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Updated: Feb 19, 2026

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

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Maternal Stress and Child Outcomes: Evidence from Siblings

Anna Aizer1, Laura Stroud2, Stephen Buka3

  • 1Brown University and NBER.

The Journal of Human Resources
|November 10, 2017
PubMed

Insights

Maternal stress, specifically elevated cortisol during pregnancy, harms offspring cognitive development, health, and education. This impact is more pronounced in mothers with lower human capital, potentially perpetuating poverty across generations.

Area of Science:

  • Reproductive Medicine
  • Developmental Psychology
  • Public Health

Background:

  • Maternal stress is a known factor influencing pregnancy outcomes.
  • The specific mechanisms linking prenatal stress hormones to long-term offspring development require further elucidation.
  • Intergenerational transmission of socioeconomic status is a complex phenomenon with multiple contributing factors.

Purpose of the Study:

  • To investigate the impact of prenatal exposure to cortisol on offspring cognitive function, health, and educational attainment.
  • To examine whether maternal human capital modifies the effects of prenatal cortisol exposure on offspring.
  • To explore the role of maternal stress in the intergenerational persistence of poverty.

Main Methods:

  • Sibling comparison design to control for unobserved maternal and household characteristics.
  • Analysis of in-utero exposure to cortisol and its correlation with offspring outcomes.
  • Assessment of maternal human capital as a potential moderating factor.

Main Results:

  • Elevated prenatal cortisol levels are associated with negative outcomes in offspring cognition, health, and educational attainment.
  • Mothers with lower human capital exhibit higher and more variable cortisol levels.
  • The detrimental effects of elevated prenatal cortisol on offspring are amplified in mothers with lower human capital.

Conclusions:

  • Prenatal exposure to maternal stress hormones like cortisol has significant negative consequences for offspring development.
  • Maternal socioeconomic factors, such as human capital, play a crucial role in mediating the impact of stress during pregnancy.
  • Maternal stress may be a key pathway contributing to the intergenerational cycle of poverty.

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