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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

Parental psychological distress during pregnancy and childhood cardiovascular development. The Generation R Study

H Rob Taal1, Layla L de Jonge, Henning Tiemeier

  • 1The Generation R Study Group, Erasmus Medical Center, Rotterdam, The Netherlands.

Early Human Development
|February 9, 2013
PubMed

Insights

Parental psychological distress during pregnancy did not significantly impact children's blood pressure or arterial stiffness. However, maternal distress was linked to lower left ventricular mass in children, suggesting potential environmental influences.

Area of Science:

  • Developmental origins of health and disease
  • Cardiovascular health
  • Psychological well-being

Background:

  • Maternal psychological distress during pregnancy may influence fetal development via cortisol exposure.
  • This can lead to cardiovascular adaptations and dysfunction later in life.

Purpose of the Study:

  • To investigate the association between maternal and paternal psychological distress and cardiovascular outcomes in school-aged children.

Main Methods:

  • Population-based prospective cohort study of 4831 children.
  • Maternal and paternal psychological distress assessed via questionnaire during pregnancy.
  • Cardiovascular outcomes measured at age six, including blood pressure, pulse wave velocity, and cardiac structure/function.

Main Results:

  • No significant associations found between parental psychological distress and childhood blood pressure or carotid-femoral pulse wave velocity.
  • Maternal psychological distress was associated with lower childhood left ventricular mass.
  • Paternal psychological distress showed a similar, though not statistically significant, trend with left ventricular mass.

Conclusions:

  • The study does not support the hypothesis that maternal psychological distress directly impacts early-life cardiovascular development.
  • Observed associations with left ventricular mass may be influenced by unmeasured social and environmental factors rather than direct intrauterine effects.
Abstract

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