Week 8 - Lecture 8 Flashcards
(21 cards)
Who is Dr Katrina Moss?
Registered psychologist with 20+ years’ experience, PhD investigating the Queensland Flood Study
Research focus includes maternal–child health and emotional coping during fertility treatment.
What does the life-course perspective suggest about developmental outcomes?
Developmental outcomes in adulthood reflect cumulative exposures from genetics, prenatal period, childhood, adolescence, adulthood
Reference: Halfon et al., 2013.
What is foetal programming?
The process by which a stimulus or insult during a vulnerable developmental period has a long-lasting or permanent effect
Definition by Davis & Sandman, 2010.
What is the Barker Hypothesis?
Nutritional deficits in utero lead to low birth weight and later cardiometabolic disease
Proposed by Barker in 1995.
What does DOHaD stand for?
Developmental Origins of Health and Disease
It extends the concept of foetal programming.
What is the mismatch hypothesis?
Prenatal cues prepare the foetus for expected postnatal environment; a mismatch increases disease risk
Reference: Gluckman & Hanson, 2006.
What are the stages of prenatal development?
- Germinal (Weeks 1–2)
- Embryonic (Weeks 3–8)
- Foetal (Weeks 9–Birth)
Each stage has distinct key processes.
What is a teratogen?
Any agent that disrupts normal prenatal development
Examples include cigarettes, alcohol, viruses, drugs.
When is the vulnerability to teratogens highest?
When an organ/system is forming
Vulnerability decreases once the growth phase begins.
What is the ‘12-Month Pregnancy’ concept?
Optimal health behaviours for ≥ 3 months prior to conception for both parents
Includes folate supplementation and smoking cessation.
What were the findings of the Dutch Hunger Winter study?
- 1st-trimester exposure → ↑ birth weight
- 3rd-trimester exposure → ↓ birth weight
- Early/mid-gestation exposure → ↑ obesity, diabetes, heart disease in adulthood
- Peri-conception exposure → ↑ schizophrenia risk
Findings by Lumey et al., 2007.
What was the design of the QF2011 Queensland Flood Study?
Recruited N = 145 women pregnant during January 2011 floods; objective & subjective stress measured
Included stress measures like PDIQ and IES-R.
What were the findings regarding fine motor skills in the QF2011 study?
Higher maternal PTS symptoms → lower fine motor scores for exposure ≥ 26 weeks gestation
Reference: Moss et al., 2017.
What are the Bayley Scales of Infant and Toddler Development?
- Fine Motor Items: Stacking blocks, threading beads
- Gross Motor Items: Balancing, climbing stairs
Used for assessing child motor development.
What does HPA axis stand for?
Hypothalamic-Pituitary-Adrenal axis
Involved in the maternal stress response.
What is epigenetics?
Reversible molecular modifications that affect gene expression without altering DNA sequence
It can switch genes on/off based on the prenatal environment.
What are critical and sensitive periods in development?
- Critical Period: Irreversible change from exposure
- Sensitive Period: Strongest effect in a specific window
Common in behavioral development.
What is the role of maternal depression in child development?
Accumulation of maternal depressive symptoms increases child behaviour problems
Findings from a study with N = 978 mother–child dyads.
What should support for parents include?
- Non-judgmental listening
- Evidence-based information
- Professional referral
- Empathy & validation
- Reducing prenatal stress
Practical help and reassurance are key.
True or False: Prenatal development can be influenced by maternal nutrition and stress exposures.
True
Prenatal period is foundational for development.
Fill in the blank: The maternal stress response activates the _______ axis.
HPA
Hypothalamic-Pituitary-Adrenal axis.
