Prenatal mental and physical health are important factors associated with infant health and later child development. Previous research has identified a wide array of prenatal risk factors for poor infant outcomes, including sociodemographic factors (e.g., maternal education level, socioeconomic position), behavioural factors (e.g., substance use), biological factors (e.g., infections, gestational diabetes), psychosocial factors (e.g., exposure to interpersonal violence), and environmental factors (e.g., exposure to interpersonal violence, exposure to second-hand smoke), inter alia.1,2,3 Evidence also suggest that these risks factors and adverse outcomes are associated with maternal exposure to childhood maltreatment and abuse. 5,6 However, most empirical studies usually focus on exploring a specific pathway of intergenerational risk transmission rather than accounting for multiple dynamic factors and their interactive effects. To extend the methodological framework, this project aims to use graphical network analysis to: i) model dependencies between maternal childhood and prenatal risk factors and poor infant outcomes (in the form of infant prematurity and low birth weight); ii) and identify central risk factors that are likely to impact other types of risk factors and adverse health outcomes.
References:

1 De Bernabé, J.V., Soriano, T., Albaladejo, R., Juarranz, M., Calle, M.E., Martınez, D. and Domınguez-Rojas, V., 2004. Risk factors for low birth weight: a review. European Journal of Obstetrics & Gynecology and Reproductive Biology, 116(1), pp.3-15.

2 Murray, A.L., Kaiser, D., Valdebenito, S., Hughes, C., Baban, A., Fernando, A.D., Madrid, B., Ward, C.L., Osafo, J., Dunne, M. and Sikander, S., 2020. The intergenerational effects of intimate partner violence in pregnancy: mediating pathways and implications for prevention. Trauma, Violence, & Abuse, 21(5), pp.964-976.

3 Miranda, Marie Lynn, Pamela Maxson, and Sharon Edwards. "Environmental contributions to disparities in pregnancy outcomes." Epidemiologic reviews 31, no. 1 (2009): 67-83.

4 Nesari, M., Olson, J.K., Vandermeer, B., Slater, L. and Olson, D.M., 2018. Does a maternal history of abuse before pregnancy affect pregnancy outcomes? A systematic review with meta-analysis. BMC pregnancy and childbirth, 18(1), pp.1-11.

5 Racine, N., Plamondon, A., Madigan, S., McDonald, S. and Tough, S., 2018. Maternal adverse childhood experiences and infant development. Pediatrics, 141(4).