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Kern A, Khoury B, Frederickson A, Langevin R. The associations between childhood maltreatment and pregnancy complications: A systematic review and meta-analysis. J Psychosom Res 2022; 160:110985. [PMID: 35816769 DOI: 10.1016/j.jpsychores.2022.110985] [Citation(s) in RCA: 1] [Impact Index Per Article: 0.5] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Submit a Manuscript] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 03/03/2022] [Revised: 04/28/2022] [Accepted: 06/28/2022] [Indexed: 11/19/2022]
Abstract
INTRODUCTION Childhood maltreatment is associated with pregnancy complications. This study aimed to systematically review and quantitatively synthesize the strength of the associations between maternal histories of childhood maltreatment and the risk of preterm delivery, low birth weight, and gestational diabetes. METHODS Subject Headings and keywords for childhood maltreatment and the pregnancy outcomes were searched in MEDLINE (Ovid; 1946-Present), PsycINFO (Ovid; 1806-Present), and Web of Science Core Collection. Original studies or dissertations that reported quantitative associations between childhood maltreatment and any of the pregnancy outcomes of interest were included. Two independent reviewers selected the pertinent studies, assessed the risk of bias, and extracted data. Pooled effect sizes were calculated for the three outcomes. RESULTS Twenty-eight studies were reviewed and 22 were meta-analysed. Maternal childhood maltreatment was associated with preterm birth (OR = 1.27 95% CI: 1.06-1.52, p = 0.001), low birth weight (OR = 1.42 95% CI: 1.10-1.83, p = 0.001), and gestational diabetes (RR = 1.37 95% CI: 1.02-1.83, p = 0.030), however high levels of heterogeneity were found. Findings were insignificant for studies examining gestational age and birth weight as continuous variables. DISCUSSION Findings confirm that under certain conditions, childhood maltreatment is associated with pregnancy outcomes. Future research should prioritize mediation and moderation models to clarify the mechanisms underlying these relationships. Trauma-informed care is needed to tailor the appropriate care for expecting mothers.
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Affiliation(s)
- Audrey Kern
- Department of Educational and Counselling Psychology, McGill University, 3700 McTavish St, Montreal, Quebec H3A 1Y2, Canada
| | - Bassam Khoury
- Department of Educational and Counselling Psychology, McGill University, 3700 McTavish St, Montreal, Quebec H3A 1Y2, Canada
| | - Alesha Frederickson
- Department of Educational and Counselling Psychology, McGill University, 3700 McTavish St, Montreal, Quebec H3A 1Y2, Canada
| | - Rachel Langevin
- Department of Educational and Counselling Psychology, McGill University, 3700 McTavish St, Montreal, Quebec H3A 1Y2, Canada.
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Hemady CL, Speyer LG, Kwok J, Meinck F, Melendez-Torres G, Fry D, Auyeung B, Murray AL. Using network analysis to illuminate the intergenerational transmission of adversity. Eur J Psychotraumatol 2022; 13:2101347. [PMID: 36016844 PMCID: PMC9397447 DOI: 10.1080/20008198.2022.2101347] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Submit a Manuscript] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 04/24/2022] [Revised: 07/01/2022] [Accepted: 07/01/2022] [Indexed: 11/03/2022] Open
Abstract
Objective: The effects of maternal exposure to adverse childhood experiences (ACEs) may be transmitted to subsequent generations through various biopsychosocial mechanisms. However, studies tend to focus on exploring one or two focal pathways with less attention paid to links between different pathways. Using a network approach, this paper explores a range of core prenatal risk factors that may link maternal ACEs to infant preterm birth (PTB) and low birthweight (LBW). Methods: We used data from the Avon Longitudinal Study of Parents and Children (ALSPAC) (n = 8379) to estimate two mixed graphical network models: Model 1 was constructed using adverse infant outcomes, biopsychosocial and environmental risk factors, forms of ACEs, and sociodemographic factors. In Model 2, ACEs were combined to represent a threshold ACEs score (≥4). Network indices (i.e., shortest path and bridge expected influence [1-step & 2-step]) were estimated to determine the shortest pathway from ACEs to infant outcomes, and to identify the risk factors that are vital in activating other risk factors and adverse outcomes. Results: Network analyses estimated a mutually reinforcing web of childhood and prenatal risk factors, with each risk connected to at least two other risks. Bridge influence indices suggested that childhood physical and sexual abuse and multiple ACEs were highly interconnected to others risks. Overall, risky health behaviours during pregnancy (i.e., smoking & illicit drug use) were identified as 'active' risk factors capable of affecting (directly and indirectly) other risk factors and contributing to the persistent activation of the global risk network. These risks may be considered priority candidate targets for interventions to disrupt intergenerational risk transmission. Our study demonstrates the promise of network analysis as an approach for illuminating the intergenerational transmission of adversity in its full complexity. HIGHLIGHTS We took a network approach to assessing links between ACEs and birth outcomes.ACEs, other prenatal risk factors, and birth outcomes had complex inter-connectionsHealth behaviours in pregnancy were indicated as optimal intervention targets.
