Does Maternal Stress During Pregnancy Affect Longevity of Offspring?

Considerable evidence indicates that stressors to a pregnant woman or her very young offspring can affect the child's subsequent health. French investigators studied the adult longevity of 5671 children born from August 1914 through December 1916 (i.e., during World War I), a time when 350 French women lost their husbands each day to combat. In analysis matched for date of birth, sex, and mother's age, adult mortality of children who had lost their fathers (either before or after their birth) was compared with lifespans of those whose fathers were not killed.

Individuals who did not lose their fathers lived longer than those whose fathers died in the war. However, this shortened lifespan was seen only in those who lost their fathers when the…