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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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The longitudinal relationship between prenatal maternal cortisol and preschool internalising problems

Lars Meinertz Byg1, Niels Bilenberg2, Dorte Glintborg3

  • 1School of Medicine and Public Health, University of Newcastle, Newcastle, NSW, Australia; Child and Adolescent Mental Health Southern Denmark, Mental Health Services in the Region of Southern Denmark, Odense, Denmark.

Psychoneuroendocrinology
|July 26, 2024
PubMed

Insights

Maternal prenatal cortisol levels were not linked to childhood emotional problems in boys or girls after accounting for other factors. Birth weight did not mediate this association, suggesting cortisol doesn't predict later internalizing behaviors.

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.
Abstract

Keywords:
Birth weightCortisolInternalising problemsLongitudinal studyPregnancySex Differences

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