Adverse Childhood Experiences Predict Diurnal Cortisol Throughout Gestation

Area of Science:

• Reproductive Health
• Developmental Psychology
• Endocrinology

Background:

• Adverse childhood experiences (ACEs) are linked to adverse prenatal and perinatal health outcomes.
• These experiences may have intergenerational effects on child health and development.
• Maternal salivary cortisol is a key prenatal biological measure associated with pregnancy outcomes.

Purpose of the Study:

• To examine the impact of ACEs on maternal salivary cortisol patterns during pregnancy.
• To investigate the relationship between prepregnancy adversity and prenatal biological markers.

Main Methods:

• Linear mixed-effects models were used to analyze diurnal cortisol patterns in 207 pregnant women across three trimesters.
• Covariates included prenatal depression, psychiatric medications, and sociodemographic factors.
• Maternal ACEs were assessed as a predictor variable.

Main Results:

• Maternal ACEs were significantly associated with flatter diurnal cortisol slopes (less steep decline) throughout gestation.
• This association remained significant after adjusting for covariates.
• The effect size was consistent across all three trimesters of pregnancy.

Conclusions:

• ACEs before pregnancy can persistently influence maternal hypothalamic-pituitary-adrenal activity during gestation.
• This provides a potential biological mechanism for the intergenerational transmission of early adversity.
• Assessing prepregnancy ACEs may be valuable for improving perinatal and maternal/child health outcomes.