A Call to Integrate Measures of Environmental Context into Research on Maternal Brain Health

Sofia I. Cárdenas () and Bridget L. Callaghan
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Sofia I. Cárdenas: Department of Psychology, University of Southern California, Los Angeles, CA 90007, USA
Bridget L. Callaghan: Department of Psychology, University of California, Los Angeles, CA 90095, USA

IJERPH, 2025, vol. 22, issue 6, 1-12

Abstract: Environmental factors—especially those related to interpersonal relationships and physical resources—profoundly impact women’s neurobiology and mental health. Despite this, environmental factors, including socioeconomic status, early life adversity, and neighborhood resources, are less explored within the maternal brain literature. This literature highlights pregnancy as a developmental phase in adult women’s lifespans marked by neurobiological shifts supporting fetal development and optimizing caregiving behaviors. While neurobiological shifts during this period are well-documented, pregnancy is also associated with a heightened risk for mental health challenges. This narrative review, focusing on the last 10 years, examines the research that underscores the importance of integrating environmental factors into research frameworks to comprehensively understand their effects on maternal neurobiology and mental health throughout pregnancy. Building on this research, authors discuss future research methodologies that will support a more comprehensive understanding of the intersection between environmental contexts, maternal neurobiology, and mental health.

Keywords: pregnancy; neuroscience; maternal brain; mental health; environmental context (search for similar items in EconPapers)
JEL-codes: I I1 I3 Q Q5 (search for similar items in EconPapers)
Date: 2025
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