|
1
|
Agapaki A, Papagianni F, Metallinou D, Valavani E, Mantzou A, Kanelli S, Eleftheriades M, Spyropoulou AC, Zervas I, Chrousos GP, Pervanidou P. Associations between Maternal and Offspring Hair Cortisol Concentrations and Child Behavioral Symptoms in Mother-Child Pairs with Perinatal Mental Disorders. Children 2022; 9:children9060810. [PMID: 35740747 PMCID: PMC9221619 DOI: 10.3390/children9060810] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [What about the content of this article? (0)] [Affiliation(s)] [Abstract] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 03/27/2022] [Revised: 05/25/2022] [Accepted: 05/28/2022] [Indexed: 12/02/2022]
Abstract
Maternal perinatal mental disorders (PMD) are associated with developmental and behavioral problems in children, probably mediated by the programming of the hypothalamic–pituitary–adrenal (HPA) axis. Increased cortisol concentrations during the antenatal and perinatal periods have been related to long-term effects on children’s behavior and stress response. We aimed to investigate the association of hair cortisol concentrations (HCC) between mothers, with (n = 16) and without PMD (n = 30), and their children, aged between 18 and 48 months. Participants were evaluated with a clinical interview and questionnaires for the Depression Anxiety Stress Scale and the Child Behavior Checklist for ages 1½–5. Maternal and child HCCs were compared between the two groups. Children of the PMD group had increased symptoms of attention deficit hyperactivity disorder. A positive linear association between maternal and child HCC was observed only in the total sample of mother–child dyads and the control group. In the PMD group, children’s HCCs were significantly associated with child anxiety/depression symptoms. Aggressive behavior and oppositional/defiant problems correlated significantly with children’s own HCCs, and their mother’s too. These findings suggest that a chronic dysregulation of maternal and child HPA axis and their associations in the PMD dyads may underlie the linkage among prolonged maternal stress, child behavioral/emotional problems and stress responses.
Collapse
Affiliation(s)
- Anna Agapaki
- Unit of Developmental and Behavioral Pediatrics, First Department of Pediatrics, School of Medicine, National and Kapodistrian University of Athens, Aghia Sophia Children’s Hospital, 11527 Athens, Greece; (A.A.); (F.P.); (E.V.); (A.M.); (G.P.C.); (P.P.)
| | - Fenia Papagianni
- Unit of Developmental and Behavioral Pediatrics, First Department of Pediatrics, School of Medicine, National and Kapodistrian University of Athens, Aghia Sophia Children’s Hospital, 11527 Athens, Greece; (A.A.); (F.P.); (E.V.); (A.M.); (G.P.C.); (P.P.)
| | - Dimitra Metallinou
- Department of Midwifery, University of West Attica, 12243 Athens, Greece
- Correspondence:
| | - Eleni Valavani
- Unit of Developmental and Behavioral Pediatrics, First Department of Pediatrics, School of Medicine, National and Kapodistrian University of Athens, Aghia Sophia Children’s Hospital, 11527 Athens, Greece; (A.A.); (F.P.); (E.V.); (A.M.); (G.P.C.); (P.P.)
| | - Aimilia Mantzou
- Unit of Developmental and Behavioral Pediatrics, First Department of Pediatrics, School of Medicine, National and Kapodistrian University of Athens, Aghia Sophia Children’s Hospital, 11527 Athens, Greece; (A.A.); (F.P.); (E.V.); (A.M.); (G.P.C.); (P.P.)
| | - Stamatia Kanelli
- Women’s Mental Health Clinic, First Department of Psychiatry, School of Medicine, National and Kapodistrian University of Athens, Eginition Hospital, 11528 Athens, Greece; (S.K.); (A.C.S.); (I.Z.)
| | - Makarios Eleftheriades
- Second Department of Obstetrics and Gynaecology, Aretaieio Hospital, National and Kapodistrian University of Athens, 11528 Athens, Greece;
| | - Areti C. Spyropoulou
- Women’s Mental Health Clinic, First Department of Psychiatry, School of Medicine, National and Kapodistrian University of Athens, Eginition Hospital, 11528 Athens, Greece; (S.K.); (A.C.S.); (I.Z.)
| | - Ioannis Zervas
- Women’s Mental Health Clinic, First Department of Psychiatry, School of Medicine, National and Kapodistrian University of Athens, Eginition Hospital, 11528 Athens, Greece; (S.K.); (A.C.S.); (I.Z.)
| | - George P. Chrousos
- Unit of Developmental and Behavioral Pediatrics, First Department of Pediatrics, School of Medicine, National and Kapodistrian University of Athens, Aghia Sophia Children’s Hospital, 11527 Athens, Greece; (A.A.); (F.P.); (E.V.); (A.M.); (G.P.C.); (P.P.)
- University Research Institute of Maternal and Child Health and Precision Medicine and UNESCO Chair on Adolescent Health Care, National and Kapodistrian University of Athens, 11527 Athens, Greece
| | - Panagiota Pervanidou
- Unit of Developmental and Behavioral Pediatrics, First Department of Pediatrics, School of Medicine, National and Kapodistrian University of Athens, Aghia Sophia Children’s Hospital, 11527 Athens, Greece; (A.A.); (F.P.); (E.V.); (A.M.); (G.P.C.); (P.P.)
| |
Collapse
|