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Ryan J, Phyo AZZ, Krasniqi SP, Carkaxhiu SI, Fransquet P, Kaas‐Petersen SH, Limani DA, Xhemaili VD, Salihu M, Prapashtica Q, Zekaj N, Turjaka V, Wang S, Rushiti F, Hjort L. An epigenome-wide study of a needs-based family intervention for offspring of trauma-exposed mothers in Kosovo. Brain Behav 2024; 14:e70029. [PMID: 39262181 PMCID: PMC11391026 DOI: 10.1002/brb3.70029] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Submit a Manuscript] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 05/06/2024] [Revised: 08/17/2024] [Accepted: 08/19/2024] [Indexed: 09/13/2024] Open
Abstract
INTRODUCTION Maternal stress and trauma during pregnancy have been shown to influence cortisol levels and epigenetic patterns, including DNA methylation, in the offspring. This study aimed to determine whether a tailor-made family intervention could help reduce cortisol levels in children born to traumatized mothers, and to determine whether it effected offspring DNA methylation. The secondary aim was to determine whether the family intervention influenced DNA methylation aging, a marker of biological aging. METHODS A needs-based family intervention was designed to help address relational difficulties and family functioning, and included a focus on family strengths and problem-solving patterns. Women survivors of sexual violence during the Kosovar war in 1998-1999, and their families (children with or without partners) were randomly assigned to 10 sessions of a family therapy over a 3-5-month period, or to a waitlist control group. Both mothers and children completed assessments prior to and after the intervention phase. Children's blood samples collected at these two time points were used to measure cortisol and epigenome-wide DNA methylation patterns (Illumina EPIC array). Cortisol levels, and genome-wide DNA methylation changes pre-/postintervention were compared between children in the intervention and the waitlist groups. DNA methylation age and accelerated biological aging were calculated. RESULTS Sixty-two women-child dyads completed the study, 30 were assigned first to the intervention group, and 32 to the waitlist control group. In adjusted linear regression, the family intervention was associated with a significant decline in cortisol levels compared to the waitlist control (β = -124.72, 95% confidence interval [CI]: -197.4 to -52.1, p = .001). Children in the intervention group, compared to the waitlist control group, showed >1% differential methylation degree at 5819 CpG (5'-C-phosphate-G-3') sites across the genome (p < .01), with the largest methylation difference being 21%. However, none of these differences reached genome-wide significant levels. There was no significant difference in DNA methylation aging between the two groups. CONCLUSION We find evidence that a tailored family-based intervention reduced stress levels in the children (based on cortisol levels), and modified DNA methylation levels at a number of sites across the genome. This study provides some preliminary evidence to suggest the potential for tailored interventions to help break the intergenerational transmission of trauma, however, large studies powered to detect associations at genome-wide significant levels are needed.
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Affiliation(s)
- Joanne Ryan
- Biological Neuropsychiatry and Dementia Unit, School of Public Health and Preventative MedicineMonash UniversityMelbourneAustralia
| | - Aung Zaw Zaw Phyo
- Biological Neuropsychiatry and Dementia Unit, School of Public Health and Preventative MedicineMonash UniversityMelbourneAustralia
| | | | | | - Peter Fransquet
- Faculty of Health, School of Psychology, Centre for Social & Early Emotional DevelopmentDeakin UniversityGeelongVictoriaAustralia
| | | | | | | | - Mimoza Salihu
- Kosovo Rehabilitation Center for Torture Victims (KRCT)Pristina KosovoAustralia
| | | | - Nebahate Zekaj
- Kosovo Rehabilitation Center for Torture Victims (KRCT)Pristina KosovoAustralia
| | - Vesa Turjaka
- Kosovo Rehabilitation Center for Torture Victims (KRCT)Pristina KosovoAustralia
| | - Shr‐Jie Wang
- The Danish Institute Against Torture (DIGNITY)CopenhagenDenmark
| | - Feride Rushiti
- Kosovo Rehabilitation Center for Torture Victims (KRCT)Pristina KosovoAustralia
| | - Line Hjort
- Novo Nordisk Foundation Center for Basic Metabolic Research, Metabolic Epigenetics Group, Faculty of Health and Medical SciencesUniversity of CopenhagenCopenhagenDenmark
- Department of Obstetrics, Center for Pregnant Women with DiabetesCopenhagen University HospitalCopenhagenDenmark
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Lähdepuro A, Räikkönen K, Pham H, Thompson-Felix T, Eid RS, O'Connor TG, Glover V, Lahti J, Heinonen K, Wolford E, Lahti-Pulkkinen M, O'Donnell KJ. Maternal social support during and after pregnancy and child cognitive ability: examining timing effects in two cohorts. Psychol Med 2024; 54:1661-1670. [PMID: 38087866 DOI: 10.1017/s0033291723003550] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Submit a Manuscript] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 02/22/2024]
