Florencia Torche, Stanford

Title:The harmful effect of prenatal stress on children's development and education: A longitudinal study
Abstract:Combining a natural experiment and a panel survey, we examine the effect of prenatal exposure to stress on children's outcomes. We find persistent negative effects on cognition, executive function, and educational achievement. The negative effect is strong among children in poor families but non-existent among middle-class children. Possible mechanisms for these effects are discussed.