Related Experiment Video
Updated: Sep 21, 2025

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 Stress, Early Life Factors and Infant Salivary Cortisol Levels
Caroline-Aleksi Olsson Mägi1,2, Åshild Wik Despriee3,4, Milada Cvancarova Småstuen4
1Department of Women's and Children's Health, Karolinska Institutet, SE-171 77 Stockholm, Sweden.
Background:
Salivary cortisol (SC), a commonly used biomarker for stress, may be disrupted by negative events in pregnancy, at birth and in infancy. We aimed to explore if maternal perceived stress (PSS) in or after pregnancy and SC levels in pregnancy were associated with SC in early infancy, and, secondly, to identify early life factors associated with infants' SC levels (iSC).
Methods:
At 3 months of age, SC was analyzed in 1057 infants participating in a Nordic prospective mother-child birth cohort study. Maternal PSS was available from questionnaires at 18- and 34-week gestational age (GA) and 3-month post-partum, and SC was analyzed at 18-week GA. Early life factors included sociodemographic and infant feeding from questionnaires, and birth data from medical charts. Associations to iSC were analyzed by Spearman correlation and multinomial logistic regression analyses.
Results:
In this exploratory study neither PSS at any time point nor maternal SC (mSC) were associated with iSC. Higher birth weight was associated with higher levels of iSC, while inverse associations were observed in infants to a mother not living with a partner and mixed bottle/breastfeeding.
Conclusions:
Maternal stress was not associated with iSC levels, while birth weight, single motherhood and infant feeding may influence iSC levels.
Related Concept Videos
Relationship with Parents: Attachment
Socioemotional Development during Infancy
Primary Temperament Types
Introduction to Stress and Lifestyle
Physiological Foundation of Stress
Role of the Sympathetic Nervous System
Adrenaline triggers the...
Stress and Mental Health
Individuals with depression often experience challenges in both their personal and professional...
Psychological Responses to Stress

