The study 'Prenatal prediction of poor maternal and offspring outcomes: implications for selection into intensive parent support programs' found existing preventative programmes tend to target teenage mothers and ignore other vulnerable first time parents.
The study, published in the US Maternal and Child Health Journal, looked at the outcomes of more than 8,000 women over five years after the birth of their child.
Researchers from Bristol University and Adelaide University used data from the Avon Longitudinal Study of Parents and Children (ALSPAC), also known as Children of the 90s.
They found that as well as the mother's age, factors such as her level of education, financial situation, smoking habits and antenatal depression can trigger developmental problems in her children.
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