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Affiliation(s)
- Chad Lance Hemady
- School of Social and Political Science, University of Edinburgh, Edinburgh, UK
| | - Lydia Gabriela Speyer
- Department of Psychology, University of Cambridge, Cambridge, UK
- Department of Psychology, School of Philosophy, Psychology & Language Sciences, University of Edinburgh, Edinburgh, UK
| | - Janell Kwok
- Department of Psychology, School of Philosophy, Psychology & Language Sciences, University of Edinburgh, Edinburgh, UK
| | - Franziska Meinck
- School of Social and Political Science, University of Edinburgh, Edinburgh, UK
- OPTENTIA, Faculty of Health Sciences, North-West University, Vanderbijlpark, South Africa
- School of Public Health, University of the Witwatersrand, Johannesburg, South Africa
| | | | - Deborah Fry
- Moray House School of Education and Sport, University of Edinburgh, Edinburgh, UK
| | - Bonnie Auyeung
- Department of Psychology, School of Philosophy, Psychology & Language Sciences, University of Edinburgh, Edinburgh, UK
- Department of Psychiatry, Autism Research Centre, University of Cambridge, Cambridge, UK
| | - Aja Louise Murray
- Department of Psychology, School of Philosophy, Psychology & Language Sciences, University of Edinburgh, Edinburgh, UK
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Kehm RD, Misra DP, Slaughter-Acey JC, Osypuk TL. Measuring the Effect of Neighborhood Racial Segregation on Fetal Growth. West J Nurs Res 2022; 44:5-14. [PMID: 34378455 PMCID: PMC9867910 DOI: 10.1177/01939459211037060] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 01/26/2023]
Abstract
Prior studies of neighborhood racial segregation and intrauterine growth have not accounted for confounding factors in early life. We used the Life-Course Influences on Fetal Environment Study of births to Black women in metropolitan Detroit, 2009-2011, (N = 1,408) to examine whether health and social conditions in childhood and adulthood confound or modify the association of neighborhood segregation (addresses during pregnancy geocoded to census tract racial composition) and gestational age-adjusted birthweight. Before adjusting for covariates, women living in a predominantly (≥75%) Black neighborhood gave birth to 47.3 grams (95% CI: -99.0, 4.4) lighter infants, on average, compared with women living in <75% Black neighborhoods. This association was confounded by adulthood (age at delivery, parity, neighborhood deprivation) and childhood (parental education, neighborhood racial composition) factors and modified by adulthood socioeconomic position. These findings underscore the complex relationship between neighborhood racial segregation and birth outcomes, which would be enhanced through a life course framework.
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Affiliation(s)
- Rebecca D. Kehm
- Division of Epidemiology & Community Health, University of Minnesota School of Public Health, Minneapolis, MN, USA
| | - Dawn P. Misra
- Department of Family Medicine and Public Health Sciences, Wayne State University School of Medicine, Detroit, MI, USA
| | - Jaime C. Slaughter-Acey
- Division of Epidemiology & Community Health, University of Minnesota School of Public Health, Minneapolis, MN, USA
| | - Theresa L. Osypuk
- Division of Epidemiology & Community Health, University of Minnesota School of Public Health, Minneapolis, MN, USA
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Maternal adverse childhood experiences and postpartum depressive symptoms in young, low-income women. Psychiatry Res 2021; 296:113679. [PMID: 33385783 DOI: 10.1016/j.psychres.2020.113679] [Citation(s) in RCA: 1] [Impact Index Per Article: 0.3] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Submit a Manuscript] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 03/12/2020] [Accepted: 12/22/2020] [Indexed: 11/21/2022]
Abstract
OBJECTIVES Exposure to adverse childhood experiences (ACEs), such as child maltreatment and family dysfunction, is highly prevalent. Previous research has shown an association between ACEs and adult depression. The aim of the current study was to expand the existing literature by testing the association between ACEs and postpartum depression (PPD) symptoms in an urban, ethnically diverse sample of women. METHODS Participants (N = 746; ages 18-47; mean age = 27.3) were recruited at a large, urban university medical center as part of the Longitudinal Infant and Family Environment (LIFE) study. The association between ACEs and PPD symptoms were tested via hierarchical linear regression models. RESULTS The majority of the participants (61%) reported experiencing at least one type of ACEs prior to age 18. ACEs were positively associated with PPD symptoms (β = .29, p < .001), controlling for maternal race/ethnicity, age, educational attainment, marital status, household income, and infant gender and birth order. CONCLUSIONS The results showed that exposure to ACEs was related to PPD symptoms among low-income women. Screenings for ACEs during prenatal checkups may help identify women at risk of depression and facilitate timely prevention and treatment efforts.
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McGee G, Perkins NJ, Mumford SL, Kioumourtzoglou MA, Weisskopf MG, Schildcrout JS, Coull BA, Schisterman EF, Haneuse S. Methodological Issues in Population-Based Studies of Multigenerational Associations. Am J Epidemiol 2020; 189:1600-1609. [PMID: 32608483 DOI: 10.1093/aje/kwaa125] [Citation(s) in RCA: 4] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 10/16/2019] [Revised: 06/23/2020] [Accepted: 06/23/2020] [Indexed: 12/25/2022] Open
Abstract
Laboratory-based animal research has revealed a number of exposures with multigenerational effects-ones that affect the children and grandchildren of those directly exposed. An important task for epidemiology is to investigate these relationships in human populations. Without the relative control achieved in laboratory settings, however, population-based studies of multigenerational associations have had to use a broader range of study designs. Current strategies to obtain multigenerational data include exploiting birth registries and existing cohort studies, ascertaining exposures within them, and measuring outcomes across multiple generations. In this paper, we describe the methodological challenges inherent to multigenerational studies in human populations. After outlining standard taxonomy to facilitate discussion of study designs and target exposure associations, we highlight the methodological issues, focusing on the interplay between study design, analysis strategy, and the fact that outcomes may be related to family size. In a simulation study, we show that different multigenerational designs lead to estimates of different exposure associations with distinct scientific interpretations. Nevertheless, target associations can be recovered by incorporating (possibly) auxiliary information, and we provide insights into choosing an appropriate target association. Finally, we identify areas requiring further methodological development.
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Yitshak-Sade M, Fabian MP, Lane KJ, Hart JE, Schwartz JD, Laden F, James P, Fong KC, Kloog I, Zanobetti A. Estimating the Combined Effects of Natural and Built Environmental Exposures on Birthweight among Urban Residents in Massachusetts. INTERNATIONAL JOURNAL OF ENVIRONMENTAL RESEARCH AND PUBLIC HEALTH 2020; 17:E8805. [PMID: 33260804 PMCID: PMC7731163 DOI: 10.3390/ijerph17238805] [Citation(s) in RCA: 8] [Impact Index Per Article: 2.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 10/13/2020] [Revised: 11/13/2020] [Accepted: 11/21/2020] [Indexed: 12/18/2022]
Abstract
Intrauterine growth has health implications both in childhood and adulthood. Birthweight is partially determined by prenatal environmental exposures. We aim to identify important predictors of birthweight out of a set of environmental, built environment exposures, and socioeconomic environment variables during pregnancy (i.e., fine particulate matter (PM2.5), temperature, greenness, walkability, noise, and economic indices). We included all singleton live births of mothers who resided in urban census block-groups and delivered in Massachusetts between 2001 and 2011 (n = 640,659). We used an elastic-net model to select important predictors of birthweight and constructed a multivariate model including the selected predictors, with adjustment for confounders. We additionally used a weighted quantile sum regression to assess the contribution of each exposure to differences in birthweight. All exposures were selected as important predictors of birthweight. In the multivariate model, lower birthweight was significantly associated with lower greenness and with higher temperature, walkability, noise, and segregation of the "high income" group. Treating the exposures individually, nighttime noise had the highest weight in its contribution to lower birthweight. In conclusion, after accounting for individual confounders, maternal environmental exposures, built environment exposures, and socioeconomic environment during pregnancy were important predictors of birthweight, emphasizing the role of these exposures in fetal growth and development.
