Undergraduate Research in Psychology and Behavioral Science
Hurricane Trauma: The Effects of Prenatal Stress on Child Development
Author(s): Leigh Harvey , Allysia Ramirez
Abstract:
As a natural disaster, hurricanes have a profound impact on the prenatal development of
unborn children and their mothers because of the elevated stress levels that parallel
the event. Factors such as shelter conditions, disruptions in supplies of clean water,
food, and comfortable living conditions all contribute to stressors that lead to birth
complications and physical and cognitive disadvantages to the infant at the time of
birth (Callaghan et al., 2007). Infants whose mothers were exposed to hurricane trauma
are susceptible to preterm delivery as well as lower birth weight according to a study
conducted in Louisiana which implies the high vulnerability of pregnant women who were
displaced during Hurricane Katrina (Antipova, 2007).
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