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Coburn SS, Luecken LJ, Rystad IA, Lin B, Crnic KA, Gonzales NA. Prenatal Maternal Depressive Symptoms Predict Early Infant Health Concerns. Matern Child Health J 2018; 22:786-793. [PMID: 29427015 DOI: 10.1007/s10995-018-2448-7] [Citation(s) in RCA: 13] [Impact Index Per Article: 2.2] [Reference Citation Analysis] [What about the content of this article? (0)] [Affiliation(s)] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 12/18/2022]
Abstract
INTRODUCTION Recent research suggests that health disparities among low-SES and ethnic minority populations may originate from prenatal and early life exposures. Postpartum maternal depressive symptoms have been linked to poorer infant physical health, yet prenatal depressive symptoms not been thoroughly examined in relation to infant health. METHODS In a prospective study of low-income Mexican American mothers and their infants, women (N = 322, median age 27.23, IQR = 22.01-32.54) completed surveys during pregnancy (median gestation 39.50, IQR = 38.71-40.14 weeks) and 12 weeks after birth. We investigated (1) if prenatal depressive symptoms predicted infant physical health concerns at 12 weeks of age, (2) whether these associations occurred above and beyond concurrent depressive symptoms, and (3) if birth weight, gestational age, and breastfeeding were mediators of prenatal depression predicting subsequent infant health. RESULTS Higher prenatal depressive symptoms were associated with more infant physical health concerns at 12 weeks (p < .001), after accounting for 12-week maternal depressive symptoms, breastfeeding, gestational age, and birth weight. Twelve-week maternal depressive symptoms were concurrently associated with more infant health concerns (p < .01). Birth weight, gestational age, and breastfeeding were not associated with maternal depression or infant health concerns. DISCUSSION Results establish a link between prenatal depressive symptoms and an elevated risk of poor health evident shortly after birth. These findings underscore the importance of the prenatal period as a possible sensitive period for infants' health, and the need for effective interventions for depression during pregnancy to mitigate potentially teratogenic effects on the developing fetus and reduce risks for later health concerns.
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Affiliation(s)
- S S Coburn
- Department of Psychology, Arizona State University, Tempe, AZ, USA. .,Division of Gastroenterology, Hepatology, and Nutrition, Children's National Medical Center, 111 Michigan Ave NW, Washington, DC, USA.
| | - L J Luecken
- Department of Psychology, Arizona State University, Tempe, AZ, USA
| | - I A Rystad
- Department of Psychology, Arizona State University, Tempe, AZ, USA
| | - B Lin
- Department of Psychology, Arizona State University, Tempe, AZ, USA.,Department of Psychology, University of Utah, Salt Lake City, UT, USA
| | - K A Crnic
- Department of Psychology, Arizona State University, Tempe, AZ, USA
| | - N A Gonzales
- Department of Psychology, Arizona State University, Tempe, AZ, USA
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Coburn SS, Gonzales NA, Luecken LJ, Crnic KA. Multiple domains of stress predict postpartum depressive symptoms in low-income Mexican American women: the moderating effect of social support. Arch Womens Ment Health 2016; 19:1009-1018. [PMID: 27329119 PMCID: PMC5106307 DOI: 10.1007/s00737-016-0649-x] [Citation(s) in RCA: 29] [Impact Index Per Article: 3.6] [Reference Citation Analysis] [What about the content of this article? (0)] [Affiliation(s)] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Submit a Manuscript] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 02/09/2016] [Accepted: 06/02/2016] [Indexed: 10/21/2022]
Abstract
Prenatal stress can have a lasting effect on women's mental health after childbirth. The negative effects may be particularly salient in women from low income and ethnic minority backgrounds, who are at increased risk for postpartum depression. However, social support may have the potential to attenuate the negative impact of stress. The present study evaluated 269 Mexican American women (ages 18-42; 83 % Spanish-speaking; median income $10,000-$15,000) for prenatal stress (daily hassles, family stress, partner stress, and culture-specific stress) in relation to depressive symptoms 6 weeks postpartum. Prenatal social support was examined as a buffer against the impact of prenatal stress. Partner stress, family stress, and daily hassles uniquely predicted depressive symptoms. Moderate and high levels of social support attenuated risk for depression due to family stressors. Prenatal interpersonal and daily stressors negatively impact the mental health of women after birth, but social support can mitigate some of these effects. Among Mexican American pregnant women, effective interpersonal support and stress management may be associated with reduced risk for postpartum depression.
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Affiliation(s)
- Shayna S Coburn
- Department of Psychology, Arizona State University, Tempe, AZ, USA.
