Anticipating the long-term neurodevelopmental impact of the COVID-19 pandemic on newborns and infants: A call for research and preventive policy

Abstract

It is estimated that 116 million children were born worldwide in the first nine months of the COVID-19 pandemic. Given the critical importance of early life for neurodevelopment, and evidence suggesting that prenatal maternal stress and early childhood adversity negatively impact neurodevelopment, it is alarming that many pregnant women and new mothers are experiencing high levels of pandemic-related stress. Research and proactive mental health policy is needed to minimize the impact of the COVID-19 pandemic on the future mental health of a global cohort of newborns and infants.