Does perceived stress in pregnant immigrant women predispose their infants to allergic disease development? - a work-in-progress

Background “Canada’s Immigration Program” [1] reports that Canada has the highest per capita immigration rate in the world. Given the finding that pregnant immigrant women display higher prevalence of depression and anxiety disorders [2], the investigation of health outcomes in this population is warranted. The present study will examine whether prenatal perceived stress and/or physiologic maternal stress responses are associated with the development of allergies in infants, in a diverse group of immigrant women.