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Infant adrenocortical reactivity and behavioral functioning: relation to early exposure to maternal intimate partner

Alytia A Levendosky1, G Anne Bogat1, Joseph S Lonstein1,2

  • 1a Department of Psychology .

Stress (Amsterdam, Netherlands)
|October 21, 2015
PubMed

Insights

Prenatal exposure to intimate partner violence (IPV) is linked to infant stress response and behavioral issues. This early life stress may impact long-term physiological and behavioral regulation in children.

Area of Science:

  • Developmental Psychology
  • Neuroendocrinology
  • Child Psychiatry

Background:

  • Prenatal stress can disrupt fetal development, potentially impacting the infant's stress response systems and behavior.
  • Intimate Partner Violence (IPV) during pregnancy represents a significant source of prenatal stress with potential long-term consequences for child development.

Purpose of the Study:

  • To investigate the effects of prenatal exposure to intimate partner violence (IPV) on infant hypothalamic-pituitary-adrenal (HPA) axis reactivity.
  • To examine the association between prenatal IPV and infant internalizing and externalizing behaviors.
  • To explore the role of maternal mental health in infant HPA axis regulation and behavioral functioning.

Main Methods:

  • Infants (n=182) underwent a laboratory stress challenge (arm restraint) with saliva samples collected pre-task and at 20 and 40 minutes post-task for cortisol analysis.
  • Mothers provided information on prenatal and postpartum IPV history, current mental health, substance use, and infant behaviors.
  • Structural equation modeling was employed to analyze the relationships between prenatal IPV, maternal factors, infant HPA axis reactivity, and behavior.

Main Results:

  • Prenatal IPV, but not postnatal IPV, was independently associated with altered infant cortisol reactivity and problem behaviors.
  • Maternal mental health was a significant predictor of infant behavioral functioning but did not predict infant HPA axis reactivity.
  • Findings support the prenatal programming hypothesis, suggesting early life stress influences later regulatory risks.

Conclusions:

  • Prenatal exposure to intimate partner violence has lasting effects on infant stress regulation and behavior.
  • Maternal mental health plays a crucial role in infant behavioral outcomes, independent of HPA axis reactivity.
  • Early life stress during critical developmental periods can establish vulnerabilities in physiological and behavioral regulation.

Keywords:
CortisolHPA axisintimate partner violenceprenatalstresstrauma

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