Risco de atrasos no desenvolvimento global e de alterações socioemocionais em bebês nascidos de mães diagnosticadas com Covid19: um estudo transversal

Abstract

Introduction: Maternal experiences determine health in the early years of a child. Although viral infections during pregnancy may impair child development, little is known about the effects of maternal COVID-19 exposure during pregnancy on infant’s motor and socioemotional development. Objective: To investigate the risk of developmental delay in infants born to mothers diagnosed with COVID-19 during pregancy. Method: This cross-sectional study was conducted with 54 infants of both sexes aged between 1 and 12 months. Twenty-seven infants born to mothers diagnosed with COVID-19 during pregnancy between March and November 2021 composed the COVID group. The control group consisted of children who were not exposed to maternal illness. Neonatal and prenatal data were extracted from medical records and child health booklets. Screening for risk of developmental delay was performed using the Survey of Wellbeing of Young Children during a phone interview or home visit. Chi-squared, Mann-Whitney test, and binary logistic regression were applied. Results: The risk of motor developmental delay was identified in 15 infants (12 in the COVID group), and 36 were at risk of behavioral alteration (22 in the COVID group). Regarding families of infants of the COVID group, 63% of mothers were at risk of depression, 51.9% were at risk of substance abuse, 40.7% of food insecurity, and 7.4% of domestic violence. Infants from mothers exposed to the COVID-19 during pregnancy increased up to 6.3-fold the risk of motor developmental delay. Motor developmental delay was significantly associated with socioemotional alterations (odds ratio = 6.4, p = 0.01). Inflexibility was a statistically relevant variable for socioemotional impairments. Conclusion: Children born to mothers diagnosed with COVID-19 were at increased risk for global developmental delays and socio-emotional changes. The infectious process experienced by the mother, as well as situations of social isolation and psychosocial vulnerability, may have a negative impact on child neurodevelopment.