When Stress Gets Under the Skin: Maternal Perinatal Stress and Early Socioemotional Development

Maternal perinatal stress (MPS) is a prevalent public health concern that may shape early socioemotional development, yet evidence from Latin America remains scarce. This prospective cohort study examined associations between maternal psychosocial stress across pregnancy and early postpartum and infant socioemotional development at 3 months, considering trimester-specific and cumulative exposure. Maternal depression, anxiety, and contextual stressors were assessed across the perinatal period. Principal component analyses were used to derive stress indices, and hierarchical regressions adjusted for sociodemographic covariates tested their associations with infant outcomes. Higher MPS was significantly associated with less optimal socioemotional development. Depressive symptoms showed the strongest and most consistent associations across models. Both trimester-specific and cumulative stress indices explained developmental variability, suggesting sensitive windows and additive effects. Associations remained robust after covariate adjustment. These findings support early socioemotional programming within the Developmental Origins of Health and Disease (DOHaD) framework and identify maternal depressive symptoms as a salient marker of infant vulnerability. They underscore the need for early detection and prevention strategies targeting maternal mental health, particularly in underrepresented global contexts.