- Division of Pulmonary and Critical Care Medicine, Johns Hopkins University School of Medicine, Baltimore, MD, USA.
| | - N A Gonzales
- Department of Psychology, Arizona State University, Tempe, AZ, USA
| | - L J Luecken
- Department of Psychology, Arizona State University, Tempe, AZ, USA
| | - K A Crnic
- Department of Psychology, Arizona State University, Tempe, AZ, USA
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Abstract
OBJECTIVES This study examined developmental antecedents to psychosocial traits in adulthood that have been linked in prior studies to increased risk of heart disease. The hypothesis was tested that early parental loss coupled with poor-quality family relationships (FR) during childhood would be associated with increased hostility and depression, and lower social support in adulthood. METHODS Participants included 30 university students who experienced the death of one parent before the age of 16, and 31 control participants. Questionnaires were completed measuring current social support, hostility, depression, and the quality of FR. RESULTS Multivariate analysis of variance (MANOVA) supported the hypothesis of maladaptive psychosocial characteristics in loss participants reporting poorer-quality FR. Significant interactions of loss and FR were found for individual variables of depressive symptoms, social support, and hostility. CONCLUSION These results provide evidence that parental loss in childhood is associated with health-damaging psychosocial characteristics in adulthood only if the quality of the surviving FR is poor.
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Affiliation(s)
- L J Luecken
- Behavioral Medicine Research Center, Duke University Medical Center, Durham, NC 27710, USA.
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Abstract
OBJECTIVE This study proposes to test the hypothesis that early loss of a parent, coupled with poor quality family relationships, would result in long-term increased cardiovascular and cortisol reactivity to stress. METHODS Subjects included 30 university students who lost one parent before age 16, and 31 control subjects. Blood pressure (BP) was measured continuously during 5-minute baseline and recovery periods, and during each of 2 tasks--viewing a 7-minute video clip depicting the death of a parent, and giving a 3-minute impromptu speech (1-hour rest between tasks). Salivary cortisol samples were collected immediately before each task, and at 5 and 20 minutes posttask. Quality of family relationships (FR) was measured using the Moos Family Environment Scale. RESULTS Repeated-measures analysis of covariance revealed significant main effects on BP of both parental loss and FR for both tasks (all p values < .05) such that subjects who lost a parent or reported poor quality FR showed higher BP across all periods. The loss by FR by period interaction was not significant. An FR by period interaction was found for cortisol during the movie, in which poor quality FR subjects showed increased cortisol, whereas all others showed decreases. A loss by period interaction was found for cortisol during the speech, in which cortisol increased in loss subjects and decreased in non-loss subjects. CONCLUSIONS These findings indicate that both childhood loss of a parent and poor quality of caretaking are associated with long-term increases in BP and altered neurohormonal responses to stress.
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Affiliation(s)
- L J Luecken
- Duke University Medical Center, Department of Psychiatry, Behavioral Medicine Research Center, Durham, North Carolina 27710, USA.
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Luecken LJ, Suarez EC, Kuhn CM, Barefoot JC, Blumenthal JA, Siegler IC, Williams RB. Stress in employed women: impact of marital status and children at home on neurohormone output and home strain. Psychosom Med 1997; 59:352-9. [PMID: 9251153 DOI: 10.1097/00006842-199707000-00003] [Citation(s) in RCA: 81] [Impact Index Per Article: 3.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [What about the content of this article? (0)] [Affiliation(s)] [Abstract] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Submit a Manuscript] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 02/05/2023]
Abstract
OBJECTIVE To evaluate the biological and psychological effects of role overload, we examined the effects of marital (or partnership) status and parental status (defined as having children at home) on daily excretion of urinary catecholamines and cortisol in a sample of 109 employed women. Other measures included work and home strain, and social support. METHODS Urine collection was conducted on two consecutive workdays in three separate aliquots, a) overnight, b) daytime, and c) evening. Repeated-measures analysis of covariance with age and caffeine consumption as covariates was conducted on levels of epinephrine, norepinephrine, and cortisol in the three aliquots averaged across the 2 days. RESULTS We found a significant main effect of parental status on 24-hour cortisol excretion, (p < .01) such that women with at least one child living at home excreted significantly more cortisol, independent of marital status or social support. Women with children at home also reported higher home strain (p < .001) but not work strain. A significant period of day effect for catecholamine levels was found (norepinephrine, p < .001; epinephrine, p < .0001) with all subjects showing an increase during the workday and little or no decline in levels during the evening. Catecholamine levels were unrelated to marital status, parental status, or social support. CONCLUSIONS These findings indicate that working women with children at home, independent of marital status or social support, excrete greater amounts of cortisol and experience higher levels of home strain than those without children at home.
