Maternal depression and cortisol in pregnancy predict offspring emotional reactivity in the preschool period

• Type of Material: Article
• Authors: Danielle A. Swales, University of Denver; Dominika A. Winiarski, Rush University; Alicia Smith, Emory University; Zachary N. Stowe, University of Wisconsin; D. Jeffrey Newport, University of Miami; Patricia Brennan, Emory University
• Language: English
• Date: 2018-07-01
• Publisher: Wiley: 12 months
• Publication Version: Author Accepted Manuscript (After Peer Review)
• Copyright Statement: © 2018 Wiley Periodicals, Inc.
• Final Published Version (URL): http://dx.doi.org/10.1002/dev.21631
• Title of Journal or Parent Work: Developmental Psychobiology
• ISSN: 0012-1630
• Volume: 60
• Issue: 5
• Start Page: 557
• End Page: 566
• Grant/Funding Information: This research was supported by NIH (P50ES026071, R01MD009746 and RC1MH088609).; National Institutes of Health, Grant/Award Number: P50ES026071 R01MD009746 RC1MH088609; American Foundation for Suicide Prevention; Schering Plough Pharmaceuticals; NARSAD; Conquer Cancer Foundation; GlaxoSmithKline; Pfizer; Wyeth; Eli Lilly; Janssen; Takeda Pharmaceuticals; Dr. Smith receives or has received research support from the American Foundation for Suicide Prevention, Schering Plough Pharmaceuticals, NARSAD, the Conquer Cancer Foundation, NIH, and consulting fees from the Urban Child Institute.; Dr. Brennan receives or has received research support from NARSAD, NIH, and the EPA.; Dr. Stowe has received research support from the NIH, GlaxoSmithKline, Pfizer, and Wyeth; served on speakers or advisory boards for Pfizer, Eli Lilly, Wyeth, Bristol-Myers Squibb, and GlaxoSmithKline; and received honoraria from Eli Lilly, GlaxoSmithKline, Pfizer, and Wyeth. Dr. Newport has received research support from Eli Lilly, GlaxoSmithKline, Janssen, the NIH, NARSAD, Takeda Pharmaceuticals, and Wyeth; served on speakers or advisory boards for AstraZeneca, Eli Lilly, GlaxoSmithKline, Janssen, Pfizer, and Wyeth; and received honoraria from Astra-Zeneca, Eli Lilly, GlaxoSmithKline, Pfizer, and Wyeth.
• Keywords: human; SALIVARY CORTISOL; Psychology; Science & Technology; SEX-DIFFERENCES; BEHAVIOR; depression; MOTHERS; ANXIETY; RESPONSES; Social Sciences; Developmental Biology; pregnancy; cortisol; STRESS; SYMPTOMS; NEWBORN; emotional reactivity; Life Sciences & Biomedicine; PRENATAL EXPOSURE
• Research Categories: Health Sciences, Obstetrics and Gynecology; Psychology, General

Abstract

Prenatal exposures to higher levels of maternal cortisol and depression have been linked to a variety of adverse physiological, neurological, and behavioral outcomes, such as dysregulated cortisol production, structural and functional differences in limbic areas of the brain, and greater negative emotionality. This study investigated prospective associations between maternal prepartum depression/cortisol levels and offspring emotional reactivity in 163 mother–child pairs. Women were assessed repeatedly during pregnancy, and later participated in a laboratory visit with their preschool-aged children. Mothers self-reported on depressive symptomatology during pregnancy and provided saliva samples for cortisol assay. Offspring emotional reactivity was assessed through multiple measures, including caregiver reports, cortisol response following a stressor, and laboratory observations of behavior. The findings suggest potential prenatal timing effects, with depression and maternal cortisol measured in the first and second trimesters being more strongly associated with child emotional reactivity. Sex was found to moderate associations between maternal prepartum depression/cortisol and child emotional reactivity, with the general pattern reflecting positive associations in girls, and negative associations in boys.