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Using a Murine Model of Psychosocial Stress in Pregnancy as a Translationally Relevant Paradigm for Psychiatric Disorders in Mothers and Infants
06:39

Using a Murine Model of Psychosocial Stress in Pregnancy as a Translationally Relevant Paradigm for Psychiatric Disorders in Mothers and Infants

Published on: June 13, 2021

Maternal prenatal stress and cortisol reactivity to stressors in human infants

M S Tollenaar1, R Beijers, J Jansen

  • 1Department of Developmental Psychology, Behavioural Science Institute, Radboud University Nijmegen, Montessorilaan 3, PO Box 9104, 6500 HE, Nijmegen, The Netherlands.

Stress (Amsterdam, Netherlands)
|July 30, 2010
PubMed

Insights

Maternal prenatal anxiety, specifically fear of bearing a handicapped child, influences infant cortisol reactivity. This effect varies with infant age and stressor type, highlighting early life stress impacts on the hypothalamic pituitary adrenal (HPA) axis.

Area of Science:

  • Developmental Psychology
  • Neuroendocrinology
  • Maternal-Child Health

Background:

  • Early life experiences significantly impact the developing hypothalamic pituitary adrenal (HPA) axis.
  • Maternal prenatal stress is a potential early environmental factor influencing offspring HPA axis development.
  • Limited research exists on the direct relationship between maternal prenatal stress and infant cortisol reactivity.

Purpose of the Study:

  • To longitudinally investigate the association between maternal prenatal stress and cortisol reactivity in human infants.
  • To examine how different types of infant stressors and ages interact with maternal prenatal anxiety.
  • To identify specific maternal prenatal factors predicting infant HPA axis responses.

Main Methods:

  • A longitudinal study tracked 173 mothers and their infants.
  • Maternal stress, anxiety, and cortisol levels were measured during pregnancy.
  • Infant cortisol reactivity was assessed at 5 weeks, 8 weeks, 5 months, and 12 months in response to various stressors (bathing, vaccination, still-face, separation).

Main Results:

  • Maternal prenatal fear of bearing a handicapped child consistently predicted infant cortisol reactivity.
  • Higher maternal fear correlated with increased cortisol reactivity to bathing but decreased reactivity to vaccination and separation.
  • Pregnancy-specific anxieties were stronger predictors than general stress or maternal cortisol levels.

Conclusions:

  • Pregnancy-specific maternal anxieties predict infant cortisol reactivity in the first year of life.
  • The direction of the HPA axis response is modulated by infant age and the nature of the stressor.
  • Further research is needed to elucidate the mechanisms underlying these associations and incorporate diverse HPA axis measures.

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