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Affiliation(s)
- Maayan Yitshak-Sade
- Department of Environmental Medicine and Public Health, Icahn School of Medicine at Mount Sinai, New York, NY 10029, USA
| | - M. Patricia Fabian
- Department of Environmental Health, Boston University School of Public Health, Boston, MA 02118, USA; (M.P.F.); (K.J.L.)
| | - Kevin J. Lane
- Department of Environmental Health, Boston University School of Public Health, Boston, MA 02118, USA; (M.P.F.); (K.J.L.)
| | - Jaime E. Hart
- Harvard T.H. Chan School of Public Health, Boston, MA 02115, USA; (J.E.H.); (J.D.S.); (F.L.); (P.J.); (K.C.F.); (A.Z.)
- Channing Division of Network Medicine, Department of Medicine, Brigham and Women’s Hospital and Harvard Medical School, Boston, MA 02115, USA
| | - Joel D. Schwartz
- Harvard T.H. Chan School of Public Health, Boston, MA 02115, USA; (J.E.H.); (J.D.S.); (F.L.); (P.J.); (K.C.F.); (A.Z.)
- Channing Division of Network Medicine, Department of Medicine, Brigham and Women’s Hospital and Harvard Medical School, Boston, MA 02115, USA
| | - Francine Laden
- Harvard T.H. Chan School of Public Health, Boston, MA 02115, USA; (J.E.H.); (J.D.S.); (F.L.); (P.J.); (K.C.F.); (A.Z.)
- Channing Division of Network Medicine, Department of Medicine, Brigham and Women’s Hospital and Harvard Medical School, Boston, MA 02115, USA
| | - Peter James
- Harvard T.H. Chan School of Public Health, Boston, MA 02115, USA; (J.E.H.); (J.D.S.); (F.L.); (P.J.); (K.C.F.); (A.Z.)
- Department of Population Medicine, Harvard Medical School and Harvard Pilgrim Health Care Institute, Boston, MA 02215, USA
| | - Kelvin C. Fong
- Harvard T.H. Chan School of Public Health, Boston, MA 02115, USA; (J.E.H.); (J.D.S.); (F.L.); (P.J.); (K.C.F.); (A.Z.)
- School of the Environment, Yale University, New Haven, MA 06511, USA
| | - Itai Kloog
- Department of Geography and Environmental Development, Faculty of Humanities and Social Sciences, Ben-Gurion University, Beer-Sheva 84105, Israel;
| | - Antonella Zanobetti
- Harvard T.H. Chan School of Public Health, Boston, MA 02115, USA; (J.E.H.); (J.D.S.); (F.L.); (P.J.); (K.C.F.); (A.Z.)
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Maternal Education in Early Life and Risk of Metabolic Syndrome in Young Adult American Females and Males: Disentangling Life Course Processes Through Causal Models. Epidemiology 2020; 30 Suppl 2:S28-S36. [PMID: 31569150 DOI: 10.1097/ede.0000000000001068] [Citation(s) in RCA: 6] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.5] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 01/11/2023]
Abstract
BACKGROUND Maternal education in a child's early life may directly affect the child's adult cardiometabolic health, but this is difficult to disentangle from biological, social, and behavioral life course processes that are associated with maternal education. These processes may also differ between males and females. METHODS Using data from the National Longitudinal Study of Adolescent to Adult Health (1995-2009) (N = 4,026 females and 3,192 males), we estimated sex-stratified associations between maternal attainment of less than high school (<HS), high school diploma (HS), or college degree (CD) at the respondent's birth and respondent's risk of metabolic syndrome (MetS); we used marginal structural models (MSM) to account for the influence of major life course risk factors, such as childhood maltreatment, adolescent overweight, adult education, household income, smoking, and physical activity, in mediating associations between maternal education and offspring MetS risk. RESULTS Each higher level of maternal education was associated with a 36% (Relative Risk = 0.64 [95% Confidence Interval (CI): 0.50-0.82]) reduced risk of MetS among females, but only 19% (RR = 0.81 [95% CI: 0.64-1.01]) reduction among males (P-value interaction < 0.05). Stronger inverse associations were also observed for waist circumference and glycated hemoglobin (HbA1c) among females compared with males (-5 cm vs. -2.4 cm and -1.5% vs. -1.0%, respectively). CONCLUSION High maternal education in early life was associated with a lower risk of MetS in young adulthood even after accounting for life course risk factors, particularly among females. Results were robust to altered model specifications.
