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Published on: June 13, 2021
Pinpointing the timing of prenatal stress associated with infant biobehavioral reactivity
Alytia A Levendosky1, Kevin J Grimm2, Joseph S Lonstein3
1Clinical Science Program, Department of Psychology, Michigan State University, USA.
Insights
Prenatal stress timing impacts infant development. Specific gestational windows influence hypothalamic-pituitary-adrenal (HPA) axis reactivity and temperament, with effects differing by biological sex.
Area of Science:
- Developmental Psychology
- Neuroendocrinology
- Behavioral Science
Background:
- Prenatal stress is linked to adverse child outcomes, especially in girls.
- The precise timing of prenatal stress during gestation and its impact on early development is not well understood.
- Early biobehavioral markers like HPA axis reactivity and temperament can predict later psychopathology.
Purpose of the Study:
- To investigate the differential effects of the timing of prenatal stress on infant hypothalamic-pituitary-adrenal (HPA) axis reactivity and temperament.
- To identify specific sensitive periods during gestation when prenatal stress may impact these infant biobehavioral outcomes.
- To explore how biological sex influences the timing of these associations.
Main Methods:
- Collected weekly prenatal stress ratings from 396 pregnant women across gestation (15-41 weeks).
- Assessed infant salivary cortisol reactivity to a laboratory stressor at 6 months postpartum (n=173).
- Utilized maternal reports of infant temperament (n=244) and machine learning for regression analyses.
Main Results:
- Identified sensitive periods for HPA axis reactivity: mid-gestation (weeks 20, 29) for girls and late gestation (week 37) for boys.
- Found sensitive periods for difficult temperament in mid (weeks 20, 21, 25) and late gestation (week 37) for girls, and across mid to late gestation (weeks 25, 27, 30, 34, 40) for boys.
- Demonstrated that biological sex significantly modulates the timing of prenatal stress effects on infant biobehavioral outcomes.
Conclusions:
- This study provides the first weekly assessment across gestation to pinpoint sensitive windows for prenatal stress impacting infant biobehavioral precursors of psychopathology.
- Findings underscore the critical role of biological sex in determining the specific timing of prenatal stress associations with infant outcomes.
- Results enhance understanding of sex differences in early biobehavioral markers associated with psychopathology development.
Abstract:
Prenatal stress has a well-established link to negative biobehavioral outcomes in young children, particularly for girls, but the specific timing during gestation of these associations remains unknown. In the current study, we examined differential effects of timing of prenatal stress on two infant biobehavioral outcomes [i.e., hypothalamic-pituitary-adrenal (HPA) axis reactivity and difficult temperament] that are early-life precursors to the development of psychopathology. We obtained the most granular assessment of prenatal stress to date involving weekly stress ratings from 396 pregnant women between 15 and 41 weeks gestation. At 6 months postpartum, infant salivary cortisol was collected (n = 173) before and after a stressful laboratory task and mothers reported on infant temperament (n = 244). Machine learning explored both between- and within-person regression effects of prenatal stress on the two infant biobehavioral outcomes. For HPA axis reactivity, we found a sensitive period during mid-gestation (weeks 20 and 29) for girls, but during late gestation (week 37) for boys. For difficult temperament, we found a between-persons effect of mean stress level as well as sensitive periods in mid (weeks 20, 21, 25) and late gestation (week 37) for girls, but across mid to late gestation (weeks 25, 27, 30, 34, 40) for boys. This study is the first to use a weekly assessment across gestation to demonstrate specific windows of sensitivity for infant biobehavioral precursors of child psychopathology. The findings highlight that biological sex critically influences specific timing of these prenatal stress associations with infant outcomes, thus informing our understanding of sex differences in early biobehavioral markers of psychopathology.
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