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Updated: May 30, 2025

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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Perceived Stress During Late Pregnancy and Infant Body Composition at 1 Month

Xiaoran Yang1, Sandrah P Eckel1, Luis E Maldonado1

  • 1Department of Population and Public Health Sciences, Keck School of Medicine, University of Southern California, Los Angeles, CA 90032, USA.

Journal of the Endocrine Society
|January 29, 2025
PubMed

Insights

Maternal stress during pregnancy is linked to higher infant body fat, especially in baby boys and premature infants. This highlights the impact of prenatal stress on early childhood obesity risk.

Area of Science:

  • Reproductive Health
  • Pediatrics
  • Public Health

Background:

  • Obesity is a global health crisis, particularly affecting children.
  • The impact of maternal stress during pregnancy on infant body composition is not well understood.

Purpose of the Study:

  • To examine the association between maternal perceived stress in late pregnancy and infant adiposity at one month.
  • To assess if infant sex or preterm birth modifies this association.

Main Methods:

  • 138 mother-infant dyads from the MADRES cohort were analyzed.
  • Maternal stress was measured using the Perceived Stress Scale (PSS) in the third trimester.
  • Infant body composition (fat mass, lean mass) was assessed at one month using EchoMRI.

Main Results:

  • Higher perceived stress was associated with increased infant fat mass percentage (FM%).
  • This association was significant for male infants and preterm infants.
  • No significant association was found for female or term infants.

Conclusions:

  • Maternal perceived stress during pregnancy is linked to higher infant fat mass.
  • The effect of prenatal stress on infant body composition is more pronounced in males and preterm infants.
  • Findings suggest prenatal stress as a potential factor in early childhood obesity.
Abstract

Keywords:
infant adipositymaternal perceived stresspediatric obesity risk

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