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Affiliation(s)
- L J Luecken
- Department of Psychiatry, Behavioral Medicine Research Center, Durham, North Carolina, USA
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Abstract
Recent research has shown that presentations of an unconditioned aversive stimulus, such as electric shock, can induce alterations of immune function in rats. Furthermore, it has been demonstrated that an innocuous stimulus paired with an unconditioned aversive stimulus can acquire immunomodulatory properties. Research has suggested that endogenous opioid activity is responsible for the alterations of immune function by unconditioned aversive stimulation. The present study evaluated the effect of administration of opiate receptor antagonists, naltrexone and N-methylnaltrexone, on the immunomodulatory effect of a conditioned stimulus (CS) that had been paired with electric footshock. Naltrexone dose-dependently attenuated the CS-induced suppression of the in vitro proliferative response of splenic lymphocytes to concanavalin A, lipopolysaccharide, and a combination of ionomycin and phorbol myristate acetate. Naltrexone also attenuated the CS-induced reduction in natural-killer cell activity. In contrast, the quaternary form of naltrexone, N-methylnaltrexone, did not significantly attenuate the CS-induced immunomodulatory effects. Collectively, these findings indicate that endogenous opioid activity is involved in CS-induced alterations of immune function. Moreover, the lack of effectiveness of N-methylnaltrexone in attenuating the CS-induced immunomodulatory effect suggests that the opioid receptors involved in the effect are located in the central nervous system.
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Affiliation(s)
- D T Lysle
- Department of Psychology, University of North Carolina, Chapel Hill 27599-3270
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Abstract
This study investigates the role of beta-adrenergic receptors in the immunomodulatory effects of a conditioned aversive stimulus (CS). A CS is an environmental event that is not inherently aversive, but acquires aversive properties through pairings with a stimulus such as electric shock. This study evaluated the effects of administration of the beta 1-receptor selective antagonist atenolol, and the beta 2-receptor antagonist ICI 118,551 on conditioned immune alterations. Administration of either antagonist prior to presentation of the CS resulted in a dose-dependent attenuation of the CS-induced suppression of splenic T-cell proliferative response to concanavalin A, phytohemagglutinin, and the combination of ionomycin/phorbol-myristate-acetate. Furthermore, both antagonists dose-dependently attenuated the CS-induced suppression of gamma-interferon production by concanavalin-A (ConA)-stimulated splenocytes. In contrast, neither antagonist significantly attenuated the CS-induced suppression of the B-cell mitogenic response to LPS, interleukin-2 production, natural killer cell activity, or mitogenic responsiveness of blood lymphocytes. Thus it is likely that multiple mechanisms are involved in CS-induced immune alterations and these results clearly implicate beta 1 and beta 2-adrenergic receptors in a subset of immunomodulatory effects.
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Affiliation(s)
- L J Luecken
- Department of Psychology, University of North Carolina, Chapel Hill 27599-3270
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Abstract
The present study evaluated the effect of a conditioned aversive stimulus (CS) on the development of adjuvant-induced arthritis in Lewis rats. Experiment 1 showed that presentation of a CS, on days 12, 14, and 16 following injection with adjuvant containing mycobacterium tuberculosis, resulted in a pronounced suppression of the development of arthritis as measured by a clinical disease severity rating scale and spleen weight. In contrast, presentation of the CS on days 0, 2, and 4 following injection did not have any effect on the development of arthritis. Experiment 2 showed that the suppression of adjuvant arthritis by exposure to the CS was blocked by administration of propranolol, a nonselective beta-adrenergic receptor antagonist. These results demonstrate that a CS can alter the development of adjuvant-induced arthritis, but the effect is dependent upon the timing of the antigen exposure and the presentation of the CS. Moreover, the present findings suggest that blocking beta-adrenergic receptors during presentations of the CS prevents the suppressive effect of the CS.
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MESH Headings
- Animals
- Arthritis, Experimental/immunology
- Arthritis, Experimental/prevention & control
- Arthritis, Experimental/psychology
- Avoidance Learning/physiology
- Conditioning, Classical
- Electroshock
- Immune Tolerance/physiology
- Male
- Propranolol/pharmacology
- Psychoneuroimmunology
- Rats
- Rats, Inbred Lew/immunology
- Rats, Inbred Lew/physiology
- Rats, Inbred Lew/psychology
- Receptors, Adrenergic, beta/drug effects
- Receptors, Adrenergic, beta/physiology
- Severity of Illness Index
- Spleen/pathology
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Affiliation(s)
- D T Lysle
- Department of Psychology, University of North Carolina, Chapel Hill 27599-3270
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