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First trimester depression and/or anxiety disorders increase the risk of low birthweight in IVF offspring: a prospective cohort study. Reprod Biomed Online 2019; 39:947-954. [DOI: 10.1016/j.rbmo.2019.09.002] [Citation(s) in RCA: 7] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.4] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 05/21/2019] [Revised: 08/07/2019] [Accepted: 09/05/2019] [Indexed: 01/18/2023]
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Luecke E, Cohen AK, Brillante M, Rehkopf DH, Coyle J, Hendrick CE, Abrams B. Similarities in Maternal Weight and Birth Weight Across Pregnancies and Across Sisters. Matern Child Health J 2019; 23:138-147. [PMID: 30032445 DOI: 10.1007/s10995-018-2602-2] [Citation(s) in RCA: 2] [Impact Index Per Article: 0.4] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 12/19/2022]
Abstract
Objectives The current study examined how prepregnancy body mass index (BMI), gestational weight gain, and birth weight cluster between births within women and between women who are sisters. Methods Using data from the National Longitudinal Survey of Youth 1979 cohort, we utilized nested, multivariable hierarchical linear models to examine the correlation of these three outcomes between births (n = 6006) to women (n = 3605) and sisters (n = 3170) so that we can quantify the clustering by sibship and by woman for these three pregnancy-related outcomes. Results After controlling for confounding covariates, prepregnancy BMI (intraclass correlation (ICC) 0.24, 95% CI 0.16, 0.32), gestational weight gain (ICC 0.23, 95% CI 0.16, 0.31), and infant's birthweight (ICC 0.07, 95% CI 0.003, 0.13) were correlated between sisters. Additionally, all three outcomes were significantly correlated between births for each sister, suggesting that prepregnancy BMI (ICC 0.82, 95% CI 0.81, 0.83), gestational weight gain (ICC 0.45, 95% CI 0.42, 0.49), and birth weight (ICC 0.31, 95% CI 0.28, 0.35) track between pregnancies in the same woman. Conclusions for Practice The observed clustering both within women and between sisters suggests that shared genetic and environmental factors among sisters play a role in pregnancy outcomes above and beyond that of women's own genetic and environmental factors. Findings suggest that asking a woman about her sisters' pregnancy outcomes could provide insight into the possible outcomes for her current pregnancy. Future research should test if collecting such a family history and providing tailored clinical recommendations accordingly would be useful.
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Affiliation(s)
- Ellen Luecke
- RTI International, Women's Global Health Imperative, San Francisco, USA
| | - Alison K Cohen
- Department of Public and Nonprofit Administration, University of San Francisco, San Francisco, CA, USA
| | - Miranda Brillante
- University of California Berkeley School of Public Health, 50 University Hall, Berkeley, CA, 94720, USA
| | - David H Rehkopf
- Division of Primary Care and Population Health, Stanford University School of Medicine, Stanford, USA
| | - Jeremy Coyle
- University of California Berkeley School of Public Health, 50 University Hall, Berkeley, CA, 94720, USA
| | - C Emily Hendrick
- Division of Reproduction and Population Health, University of Wisconsin-Madison School of Medicine and Public Health, Madison, USA
| | - Barbara Abrams
- University of California Berkeley School of Public Health, 50 University Hall, Berkeley, CA, 94720, USA. .,Division of Epidemiology, UC Berkeley School of Public Health, 103 Haviland Hall, Berkeley, CA, 94720, USA.
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Abstract
Objectives Adverse childhood experiences (ACEs) have been linked with ill-health in adulthood, but ACE literature has focused on family disruption or dysfunction (e.g., child abuse, parental separation), with less attention to economic adversity. We examined whether a mother's economic hardship in childhood (EHC) was associated with women's hardships and health-risk behaviors during/just before pregnancy. Methods We analyzed population-based survey data on 27,102 postpartum California women. EHC included respondents' reports that during childhood they/their families experienced hunger because of inability to afford food or moved because of problems paying rent/mortgage and the frequency of difficulty paying for basic needs. We examined six maternal hardships/behaviors during/just before pregnancy, including four hardships (poverty, food insecurity, homelessness/no regular place to sleep, intimate partner violence) and two behaviors (smoking, binge drinking). Prevalence ratios (PRs) were calculated from sequential logistic regression models estimating associations between EHC (categorized by level of hardship) and each maternal hardship/behavior, first without adjustment, then adjusting for other childhood and current maternal factors, and finally adding family disruption/dysfunction. Results Before adjustment for family disruption/dysfunction, the highest and intermediate EHC levels were associated with each maternal hardship/behavior; after full adjustment, those associations persisted except with smoking. Higher EHC levels generally appeared associated with larger PRs, although confidence intervals overlapped. Conclusions for Policy/Practice These findings link childhood economic hardship with women's hardships, binge drinking, and possibly smoking around the time of pregnancy. Without establishing causality, they support previous research indicating that childhood economic adversity should be considered an ACE.
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Liu C, Vinnerljung B, Östberg V, Gauffin K, Juarez S, Cnattingius S, Hjern A. Out-of-Home Care and Subsequent Preterm Delivery: An Intergenerational Cohort Study. Pediatrics 2018; 142:peds.2017-2729. [PMID: 30021856 DOI: 10.1542/peds.2017-2729] [Citation(s) in RCA: 6] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Submit a Manuscript] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Accepted: 05/09/2018] [Indexed: 11/24/2022] Open
Abstract
OBJECTIVES Adverse early-life experience may affect preterm delivery later in life through priming of stress response. We aim to investigate the links between out-of-home care (OHC) experience in childhood, as a proxy of severe adversities, on subsequent risk of preterm delivery. METHODS A register-based national cohort of all women born in Sweden between 1973 and 1977 (N = 175 821) was crosslinked with information on these women's subsequent deliveries as recorded in the Swedish medical birth register. During 1986-2012, 343 828 livebirths of these women were identified. The associations between women's OHC experience and her risk of preterm delivery were analyzed through logistic regression models, adjusting for women's own preterm birth, intrauterine growth, and childhood socioeconomic situation. RESULTS Compared with women that never entered OHC, women with OHC experience up to and after age 10 were both associated with increased risks of preterm delivery (adjusted odds ratio [aOR] = 1.23 [95% confidence interval 1.08-1.40] and aOR = 1.29 [1.13-1.48], respectively). Women who experienced OHC before or at 10 years of age had increased risk of both spontaneous and medically indicated preterm delivery (aOR = 1.19 [1.03-1.38] and aOR = 1.27 [1.02-1.59], respectively). Women who experienced OHC after age 10 had a more pronounced risk of medically indicated preterm delivery (aOR = 1.76 [1.44-2.16]) than for spontaneous preterm delivery (aOR = 1.08 [0.92-1.27]). CONCLUSIONS Women who were placed in OHC in childhood had increased risk of preterm delivery independent from their own perinatal history. Stress response, as 1 consequence of early life adversities, may take its toll on women's reproductive health and their offspring, calling for integrative efforts in preventing early life adversity.
