SynthesisObesity reviews : an official journal of the International Association for the Study of Obesity2015
Do stressed mothers have heavier children? A meta-analysis on the relationship between maternal stress and child body mass index.
Synthesis in Obesity reviews : an official journal of the International Association for the Study of Obesity, 2015. The graph could read no effect estimate from its abstract, so it casts no vote on the map. Cited by 69 papers, 3 of them syntheses that pooled it.
What it found
Each row is one number read from the abstract, on the scale the paper reported it, with its interval. Left of the dashed line favours the treatment, right favours the comparator. Under each row is the sentence it came from. New to these charts? A ten-minute tutorial.
The abstract states no effect estimate the extractor could read, or names no intervention and outcome on the map, so this paper lights no cell and moves no belief. It is still indexed, cited and linked below.
The trial behind it
Trials whose registry record cites this paper, or whose number appears in the abstract. A trial that started after this paper was published is citing it as background, not reporting it.
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Who cites it
69 citing papers in PubMed, 3 syntheses or guidelines pooled it, 122 citations in OpenAlex.
- Women's experiences and perceptions of anxiety and stress during the perinatal period: a systematic review and qualitative evidence synthesis.BMC pregnancy and childbirth · 2021Pooled it
- Systematic review and meta-analysis on the relationship between prenatal stress and metabolic syndrome intermediate phenotypes.International journal of obesity (2005) · 2020Pooled it
- Associations of maternal stress with children's weight-related behaviours: a systematic literature review.Obesity reviews : an official journal of the International Association for the Study of Obesity · 2017Pooled it
- Effects of a Pediatric Weight Management Intervention on Parental Stress.Childhood obesity (Print) · 2022Trial
- Pediatric weight management interventions improve prevalence of overeating behaviors.International journal of obesity (2005) · 2022Trial
- Associations between Parental Stress and Subsequent Changes in Dietary Intake and Quality among Preschool Children Susceptible to Obesity.International journal of environmental research and public health · 2021Trial
- Trial
- New parents' sleep, movement, health, and well-being across the postpartum period.Behavioral sleep medicineTrial
- Maternal Mindfulness Is Associated With Lower Child Body Mass Index Z Score.Academic pediatricsTrial
- The Moderating Effect of Coping on Stress and Childhood Obesity-Related Health Behaviors among Non-Hispanic Black Caregivers.Journal of racial and ethnic health disparities · 2026Article
- Parental and Provider Perceptions of Social Care Impacts on Infant Nutrition.Childhood obesity (Print) · 2026Article
- Impact of Maternal Nutritional Status and Mental Health on Children with Obesity: Relationship Between Anthropometric Parameters, Food Addiction, and Stress.International journal of environmental research and public health · 2025Article
- Family stress and child BMIz during the COVID-19 pandemic: exploring the mediating effects of cortisol.International journal of obesity (2005) · 2025Article
- Early Roots of Childhood Obesity: Risk Factors, Mechanisms, and Prevention Strategies.International journal of molecular sciences · 2025Review
- Childhood Obesity: A Narrative Review.Cureus · 2025Review
- Child sleep problems mediate prospective associations between fathers' parenting stress and child blood glucose levels.Journal of family psychology : JFP : journal of the Division of Family Psychology of the American Psychological Association (Division 43) · 2025Article
- Association between parental stress, coping, mood, and subsequent child physical activity and screen-time: an ecological momentary assessment study.BMC public health · 2025Article
- The impact of perinatal maternal stress on the maternal and infant gut and human milk microbiomes: A scoping review.PloS one · 2025Article
- Chronic stress and adiposity in youth-parent dyads: An actor-partner interdependence analysis.Health psychology : official journal of the Division of Health Psychology, American Psychological Association · 2025Article
- Determinants of obesity in Latin America.Nature metabolism · 2024 · on this mapReview
9 more citing papers are in PubMed but not listed here.
Corrections and comments
PubMed lists nothing against this paper. Absence here is not a guarantee, only a check that was made.
Authors and funding
4 authors at 1 institution in 1 country.
Funding
Abstract
Child obesity continues to be a prevalent public health issue. This meta-analysis synthesized 17 studies investigating the association between levels of psychological stress experienced by mothers and the body mass index of their children. The overall standardized mean difference effect size was positive and significantly different from zero in cross-sectional d = 0.20 (k = 14, 95% confidence interval [CI]: 0.06, 0.34) and longitudinal studies d = 0.18 (k = 5, 95% CI: 0.00, 0.351) and had significant heterogeneity in both (cross-sectional, Q[13] = 193.00, P < 0.001; longitudinal, Q[4] = 29.46, P < 0.001). In longitudinal studies, effect sizes were larger when children also would have experienced the stressor, Q(6) = 4.68, P < 0.05, for toddlers than infants, Q(4) = 5.04, P < 0.05, and in higher quality studies, Q(4) = 14.58, P < 0.05. Results highlight the potential benefits of including a parent stress management component in childhood obesity prevention programmes.
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Registered trials
Read under generation 80e0d062 · epoch 390. Bibliography from PubMed, PubMed Central and OpenAlex; grants from NIH RePORTER; trial links from ClinicalTrials.gov; estimates, votes and beliefs from the OpenQuestion graph.