抄録
Our previous study indicated that there was a statistically significant positive correlation between the maximum score of the mean arterial pressure (max. M.A.P.) of mothers in the 2nd trimester of pregnancy and the score of adaptive behavior of their newborn infants which were assessed on the basis of sucking behavior to a tube-like nipple. This finding was in opposition to the finding previously reported by Chisholm et al., so far as the direction of the effect of maternal blood pressure on behavior of the newborn is concerned.The present study was designed to make another attempt to explore the relationship between maternal blood pressure during pregnancy and behavior of the newborn. This time the behavioral traits of 71 newborn infants (mean 2.1-day-olds) were assessed with a behavioral assessment test, a modification of the test devised by Yang et al., which consisted of six subtests, including 23 behavioral measures in all. When the relations of the individual behavior measures to some perinatal variables including maternal blood pressure were examined, it was worthy of our notice that the max. M.A.P. in the 2nd trimester had statistically significant negative correlations with as many behavior measures as twelve, about a half of total measures. Such a large number of significant relations with behavior measures as seen in the max. M.A.P. in the 2nd trimester were scarcely found in the other perinatal variables, that is, such relations were confined to only a few measures at most.When the results of behavioral test were put to factor analysis, four factors were identified and labelled as "Reactivity to frustration", "Basic activity", "Soothability" and "Irritability" respectively. Then the relation between these four behavioral traits and the perinatal variables were studied. It was found that the max. M.A.P. in the 2nd trimester as well as that in the 3rd trimester had statistically significant negative correlations with the scores of "Basic activity" of the newborn, the former being more highly correlated than the latter.From these findings, it is suggested that there are some specific relations between maternal blood pressure in the 2nd trimester and behavior of the newborn.