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Affiliation(s)
- Can Liu
- Centre for Health Equity Studies, and .,Clinical Epidemiology Unit, Department of Medicine Solna, Karolinska Institutet, Stockholm, Sweden
| | - Bo Vinnerljung
- Department of Social Work, Stockholm University, Stockholm, Sweden; and
| | | | | | | | - Sven Cnattingius
- Clinical Epidemiology Unit, Department of Medicine Solna, Karolinska Institutet, Stockholm, Sweden
| | - Anders Hjern
- Centre for Health Equity Studies, and.,Clinical Epidemiology Unit, Department of Medicine Solna, Karolinska Institutet, Stockholm, Sweden
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Intergenerational pathways linking maternal early life adversity to offspring birthweight. Soc Sci Med 2018; 207:89-96. [PMID: 29734059 DOI: 10.1016/j.socscimed.2018.04.049] [Citation(s) in RCA: 16] [Impact Index Per Article: 2.7] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 12/01/2017] [Revised: 03/02/2018] [Accepted: 04/27/2018] [Indexed: 11/20/2022]
Abstract
Adverse birth outcomes can lead to problematic long-term outcomes for children, and are also known to transmit socioeconomic disadvantage across generations, thereby amplifying the importance of identifying their social determinants. However, the full set of factors causing adverse birth outcomes remains unknown. Drawing together theory describing intragenerational (life course) processes linking early life adversity to adult health, and intergenerational transmissions of inequality via birthweight, this study tests a chain of risk that originates within early adolescence, impacts young women's risky health behaviors in late adolescence/early adulthood and risky health behaviors during pregnancy, and ultimately decreases offspring's birthweight. We do so using structural equation models and prospective, population-level data on a racially and socioeconomically diverse cohort of young adults (National Longitudinal Study of Adolescent to Adult Health). Results (a) reveal four pathways that fully mediate the association between a young woman's family-of-origin socioeconomic status in adolescence and her offspring's birthweight, and (b) identify a trigger effect-a place in the chain of risk where prevention efforts could be targeted, thereby breaking the chain of risk leading to poor offspring health at birth for vulnerable individuals.
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Maternal Adverse Childhood Experience and Infant Health: Biomedical and Psychosocial Risks as Intermediary Mechanisms. J Pediatr 2017; 187:282-289.e1. [PMID: 28549634 DOI: 10.1016/j.jpeds.2017.04.052] [Citation(s) in RCA: 82] [Impact Index Per Article: 11.7] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Submit a Manuscript] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 09/13/2016] [Revised: 04/03/2017] [Accepted: 04/24/2017] [Indexed: 11/23/2022]
Abstract
OBJECTIVE To assess the mechanisms accounting for the transfer of risk from one generation to the next, especially as they relate to maternal adverse childhood experiences and infant physical and emotional health outcomes. STUDY DESIGN Participants were 501 community mother-infant dyads recruited shortly after the birth and followed up at 18 months. Mothers retrospectively reported on their adverse childhood experiences. The main outcome measures were parent-reported infant physical health and emotional problems. Potential mechanisms of intergenerational transmission included cumulative biomedical risk (eg, prenatal and perinatal complications) and postnatal psychosocial risk (eg, maternal depression, single parenthood, marital conflict). RESULTS Four or more adverse childhood experiences were related to a 2- and 5-fold increased risk of experiencing any biomedical or psychosocial risk, respectively. There was a linear association between number of adverse childhood experiences and extent of biomedical and psychosocial risk. Path analysis revealed that the association between maternal adverse childhood experiences and infant physical health operated specifically through cumulative biomedical risk, while the relationship between adverse childhood experiences and infant emotional health operated specifically through cumulative psychosocial risk. This pattern was not explained by maternal childhood disadvantage or current neighborhood poverty. CONCLUSIONS Maternal adverse childhood experiences confer vulnerability to prenatal, perinatal, and postnatal psychosocial health. The association between adverse childhood experiences and offspring physical and emotional health operates through discrete intermediary mechanisms.
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McFarland MJ, McLanahan SS, Goosby BJ, Reichman NE. Grandparents' Education and Infant Health: Pathways across Generations. JOURNAL OF MARRIAGE AND THE FAMILY 2017; 79:784-800. [PMID: 28626244 PMCID: PMC5471611 DOI: 10.1111/jomf.12383] [Citation(s) in RCA: 5] [Impact Index Per Article: 0.7] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 04/15/2015] [Accepted: 08/14/2016] [Indexed: 10/22/2023]
Abstract
Using data from the Fragile Families and Child Wellbeing survey linked to respondents' medical records (N=2,870), this study examines the association between grandparents' education and birth outcomes and explores potential pathways underlying this relationship. Results show that having a grandfather with less than a high school education was associated with a 93 gram reduction in birthweight, a 59% increase in the odds of low birthweight, and a 136% increase in the odds of a neonatal health condition, compared to having a grandfather with a high school education or more. These associations were partially accounted for by mother's educational attainment and marital status, as well as by prenatal history of depression, hypertension, and prenatal health behaviors, depending on the specific outcome. The findings from this study call for heightened attention to the multigenerational influences of educational attainment for infant health.
