Anticipating the long-term neurodevelopmental impact of the COVID-19 pandemic on newborns and infants: A call for research and preventive policy

André J McDonald; Emma J Mew; Nicola L Hawley; Sarah R Lowe

doi:10.1016/j.jadr.2021.100213

Anticipating the long-term neurodevelopmental impact of the COVID-19 pandemic on newborns and infants: A call for research and preventive policy

J Affect Disord Rep. 2021 Dec:6:100213. doi: 10.1016/j.jadr.2021.100213. Epub 2021 Sep 1.

Authors

André J McDonald^{1

2}, Emma J Mew³, Nicola L Hawley³, Sarah R Lowe⁴

Affiliations

¹ Centre for Addiction and Mental Health, Institute for Mental Health Policy Research, Toronto, Ontario, Canada.
² Epidemiology Division, Dalla Lana School of Public Health, University of Toronto, Toronto, Ontario, Canada.
³ Department of Chronic Disease Epidemiology, Yale School of Public Health, Yale University, New Haven, CT, United States.
⁴ Department of Social and Behavioral Sciences, Yale School of Public Health, Yale University, New Haven, CT, United States.

Abstract

It is estimated that 116 million children were born worldwide in the first nine months of the COVID-19 pandemic. Given the critical importance of early life for neurodevelopment, and evidence suggesting that prenatal maternal stress and early childhood adversity negatively impact neurodevelopment, it is alarming that many pregnant women and new mothers are experiencing high levels of pandemic-related stress. Research and proactive mental health policy is needed to minimize the impact of the COVID-19 pandemic on the future mental health of a global cohort of newborns and infants.

Keywords: COVID-19; Infant neurodevelopment; Maternal stress.