The longitudinal relationship between prenatal maternal cortisol and preschool internalising problems.

Area of Science:

• Perinatal Psychiatry
• Developmental Psychology
• Endocrinology

Background:

• Prenatal exposure to synthetic glucocorticoids is linked to childhood emotional symptoms.
• Maternal cortisol levels during pregnancy may influence fetal development and subsequent behavior.
• Understanding the relationship between maternal stress hormones and child internalizing problems is crucial.

Purpose of the Study:

• To investigate the association between third-trimester maternal serum cortisol and preschool-age internalizing problems in offspring.
• To examine if birth weight mediates the relationship between maternal cortisol and child internalizing problems.
• To explore potential sex differences in this association.

Main Methods:

• Prospective cohort study (Odense Child Cohort, n=1162) including maternal cortisol, birth weight, and Child Behaviour Checklist (CBCL) data.
• Linear mixed models were used to assess associations, stratified by offspring sex.
• Covariates included parental psychiatric history, parity, maternal age, education, smoking, and gestational age.

Main Results:

• Crude analyses showed a positive association between maternal cortisol and internalizing problems in both boys and girls.
• Adjusted analyses revealed no statistically significant association between maternal cortisol and offspring internalizing problems in either sex (p > 0.15).
• Birth weight did not mediate the relationship between maternal cortisol and internalizing problems.

Conclusions:

• Maternal third-trimester cortisol levels are not predictive of preschool offspring internalizing problems after adjusting for confounders.
• The initial association observed in crude analyses was not sustained, indicating the role of other factors.
• Findings suggest that physiological maternal cortisol levels in late pregnancy do not predict internalizing problems in early childhood.