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Affiliation(s)
| | - Sara S McLanahan
- Princeton University, Bendheim-Thoman Center for Research on Child Wellbeing
| | | | - Nancy E Reichman
- Rutgers University, Robert Wood Johnson Medical School, Department of Pediatrics
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15
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Gavin AR, Morris J. The Association Between Maternal Early Life Forced Sexual Intercourse and Offspring Birth Weight: The Role of Socioeconomic Status. J Womens Health (Larchmt) 2017; 26:442-449. [PMID: 28129022 DOI: 10.1089/jwh.2016.5789] [Citation(s) in RCA: 3] [Impact Index Per Article: 0.4] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 11/12/2022] Open
Abstract
BACKGROUND This study utilizes a life-course framework to investigate whether maternal early life forced sexual intercourse operates in conjunction with health behaviors during adolescence, young adulthood, and the prenatal period to influence offspring birth weight. METHODS Using data from the 1994-2009 National Longitudinal Study of Adolescent Health (Add Health), we examined whether early life forced sexual intercourse predicted offspring birth weight through a mediated pathway, including depressive symptoms, substance use, and prenatal cigarette smoking. We stratify our analysis by socioeconomic status (SES) to determine whether the proposed pathways operate similarly, or differently, according to SES. RESULTS Our findings suggest that the pathways through which forced sexual intercourse affects offspring birth weight differ by SES. Among middle-to-high SES women, we found a mediated pathway linking forced sexual intercourse to offspring birth weight with prenatal cigarette smoking predicting lower offspring birth weight. Among low SES women, however, we did not find a mediated pathway linking forced sexual intercourse to birth weight. Findings suggest that prenatal cigarette smoking was not a mechanism of influence in the pathway between maternal early life forced sexual intercourse and offspring birth weight for low SES women. CONCLUSIONS Our findings suggest that forced sexual intercourse may influence infant birth weight in the next generation. Infants born with a low birth weight are at increased risk for a myriad of adverse outcomes across the life-course. Study results suggest the importance of interventions designed to reduce behavioral risks and to support health promoting behaviors among survivors in the short term, in an effort to prevent long-term consequences among later-born offspring.
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Affiliation(s)
- Amelia R Gavin
- 1 School of Social Work, University of Washington , Seattle, Washington
| | - Julia Morris
- 2 Department of Sociology, University of Washington , Seattle, Washington
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16
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Barboza Solís C, Fantin R, Castagné R, Lang T, Delpierre C, Kelly-Irving M. Mediating pathways between parental socio-economic position and allostatic load in mid-life: Findings from the 1958 British birth cohort. Soc Sci Med 2016; 165:19-27. [DOI: 10.1016/j.socscimed.2016.07.031] [Citation(s) in RCA: 32] [Impact Index Per Article: 4.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 02/05/2016] [Revised: 07/22/2016] [Accepted: 07/24/2016] [Indexed: 01/10/2023]
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17
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Drury SS, Scaramella L, Zeanah CH. The neurobiological impact of postpartum maternal depression: prevention and intervention approaches. Child Adolesc Psychiatr Clin N Am 2016; 25:179-200. [PMID: 26980123 PMCID: PMC4794751 DOI: 10.1016/j.chc.2015.11.001] [Citation(s) in RCA: 39] [Impact Index Per Article: 4.9] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Submit a Manuscript] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 02/06/2023]
Abstract
The lasting negative impact of postpartum depression (PPD) on offspring is well established. PPD seems to have an impact on neurobiological pathways linked to socioemotional regulation, cognitive and executive function, and physiologic stress response systems. This review focus on examining the current state of research defining the effect of universal, selected, and indicated interventions for PPD on infant neurodevelopment. Given the established lasting, and potentially intergenerational, negative implications of maternal depression, enhanced efforts targeting increased identification and early intervention approaches for PPD that have an impact on health outcomes in both infants and mothers represent a critical public health concern.
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Affiliation(s)
- Stacy S. Drury
- Department of Psychiatry and Behavioral Sciences, Tulane University
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18
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Kane JB. Marriage Advantages in Perinatal Health: Evidence of Marriage Selection or Marriage Protection? JOURNAL OF MARRIAGE AND THE FAMILY 2016; 78:212-229. [PMID: 26778858 PMCID: PMC4712954 DOI: 10.1111/jomf.12257] [Citation(s) in RCA: 15] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.9] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 06/02/2023]
Abstract
Marriage is a social tie associated with health advantages for adults and their children, as lower rates of preterm birth and low birth weight are observed among married women. This study tests two competing hypotheses explaining these marriage advantages-marriage protection versus marriage selection-using a sample of recent births to single, cohabiting, and married women from the National Survey of Family Growth, 2006-10. Propensity score matching and fixed effects regression results demonstrate support for marriage selection, as a rich set of early life selection factors account for all of the cohabiting-married disparity and part of the single-married disparity. Subsequent analyses demonstrate prenatal smoking mediates the adjusted single-married disparity in birth weight, lending some support for the marriage protection perspective. Study findings sharpen our understanding of why and how marriage matters for child well-being, and provide insight into preconception and prenatal factors describing intergenerational transmissions of inequality via birth weight.
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Affiliation(s)
- Jennifer B. Kane
- Carolina Population Center, University of North Carolina, 206 West Franklin Street, Chapel Hill, NC 27516, Phone: (919) 962-6231, Fax: (919) 966-6638
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19
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Garfield L, Mathews HL, Janusek LW. Inflammatory and Epigenetic Pathways for Perinatal Depression. Biol Res Nurs 2015; 18:331-43. [DOI: 10.1177/1099800415614892] [Citation(s) in RCA: 18] [Impact Index Per Article: 2.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 12/18/2022]
Abstract
Depression during the perinatal period is common and can have adverse consequences for women and their children. Yet, the biobehavioral mechanisms underlying perinatal depression are not known. Adverse early life experiences increase the risk for adult depression. One potential mechanism by which this increased risk occurs is epigenetic embedding of inflammatory pathways. The purpose of this article is to propose a conceptual model that explicates the linkage between early life adversity and the risk for maternal depression. The model posits that early life adversity embeds a proinflammatory epigenetic signature (altered DNA methylation) that predisposes vulnerable women to depression during pregnancy and the postpartum period. As proposed, women with a history of early life adversity are more likely to exhibit higher levels of proinflammatory cytokines and lower levels of oxytocin in response to the demands of pregnancy and new motherhood, both of which are associated with the risk for perinatal depression. The model is designed to guide investigations into the biobehavioral basis for perinatal depression, with emphasis upon the impact of early life adversity. Testing this model will provide a better understanding of maternal depressive risk and improve identification of vulnerable women who would benefit from targeted interventions that can reduce the impact of perinatal depression on maternal–infant health.
