ADHD kids may have had stressed out Moms in womb

William Atkins
Monday, 09 May 2011 22:42

Science - Health

A recently announced research study from the United Kingdom found that it is more likely for children to have attention deficit hyperactivity disorder (ADHD) if their mothers were depressed or very stressed out during their pregnancy.

 

Dr. Alina Rodriguez, from the Institute of Psychiatry at King's College London, along with other researchers, performed the research.

She presented the results of the study at the annual meeting of the British Psychological Society (BPS).

Dr. Rodriguez and colleagues studied over 1,700 mothers and their children from the birth of the children to their years in primary school.

The Rodriguez team suggested, based on the results of their study, that stress hormones from the mother could enter the womb and cause problems in the developing brains of the fetus.

One such problem was the inability of the brain to decide on a dominant hand for the developing child.

Thus, a problematic relationship of the mother or a family bereavement, or other such stressful situation, could make it more likely for a fetus to become a child who is mixed-handed by the age of five years.

Such a sign (mixed handedness, write left handed but throw a ball right handed, for example, could be an indication of behavioral problems later in life, which includes the presence of ADHD.

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