RonJai Staton, Lyndsey Craig, Christy Fiscer, Michelle Hammon, Deborah Decker, Tina Boren, Zac Olson,
and Justin Nuckles, Dixie State University
Social and Behavioral Sciences
While the determining factors of personality development (including developmental disorders, such as Autism Spectrum Disorder) are dependent on both nature and nurture, it is unknown how soon these influences begin. Studies suggest infant attachment is a key factor in how an individual’s personality will develop. What is less commonly understood, is that this influence can begin as early as the prenatal period. Specifically, what occurs during childbirth can impact a child’s development. Pharmaceutical interventions during labor and delivery in particular can make chemical changes in the infant’s body and brain even before other factors can become involved. Women who gave birth in Washington County, Utah between 2009 and 2011 are volunteering to participate in a study of attachment representations, pregnancy experience, birth experience, and child development. The expected results will show a positive correlation between the mothers’ pregnancy experience, and the effects it has on prenatal attachment and the child’s emotional and behavioral development. We expect the findings to indicate that reducing stress during pregnancy and reducing interventions during labor and delivery, aid in optimal child development.