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Affiliation(s)
- Lindsey Garfield
- Marcella Niehoff School of Nursing, Loyola University Chicago, Maywood, IL, USA
| | - Herbert L. Mathews
- Department of Microbiology and Immunology, Stritch School of Medicine, Loyola University Chicago, Maywood, IL, USA
| | - Linda Witek Janusek
- Marcella Niehoff School of Nursing, Loyola University Chicago, Maywood, IL, USA
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20
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Huang JY, Gavin AR, Richardson TS, Rowhani-Rahbar A, Siscovick DS, Enquobahrie DA. Are Early-Life Socioeconomic Conditions Directly Related to Birth Outcomes? Grandmaternal Education, Grandchild Birth Weight, and Associated Bias Analyses. Am J Epidemiol 2015; 182:568-78. [PMID: 26283086 DOI: 10.1093/aje/kwv148] [Citation(s) in RCA: 25] [Impact Index Per Article: 2.8] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 11/08/2014] [Accepted: 03/12/2015] [Indexed: 01/20/2023] Open
Abstract
Grandmaternal education may be related to grandchild birth weight (GBW) through maternal early-life development; however, conventional regression models may be endogenously confounded. Alternative models employing explicit structural assumptions may provide incrementally clearer evidence. We used data from the US National Longitudinal Study of Adolescent to Adult Health (1995-2009; 1,681 mother-child pairs) to estimate "direct effects" of grandmaternal educational level (less than high school, high school diploma or equivalent, or college degree) at the time of the mother's birth on GBW, adjusted for maternal life-course factors: maltreatment as a child, education and income as an adult, prepregnancy overweight, and prenatal smoking. Using conventional and marginal structural model (MSM) approaches, we estimated 54-g (95% confidence interval: -14.0, 122.1) and 87-g (95% confidence interval: 10.9, 162.5) higher GBWs per increase in educational level, respectively. The MSM allowed simultaneous mediation by and adjustment for prepregnancy overweight. Estimates were insensitive to alternate structural assumptions and mediator parameterizations. Bias analysis suggested that a single unmeasured confounder would have to have a strong influence on GBW (approximately 150 g) or be greatly imbalanced across exposure groups (approximately 25%) to completely explain the findings. Coupling an MSM with sensitivity analyses provides some evidence that maternal early-life socioeconomic environment is directly associated with offspring birth weight.
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Pinzón-Rondón ÁM, Gutiérrez-Pinzon V, Madriñan-Navia H, Amin J, Aguilera-Otalvaro P, Hoyos-Martínez A. Low birth weight and prenatal care in Colombia: a cross-sectional study. BMC Pregnancy Childbirth 2015; 15:118. [PMID: 25989797 PMCID: PMC4491421 DOI: 10.1186/s12884-015-0541-0] [Citation(s) in RCA: 19] [Impact Index Per Article: 2.1] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 10/08/2014] [Accepted: 04/24/2015] [Indexed: 12/13/2022] Open
Abstract
Background Low birth weight (LBW) is one of the most important factors affecting child morbidity and mortality worldwide; approximately one third of neonatal deaths are attributable to it. Most research and public health policy on LBW arise from developed nations, despite that most cases (96.5%) take place in developing countries. The specific features of prenatal care that prevent LBW in developing countries are unclear. This study aims to identify the characteristics of prenatal care associated with LBW in a developing country as Colombia. Methods Observational cross-sectional study using data from the Colombian Demographic and Health Survey 2010. A total of 10,692 children were included. Descriptive statistics were calculated, followed by bivariate regressions of LBW with all other study variables. Finally, stepwise logistic binomial regression analyses were done. Results A LBW prevalence of 8.7% was found. Quality of prenatal care (95%CI: 0.33, 0.92; OR = 0.55), number of prenatal visits (95%CI: 0.92, 0.93; OR = 0.92), and first prenatal visits during pregnancy (95%CI: 1.02, 1.07; OR = 1.08) were associated with LBW even after controlling for all the studied variables. The health care provider conducting prenatal checkup, and insurance coverage, were not associated with LBW. Conclusion This research provides information on the characteristics of prenatal care (quality, number of visits, and gestational age at first prenatal visit) which may strengthen LBW prevention in Colombia and possibly in countries with similar socioeconomic characteristics.
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Affiliation(s)
| | | | | | - Jennifer Amin
- Escuela de medicina y ciencias de la salud, Universidad del Rosario, Bogota, Colombia.
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22
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Abstract
An adverse intrauterine environment is associated with an increased risk of elevated blood pressure and kidney disease in later life. Many studies have focused on low birth weight, prematurity and growth restriction as surrogate markers of an adverse intrauterine environment; however, high birth weight, exposure to maternal diabetes and rapid growth during early childhood are also emerging as developmental risk factors for chronic diseases. Altered programming of nephron number is an important link between exposure to developmental stressors and subsequent risk of hypertension and kidney disease. Maternal, fetal, and childhood nutrition are crucial contributors to these programming effects. Resource-poor countries experience the sequential burdens of fetal and childhood undernutrition and subsequent overnutrition, which synergistically act to augment the effects of developmental programming; this observation might explain in part the disproportionate burden of chronic disease in these regions. Numerous nutritional interventions have been effective in reducing the short-term risk of low birth weight and prematurity. Understanding the potential long-term benefits of such interventions is crucial to inform policy decisions to interrupt the developmental programming cycle and stem the growing epidemics of hypertension and kidney disease worldwide.
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Abstract
OBJECTIVE To examine sociodemographic factors, pregnancy-associated psychosocial stress and depression, health risk behaviors, prepregnancy medical and psychiatric illness, pregnancy-related illnesses, and birth outcomes as risk factors for post-partum depression (PPD). METHODS A prospective cohort study screened women at 4 and 8 months of pregnancy and used hierarchical logistic regression analyses to examine predictors of PPD. The study sample include 1,423 pregnant women at a university-based high risk obstetrics clinic. A score of ≥10 on the Patient Health Questionnaire-9 (PHQ-9) indicated clinically significant depressive symptoms. RESULTS Compared with women without significant postpartum depressive symptoms, women with PPD were significantly younger (p<0.0001), more likely to be unemployed (p=0.04), had more pregnancy associated depressive symptoms (p<0.0001) and psychosocial stress (p<0.0001), were more likely to be smokers (p<0.0001), were more likely to be taking antidepressants (ADs) during pregnancy (p=0.002), were less likely to drink any alcohol during pregnancy (p=0.02), and were more likely to have prepregnancy medical illnesses, including diabetes (p=0.02) and neurologic conditions (p=0.02). CONCLUSION Specific sociodemographic and clinical risk factors for PPD were identified that could help physicians target depression case finding for pregnant women.
