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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

Prenatal stress: course and interrelation of emotional and physiological stress measures

Steffi E Rothenberger1, Eva Moehler, Corinna Reck

  • 1Clinic for Child and Adolescent Psychiatry, University of Heidelberg, Heidelberg, Germany. steffi.rothenberger@med.uni-heidelberg.de

Psychopathology
|November 13, 2010
PubMed

Insights

Prenatal stress impacts development, but measurement methods lack consensus. This study found subjective stress and cortisol levels correlate only in early pregnancy, suggesting timing is crucial for understanding prenatal stress effects.

Area of Science:

  • Reproductive Health
  • Developmental Psychology
  • Endocrinology

Background:

  • Prenatal stress is a known risk factor for developmental issues lasting into adolescence.
  • Current research lacks consensus on measuring prenatal stress, optimal study trimesters, and subjective stress-hormone associations.
  • A prospective longitudinal study addressed these gaps in pregnant women.

Purpose of the Study:

  • To investigate the relationship between subjective stress measures and physiological stress markers (salivary cortisol) during pregnancy.
  • To determine if perceived stress and critical life events correlate with cortisol levels across different trimesters.
  • To explore changes in pregnancy-related anxiety and marital satisfaction throughout gestation.

Main Methods:

  • 108 pregnant women participated in a prospective longitudinal study.
  • Participants completed questionnaires on anxiety, perceived stress, marital satisfaction, and life events.
  • Salivary cortisol samples were collected in each trimester.

Main Results:

  • Perceived stress correlated with cortisol in the first and second trimesters (r = 0.18, p < 0.10).
  • Critical life events were associated with higher cortisol in early pregnancy (r = 0.28, p < 0.01).
  • Fear of childbirth increased, while marital satisfaction peaked towards the end of pregnancy.

Conclusions:

  • Prenatal stress can be assessed using subjective and physiological measures.
  • Subjective stress and physiological stress markers are associated primarily in the first half of pregnancy.
  • The findings highlight the importance of considering the timing of stress assessment during pregnancy.
Abstract

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