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San Martín-González N, Moya-Higueras J, Eixarch E, Castro-Quintas Á, Marques-Feixa L, Crispi F, Daura-Corral M, de la Fuente-Tomás L, Monteserín-García JL, García-Portilla MP, Fañanás L. Intergenerational effects of maternal childhood maltreatment on newborns' stress regulation: The role of maternal depressive symptoms. CHILD ABUSE & NEGLECT 2024; 155:106968. [PMID: 39116554 DOI: 10.1016/j.chiabu.2024.106968] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 04/15/2024] [Revised: 07/19/2024] [Accepted: 07/29/2024] [Indexed: 08/10/2024]
Abstract
BACKGROUND Maternal childhood maltreatment (CM) has been repeatedly associated with negative offspring's emotional outcomes. The dysregulation of the Hypothalamic-Pituitary-Adrenal (HPA) axis has emerged as the main underlying physiological mechanism. OBJECTIVE To explore the association between maternal CM and newborns' physiological and neurobehavioral stress responses, considering the role of perinatal maternal depression and bonding. PARTICIPANTS AND SETTING 150 healthy women were followed throughout pregnancy. 79 mother-infant dyads were included in the final analyses. Maternal CM was evaluated using the Childhood Trauma Questionnaire and depressive symptoms by the Edinburgh Postnatal Depression Scale (EPDS) at each trimester. At 7 weeks postpartum, the EPDS and the Postpartum Bonding Questionnaire were administered. Newborns' behavioral responses were assessed using "States Organization" (SO) and "States Regulation" (SR) subdomains of the Neonatal Behavioral Assessment Scale (NBAS). Newborns' salivary samples were collected before and after the NBAS to study cortisol reactivity. METHODS A cross-lagged panel model was employed. RESULTS Infants born to mothers with higher CM presented more optimal scores on SO (β (0.635) = 0.216, p 〈001) and SR (ß (0.273) = 0.195, p = .006), and a higher cortisol reactivity after NBAS handling (β(0.019) = 0.217, p = .009). Moreover, newborns of mothers with higher CM and postpartum depressive symptoms exhibited a poorer performance on SR (ß (0.156 = -0.288,p = .002). Analyses revealed non-significant relationships between mother-infant bonding, newborns' cortisol reactivity and SO. CONCLUSIONS Newborns from mothers with greater CM present higher cortisol reactivity and more optimal behavioral responses, which may reflect a prenatal HPA axis sensitization. However, those exposed to maternal postnatal depressive symptoms present poorer stress recovery.
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Affiliation(s)
- Nerea San Martín-González
- Department of Evolutionary Biology, Ecology and Environmental Sciences, Faculty of Biology, University of Barcelona, Barcelona, Spain; Network Centre for Biomedical Research in Mental Health (CIBER-SAM), Carlos III Health Institute, Madrid, Spain; Institute of Biomedicine of the University of Barcelona (IBUB), Barcelona, Spain
| | - Jorge Moya-Higueras
- Network Centre for Biomedical Research in Mental Health (CIBER-SAM), Carlos III Health Institute, Madrid, Spain; Department of Psychology, Sociology and Social Work, Faculty of Education, Psychology and Social Work, University of Lleida, Spain
| | - Elisenda Eixarch
- BCNatal - Fetal Medicine Research Center, Hospital Clínic and Hospital Sant Joan de Déu, Universitat de Barcelona, Barcelona, Spain; Network Centre for Biomedical Research in Rare Diseases (CIBER-ER), Institute of Health Carlos III, Madrid, Spain; Institut d'Investigacions Biomèdiques August Pi i Sunyer (IDIBAPS), University of Barcelona, Barcelona, Spain
| | - Águeda Castro-Quintas
- Department of Evolutionary Biology, Ecology and Environmental Sciences, Faculty of Biology, University of Barcelona, Barcelona, Spain; Network Centre for Biomedical Research in Mental Health (CIBER-SAM), Carlos III Health Institute, Madrid, Spain; Institute of Biomedicine of the University of Barcelona (IBUB), Barcelona, Spain
| | - Laia Marques-Feixa
