conception. These may provide a neurobiological substrate for the manifestation of schizophrenia and other idiopathic psychotic disorders. (Pillitteri, 65, 2007) Thus, identifying patients who have high risks of becoming stressed during pregnancy is an integral part of counselling since the physical and psychological development of their offspring lies in the well-being of these patients new to motherhood.

Findings say that adolescent mothers who have undergone prenatal and parenting stress were not good in maternal adjustment. These mothers have fewer feelings about motherhood that causes the tendency of providing less infant care resulting to low parenting competency. Unhealthy behaviours can also be acquired by gestating stressed mothers such as smoking, drinking alcohol, poor eating habits or taking medication that can affect the child’s immune system. Thus, early intervention is very essential to increase maternal adjustment and to decrease the risk of emotional distress during pregnancy and to lessen the chances of postpartum1 depression.

Establishing awareness to mothers, especially to new ones, about parental stress during prenatal period and its possible long-term effects to the child should be conducted. ReferencePillitteri, A. (2007). Maternal & child health nursing: Care of the childbearing & childrearing family. Philadelphia, PA: Lippincott Williams & Wilkins.