clipped from: psychcentral.com 
A research study finds that children of women who undergo an extremely stressful event–such as the death of a close relative–during the first trimester of pregnancy, appear more likely to develop schizophrenia.
According to the authors, prior studies have found “severe life events during pregnancy are consistently associated with an elevated risk of low birth weight and prematurity.” However, the new finding runs counter to existing opinion that a mother’s psychological state does not influence her unborn baby’s mental health risk.
Schizophrenia, a disabling condition associated with abnormal brain structure and function, is increasingly believed to begin in early brain development. Environmental factors, including those occurring during pregnancy, and susceptibility genes may interact to influence risk.