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Affiliation(s)
- Wayne Katon
- 1 Department of Psychiatry and Behavioral Sciences, University of Washington School of Medicine , Seattle, Washington
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24
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Prenatal maternal depression is associated with low birth weight through shorter gestational age in term infants in Korea. Early Hum Dev 2014; 90:15-20. [PMID: 24331828 PMCID: PMC5365071 DOI: 10.1016/j.earlhumdev.2013.11.006] [Citation(s) in RCA: 35] [Impact Index Per Article: 3.5] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Submit a Manuscript] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 07/18/2013] [Revised: 11/19/2013] [Accepted: 11/20/2013] [Indexed: 11/23/2022]
Abstract
BACKGROUND Maternal prenatal depression is associated with lower offspring birth weight, yet the impact of gestational age on this association remains inadequately understood. AIMS We aimed to investigate the effect of prenatal depression on low birth weight, gestational age, and weight for gestational age at term. STUDY DESIGN Prospective cohort study. SUBJECT Data were collected from 691 women in their third trimester of pregnancy who went on to give birth to a singleton at term without perinatal complications. One hundred and fifty-two women had a Center for Epidemiologic Studies Depression Scale-10 score ≥10 and were classed as prenatally depressed. OUTCOME MEASURES Low birth weight (<2500g), gestational age at birth, and birth weight percentile for gestational age. RESULTS Offspring of prenatally depressed women were more likely to be low birth weight (Odds ratio [OR] 2.94, 95% confidence interval [CI] 1.14-7.58) than offspring of prenatally non-depressed women, but the association was attenuated (OR 1.66, 95% CI 0.55-5.02) when adjusted for gestational age. Offspring of prenatally depressed women had lower gestational age in weeks (OR for one week increase in gestational age: 0.66, 95% CI 0.47-0.93) than offspring of prenatally non-depressed women. There was no association between prenatal depression and birth weight percentile for gestational age. CONCLUSIONS Prenatal depression was not associated with low birth weight at term, but was associated with gestational age, suggesting that association between maternal depression and birth weight may be a reflection of the impact of depression on offspring gestational age.
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Cederbaum JA, Putnam-Hornstein E, King B, Gilbert K, Needell B. Infant birth weight and maltreatment of adolescent mothers. Am J Prev Med 2013; 45:197-201. [PMID: 23867027 DOI: 10.1016/j.amepre.2013.03.016] [Citation(s) in RCA: 9] [Impact Index Per Article: 0.8] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Submit a Manuscript] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 12/22/2012] [Revised: 02/17/2013] [Accepted: 03/22/2013] [Indexed: 10/26/2022]
Abstract
BACKGROUND Emerging literature suggests that maternal exposure to stress and adversity throughout the life course may have health consequences for offspring. PURPOSE To examine the maltreatment history of adolescent mothers as an independent predictor of infant birth weight. METHODS Birth records for all infants born between 2007 and 2009 to mothers aged 12-19 years were extracted from California's vital statistics files. Maternal information from the birth record was linked to child protection data (1999-2009) to identify young mothers with substantiated maltreatment. Generalized linear models run in 2012 were used to estimate the relationship between maternal maltreatment and infant birth weight, after adjusting for maternal sociodemographic risk factors and health behaviors. RESULTS Among the 153,762 singleton infants born to adolescent mothers, 7.1% (n=10,886) weighed <2500 g at birth. Of all adolescent mothers, 13.6% had been substantiated as victims of maltreatment after age 10 years and before giving birth. After adjusting for known factors predictive of negative birth outcomes, maltreatment history was associated with a slight yet significantly increased risk of low birth weight among infants (risk ratio=1.06, 95% CI=1.01, 1.12). CONCLUSIONS Findings from this study suggest that maltreatment history of adolescent mothers is associated with infant low birth weight (<2500 g). Although the increased risk was small and the mechanism unclear, these data indicate that maternal maltreatment not only may have consequences for the victim but also may contribute to intergenerational health disparities.
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Affiliation(s)
- Julie A Cederbaum
- School of Social Work, University of Southern California, Los Angeles, CA 90089, USA.
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26
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Rickard IJ, Courtiol A, Prentice AM, Fulford AJC, Clutton-Brock TH, Lummaa V. Intergenerational effects of maternal birth season on offspring size in rural Gambia. Proc Biol Sci 2012; 279:4253-62. [PMID: 22896641 PMCID: PMC3441076 DOI: 10.1098/rspb.2012.1363] [Citation(s) in RCA: 16] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.3] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 06/14/2012] [Accepted: 07/26/2012] [Indexed: 01/10/2023] Open
Abstract
Environmental conditions experienced in early life can influence an individual's growth and long-term health, and potentially also that of their offspring. However, such developmental effects on intergenerational outcomes have rarely been studied. Here we investigate intergenerational effects of early environment in humans using survey- and clinic-based data from rural Gambia, a population experiencing substantial seasonal stress that influences foetal growth and has long-term effects on first-generation survival. Using Fourier regression to model seasonality, we test whether (i) parental birth season has intergenerational consequences for offspring in utero growth (1982 neonates, born 1976-2009) and (ii) whether such effects have been reduced by improvements to population health in recent decades. Contrary to our predictions, we show effects of maternal birth season on offspring birth weight and head circumference only in recent maternal cohorts born after 1975. Offspring birth weight varied according to maternal birth season from 2.85 to 3.03 kg among women born during 1975-1984 and from 2.84 to 3.41 kg among those born after 1984, but the seasonality effect reversed between these cohorts. These results were not mediated by differences in maternal age or parity. Equivalent patterns were observed for offspring head circumference (statistically significant) and length (not significant), but not for ponderal index. No relationships were found between paternal birth season and offspring neonatal anthropometrics. Our results indicate that even in rural populations living under conditions of relative affluence, brief variation in environmental conditions during maternal early life may exert long-term intergenerational effects on offspring.
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Affiliation(s)
- Ian J Rickard
- Department of Animal and Plant Sciences, University of Sheffield, Sheffield S10 2TN, UK.
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