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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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Prenatal Maternal Stress and Pediatric Asthma Across Development: Adolescent Female-Specific Vulnerability

Madeline R Pike1, Melissa L Engel2, Emily Lipner3

  • 1Department of Psychology, Temple University, 1701 N 13th St, Philadelphia, PA, 19122, USA. madeline.pike@temple.edu.

Child Psychiatry and Human Development
|September 4, 2023
PubMed

Insights

Prenatal maternal stress (PNMS) can increase childhood asthma risk. This risk is higher in females by adolescence, suggesting PNMS impacts long-term respiratory health.

Area of Science:

  • Reproductive Medicine
  • Pediatrics
  • Psychology

Background:

  • Prenatal maternal stress (PNMS) is associated with adverse offspring health outcomes.
  • Childhood asthma is a significant public health concern with complex etiology.
  • Understanding the impact of prenatal stress on asthma development is crucial for early intervention.

Purpose of the Study:

  • To investigate the association between objective and subjective prenatal maternal stress (PNMS) and asthma development in offspring.
  • To examine the influence of PNMS on asthma risk at ages 5 and 15.
  • To explore the moderating role of sex in the relationship between PNMS and adolescent asthma.

Main Methods:

  • Utilized data from 815 mother-child dyads in the Mater Misericordiae Mothers' Hospital-University of Queensland Study of Pregnancy.
  • Measured PNMS via retrospective self-report during pregnancy and early postpartum.
  • Assessed postnatal maternal stress at offspring age 5 and offspring asthma at ages 5 and 15.

Main Results:

  • Objective PNMS was linked to increased asthma risk at age 5 (OR 1.21, p=0.05).
  • This association was not significant when controlling for concurrent postnatal stress.
  • Sex moderated the PNMS-asthma link at age 15, with females showing a positive association.

Conclusions:

  • Prenatal maternal stress may contribute to the development of asthma in offspring.
  • The impact of PNMS on asthma risk may differ by sex, particularly into adolescence.
  • Further research is warranted to elucidate the mechanisms linking PNMS and asthma outcomes.

Keywords:
AdolescencePediatric asthmaPregnancyPrenatal maternal stressSex differences

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