Objective:

To evaluate the possible repercussion of strong and prolonged maternal stress during pregnancy on the neurodevelopment of the fetus.

Method:

Retrospective cross-sectional study with qualitative and quantitative analysis of seventy-three (73) cases of children -ages 1 through 6- who were seen in private practice between January and June 2017, in which reasons for consultation were analyzed through interviews, psychometric tests, and analysis of clinical history data. The variables were coded and entered into the statistical program SPSS version 22. Descriptive and inferential analysis tests were performed. For better understanding of the study sample, it was distributed in two groups according to the ‘type of pregnancy’ variable: group 1, non-stressed pregnancy, and group 2, stressed pregnancy.

Results:

Significant differences were found between pregnancy types and reason for consultation (t (62)=2.78; p=0.007) and language signs and types of pregnancy (t (62)=5.572; p=(0.001) confirming that high stress rates have a high incidence in neurodevelopmental processes.

Conclusion:

Our study has confirmed the possible repercussion of strong and prolonged maternal stress during pregnancy on the neurodevelopment of the fetus with possible future repercussions.