- Department of Evolutionary Biology, Ecology and Environmental Sciences, Faculty of Biology, University of Barcelona, Barcelona, Spain; Network Centre for Biomedical Research in Mental Health (CIBER-SAM), Carlos III Health Institute, Madrid, Spain; Institute of Biomedicine of the University of Barcelona (IBUB), Barcelona, Spain
| | - Fátima Crispi
- BCNatal - Fetal Medicine Research Center, Hospital Clínic and Hospital Sant Joan de Déu, Universitat de Barcelona, Barcelona, Spain; Network Centre for Biomedical Research in Rare Diseases (CIBER-ER), Institute of Health Carlos III, Madrid, Spain; Institut d'Investigacions Biomèdiques August Pi i Sunyer (IDIBAPS), University of Barcelona, Barcelona, Spain
| | - Maria Daura-Corral
- Department of Evolutionary Biology, Ecology and Environmental Sciences, Faculty of Biology, University of Barcelona, Barcelona, Spain
| | | | - José Luis Monteserín-García
- Department of Evolutionary Biology, Ecology and Environmental Sciences, Faculty of Biology, University of Barcelona, Barcelona, Spain; Network Centre for Biomedical Research in Mental Health (CIBER-SAM), Carlos III Health Institute, Madrid, Spain; Institute of Biomedicine of the University of Barcelona (IBUB), Barcelona, Spain
| | - María Paz García-Portilla
- Network Centre for Biomedical Research in Mental Health (CIBER-SAM), Carlos III Health Institute, Madrid, Spain; Department of Psychiatry, University of Oviedo, Oviedo, Spain; Instituto de Investigación Sanitaria del Principado de Asturias (ISPA), Spain
| | - Lourdes Fañanás
- Department of Evolutionary Biology, Ecology and Environmental Sciences, Faculty of Biology, University of Barcelona, Barcelona, Spain; Network Centre for Biomedical Research in Mental Health (CIBER-SAM), Carlos III Health Institute, Madrid, Spain; Institute of Biomedicine of the University of Barcelona (IBUB), Barcelona, Spain.
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Barclay ME, Rinne GR, Somers JA, Lee SS, Coussons-Read M, Dunkel Schetter C. Maternal Early Life Adversity and Infant Stress Regulation: Intergenerational Associations and Mediation by Maternal Prenatal Mental Health. Res Child Adolesc Psychopathol 2023; 51:1839-1855. [PMID: 36508054 PMCID: PMC10258218 DOI: 10.1007/s10802-022-01006-z] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Accepted: 11/28/2022] [Indexed: 12/14/2022]
Abstract
Early life adversity is a potent risk factor for poor mental health outcomes across the lifespan, including offspring vulnerability to psychopathology. Developmentally, the prenatal period is a sensitive window in which maternal early life experiences may influence offspring outcomes and demarcates a time when expectant mothers and offspring are more susceptible to stressful and salutary influences. This prenatal plasticity constituted the focus of the current study where we tested the association of maternal early life adversity with infant stress regulation through maternal prenatal internalizing symptoms and moderation by prenatal social support. Mother-infant dyads (n = 162) were followed prospectively and mothers completed assessments of social support and depressive and anxiety symptoms across pregnancy. Infants completed standardized stress paradigms at one month and six months. There were several key findings. First, maternal prenatal depressive symptoms significantly mediated predictions of infant cortisol reactivity to the heel stick at one month from maternal early life adversity: specifically, maternal early life adversity positively predicted depressive symptoms in pregnancy, which in turn predicted dampened infant cortisol reactivity. Second, prenatal social support did not significantly moderate predictions of depressive or anxiety symptoms in pregnancy from maternal early life adversity nor did it alter the associations of maternal depressive or anxiety symptoms with infant stress regulation. These results suggest that maternal prenatal mental health is a key mechanism by which maternal early life adverse experiences affect offspring risk for psychopathology. We discuss potential clinical and health implications of dysregulated infant cortisol reactivity with respect to lifespan development.
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