Abstract
BACKGROUND Maternal anxiety, depression, and stress during and after pregnancy are negatively associated with child cognitive development. However, the contribution of positive maternal experiences, such as social support, to child cognitive development has received less attention. Furthermore, how maternal experience of social support during specific developmental periods impacts child cognitive development is largely unknown. METHODS Using data from the Avon Longitudinal Study of Parents and Children (ALSPAC; n = 5784) and the Prediction and Prevention of Preeclampsia and Intrauterine Growth Restriction study (PREDO; n = 420), we investigated the associations between maternal perceived social support during and after pregnancy and child's general cognitive ability at 8 years of age, assessed with the Wechsler Intelligence Scale for Children (WISC). Bayesian relevant life course modeling was used to investigate timing effects of maternal social support on child cognitive ability. RESULTS In both cohorts, higher maternal perceived social support during pregnancy was associated with higher performance on the WISC, independent of sociodemographic factors and concurrent maternal symptoms of depression and anxiety. In ALSPAC, pregnancy emerged as a sensitive period for the effects of perceived social support on child cognitive ability, with a stronger effect of social support during pregnancy than after pregnancy on child cognitive ability. CONCLUSIONS Our findings, supported from two prospective longitudinal cohorts, suggest a distinct role of maternal perceived social support during pregnancy for cognitive development in children. Our study suggests that interventions aimed at increasing maternal social support during pregnancy may be an important strategy for promoting maternal and child well-being.
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Affiliation(s)
- Anna Lähdepuro
- Department of Psychology and Logopedics, University of Helsinki, Helsinki, Finland
- Yale Child Study Center, Yale University, New Haven, CT, USA
| | - Katri Räikkönen
- Department of Psychology and Logopedics, University of Helsinki, Helsinki, Finland
- Department of Obstetrics and Gynecology, Helsinki University Hospital, University of Helsinki, Helsinki, Finland
| | - Hung Pham
- Yale Child Study Center, Yale University, New Haven, CT, USA
| | | | - Rand S Eid
- Department of Psychology, McGill University, Montreal, QC, Canada
| | - Thomas G O'Connor
- Departments of Psychiatry, Neuroscience, Obstetrics and Gynecology, and Wynne Center for Family Research, University of Rochester, Rochester, NY, USA
| | | | - Jari Lahti
- Department of Psychology and Logopedics, University of Helsinki, Helsinki, Finland
- Folkhälsan Research Center, Helsinki, Finland
| | - Kati Heinonen
- Department of Psychology and Logopedics, University of Helsinki, Helsinki, Finland
- Psychology/Welfare Sciences, Tampere University, Tampere, Finland
- Lawrence S. Bloomberg Faculty of Nursing, University of Toronto, Toronto, ON, Canada
- Population Health Unit, Finnish Institute for Health and Welfare, Helsinki and Oulu, Finland
| | - Elina Wolford
- Department of Psychology and Logopedics, University of Helsinki, Helsinki, Finland
| | - Marius Lahti-Pulkkinen
- Department of Psychology and Logopedics, University of Helsinki, Helsinki, Finland
- Population Health Unit, Finnish Institute for Health and Welfare, Helsinki and Oulu, Finland
- Centre for Cardiovascular Science, Queen's Medical Research Institute, University of Edinburgh, Edinburgh, UK
| | - Kieran J O'Donnell
- Yale Child Study Center, Yale University, New Haven, CT, USA
- Department of Obstetrics, Gynecology and Reproductive Sciences, Yale University, New Haven, CT, USA
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Heine E, Trautmann-Villalba P, Schoemig C, Hucklenbruch-Rother E, Kribs A, Mehler K. Delivery room skin-to-skin contact brings mother-child-interaction of preterm infants close to normal. Acta Paediatr 2023; 112:2381-2383. [PMID: 37463073 DOI: 10.1111/apa.16909] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Submit a Manuscript] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 06/25/2023] [Accepted: 07/17/2023] [Indexed: 07/20/2023]
Affiliation(s)
- Eva Heine
- Department of Paediatrics, Faculty of Medicine and University Hospital Cologne, Cologne, Germany
| | | | - Charlotte Schoemig
- Department of Paediatrics, Faculty of Medicine and University Hospital Cologne, Cologne, Germany
| | - Eva Hucklenbruch-Rother
- Department of Paediatrics, Faculty of Medicine and University Hospital Cologne, Cologne, Germany
| | - Angela Kribs
- Department of Paediatrics, Faculty of Medicine and University Hospital Cologne, Cologne, Germany
| | - Katrin Mehler
- Department of Paediatrics, Faculty of Medicine and University Hospital Cologne, Cologne, Germany
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