“…Research suggests an increased prevalence of emotional behavioral disorders, including broader internalizing problems (Greer, 2005; Polizzi, Martin, & Dombrowski, 2007), as well as behavioral inhibition (a predictor of anxiety; Gortmaker, Kagan, Caspi, & Silva, 1997) and specific anxiety symptoms (Greer, 2005; Parker & Neilson, 1976) associated with spring births. Fetal central nervous system development is thought to be negatively affected due to the increase in influenza and maternal ill health during winter months, when mothers of spring babies are pregnant (Cagnacci, Pansini, Bacchi-Modena, Volpe, & Emilia-Romagna Operative Group for Menopause, 2006; Laplante, Brunet, & King, 2016). While both explanations are plausible, direct assessment of maternal ill health, and the mechanisms that may be involved in the transmission of exposure to a disaster (i.e., maternal/fetal blood and placentas) resulting in specific anxiety symptoms, are needed to clarify our finding.…”