Spatial working memory and attention skills are predicted by maternal stress during pregnancy

•We model the link between maternal stress during pregnancy (MSDP) and child cognition.•Maternal anxiety, child sex and postnatal care are investigated as moderators.•MSDP is associated with attention shifting depending on maternal anxiety.•MSDP is linked with working memory depending on child sex and postnatal care.

IntroductionExperimental evidence in rodents shows that maternal stress during pregnancy (MSDP) negatively impacts spatial learning and memory in the offspring. We aim to investigate the association between MSDP (i.e., life events) and spatial working memory, as well as attention skills (attention shifting and attention focusing), in humans. The moderating roles of child sex, maternal anxiety during pregnancy and postnatal care are also investigated.MethodsParticipants were 236 mother–child dyads that were followed from the second trimester of pregnancy until 4 years postpartum. Measurements included questionnaires and independent observations.ResultsMSDP was negatively associated with attention shifting at 18 months when concurrent maternal anxiety was low. MSDP was associated with poorer spatial working memory at 4 years of age, but only for boys who experienced poorer postnatal care.ConclusionConsistent with results observed in rodents, MSDP was found to be associated with spatial working memory and attention skills. These results point to postnatal care and maternal anxiety during pregnancy as potential targets for interventions that aim to buffer children from the detrimental effects of MSDP.