Can You Be Born With Anxiety?

Video Transcript

Can you be born with anxiety?

Yes, you can be born with anxiety, but not in the way most people think.

Anxiety is NOT caused by inherited genes.

Anxiety occurs when we believe we could be in danger. As such, anxiety is fear-based. Fear is a vital part of our survival system and is hard-wired into every human. Consequently, anxiety and fear are innate in humans from birth.

Also, trauma experienced in the womb can potentially influence an unborn child's development in ways that might affect their later perceptions of danger, though the process is complex and indirect.

Research shows that a fetus can be impacted by the mother's physical and emotional experiences during pregnancy, which could shape the child's behavioral and emotional tendencies after birth.

For example, if a pregnant mother experiences significant stress, anxiety, or trauma—such as exposure to violence, malnutrition, or chronic fear—her body may produce elevated levels of stress hormones. These hormones can affect the developing fetus, particularly the brain and nervous system.

Studies have shown that high prenatal stress can alter the development of the amygdala, the brain’s fear center, potentially making the child more sensitive to threats later in life.

Additionally, prenatal trauma can influence the hypothalamic-pituitary-adrenal (HPA) axis, which regulates stress responses. A dysregulated HPA axis might lead to heightened vigilance or anxiety in the child, subtly shaping how they perceive and respond to danger.

As such, in utero trauma might lay a biological or emotional foundation for anxiety or hypervigilance that could emerge later as the child interprets their environment through the lens of their early wiring.

Evidence from longitudinal studies, like those following children born during periods of maternal famine or war, supports this. Offspring often showed increased rates of anxiety, depression, or stress-related disorders, hinting at a link between prenatal conditions and later emotional tendencies. However, the outcome depends on countless factors, including postnatal environment and caregiving.

Furthermore, trauma at birth, such as the umbilical cord wrapped around a baby’s neck (also known as a nuchal cord), could potentially contribute to the development of anxiety disorder later in life.

A nuchal cord can lead to oxygen deprivation (hypoxia) or distress during delivery, which might affect the developing brain, particularly areas like the amygdala or prefrontal cortex that regulate fear and stress responses.

Research suggests that early-life stressors, including birth complications, can increase vulnerability to anxiety disorders by altering the nervous system’s development or stress response mechanisms, such as the HPA axis.

So, in short, yes, in-utero trauma and trauma at birth can influence a child’s eventual perception of danger by affecting their neurological and stress-response systems. Still, it’s more about setting a stage than scripting the play.

While anxiety can set up in utero and at birth, the environment we grow up in plays the central role in whether anxiety develops into a disorder.

For example, the care we receive as children, our early-life relationships, and how we are taught to cope with adversity, uncertainty, and risk sets the stage for issues with anxiety.

Healthy upbringings raise psychologically and emotionally healthy children, whereas unhealthy upbringings typically raise children with mental health issues, such as anxiety disorder.

Again, the environment we grow up in and how we cope with life makes all the difference.