1. Objectifs

Intentions :
« The purpose of this research was to clarify the role of objective and subjective PNMS on the development of attention problems in children. This research project was carried out by studying a select sample of families in order to examine the medium-term behavioural effects of prenatal maternal stress in children who were exposed to the 1998 Quebec Ice Storm while in utero. Specifically, the goal of this research was to tease apart the effects of objective and subjective PNMS during the 1st, 2nd, and 3rd trimesters of pregnancy on attention levels in Kindergarten children, while controlling for SES, sex of the child, and maternal state. Several research hypotheses were developed in order to meet our objectives. » (p. 28)

Questions/Hypothèses :
« 1. First, it was predicted that the Teacher Rating Form (TRF), Conners’ Global Index - Restless Impulsive (CGI-RI), Kiddie-Continuous Performance Task - Number of Omissions (K-CPT Omissions) and Kiddie-Continuous Performance Task - Confidence Index (K-CPT CI) scores would be positively inter-correlated with each other.
2. Second, it was hypothesized that while controlling for SES, child’s sex, and current state anxiety, higher levels of objective and subjective PNMS would predict higher scores on the Attention Problems subscale of the TRF, as rated by each child’s Kindergarten teacher. Effects of trimester were to be explored.
3. Third, it was hypothesized that while controlling for SES, child’s sex, and current state anxiety, higher levels of objective and subjective PNMS would predict higher scores on the CGI-RI. Effects of trimester were to be explored.
4. Fourth, it was hypothesized that while controlling for SES, child’s sex, and current state anxiety, higher levels of objective and subjective PNMS would predict higher K-CPT Number of Omissions scores. Effects of trimester were to be explored.
5. Fifth, it was hypothesized that while controlling for SES, child’s sex, and current state anxiety, higher levels of objective and subjective PNMS would predict higher K-CPT CI scores. Effects of trimester were to be explored. » (pp. 28-29)

2. Méthode

Échantillon/Matériau :
« The subjects in this study are 85 Kindergarten-aged children of francophone mothers who were exposed to the 1998 Ice Storm in the Montérégie area of the province of Quebec in utero. These children are a sub sample of the 152 children exposed to the 1998 Ice Storm in utero whose mothers agreed to take part in a larger ongoing study concerning the effects of Ice Storm stress on their foetus (King et al, 2000). » (p. 30)

Instruments :
- « The Attention Problems scale of the Teacher Rating Form (TRF) (Achenbach, 1991) » (p. 31);
- « The Conners’ Global Index-Teacher Version (CGI) (Conners, 1997) » (p. 31);
- « The Kiddie Continuous Performance Test (K-CPT) (Conners & MHS Staff, 2001) » (p. 32);
- « The Confidence Index (CI) of the K-CPT (Conners & MHS Staff, 2001) » (p. 32);
- « A questionnaire developed specifically for the Ice Storm Project in order to assess the objective exposure to the Quebec Ice Storm » (p. 33);
- « The Brunet, St-Hilaire, Jehel, and King’s (2003) French-language version of the Impact of Events Scale - Revised (IES-R) (Weiss & Marmar, 1997) » (p. 33);
- « The Anxiety scale of the General Health Questionnaire (GHQ) (Goldberg, 1972) » (p. 34);
- « The socioeconomic status (SES) of the participants was measured by the Hollingshead (Hollingshead, 1973) » (p. 34).

Type de traitement des données :
Analyse statistique

3. Résumé

« Plusieurs recherches indiquent une relation entre le stress prénatal maternel (SPNM) et les niveaux d’attention chez les enfants. Des études avec des primaires non humains suggèrent que l’exposition au SPNM ainsi que le minutage de ce stress sont associés avec de plus grands troubles d’inattention chez leur progéniture; cependant, ceci n’a pu être examiné suffisamment chez les humains faute de contraintes méthodologiques. La présente étude a exploré la relation entre les mesures objectives et subjectives de SPNM de 85 femmes enceintes durant la tempête de verglas en Montérégie en 1998 et les niveaux d’attention de leurs enfants de 5 ans et demi. Les enfants faisant partie de cette étude ont montré significativement plus d’inattention comparé à un standard normalisé, et les garçons étaient beaucoup moins attentifs que les filles. L’exposition au SPNM objectif durant le 1er trimestre a corrélé positivement avec des problèmes d’attention chez les enfants, expliquant 15,2 % de la variance de niveau d’attention jugé par des professeurs de la maternelle. Dans une tâche qui détecte des difficultés d’attention continue et les symptômes de trouble déficit de l’attention/hyperactivité (TDAH), les enfants exposés durant le 3e trimestre ont reçu des résultats significativement plus médiocres que ceux exposés durant les autres trimestres. Cependant, dans ce cas, le SPNM objectif et subjectif parait jouer le rôle de facteurs protecteurs, soulevant la possibilité de la présence d’un autre mécanisme inconnu qui a affecté négativement ces mesures d’attention. » (p. 3)