Prenatal stress and children's cortisol reaction to the first day of school
Abstract
Maternal prenatal stress has been found to be related to over-activity and/or dysregulation of the HPA-system in the offspring. These effects are more readily apparent in response to novel situations. The aim of the present report was to examine whether pregnancy stress predicted HPA-axis reactions of children to the first day of school after the summer break. Children of mothers with more prenatal stress were compared to those of mothers with less stress. Habituation was studied by comparisons between the first school day and a second school day a week later. Finally, cortisol levels at school were compared to those of a weekend day. The participants were 29 mother-child pairs (20 girls and nine boys, mean age 5.31 years, SD = 0.50). The children's cortisol levels were determined in saliva. Multilevel analysis (hierarchical linear modelling) was used to analyze the data. Both prenatal cortisol and pregnancy anxiety were related to the children's cortisol levels as a reaction to the first school day. Children whose mothers had higher levels of morning cortisol during pregnancy, and more fear of bearing a handicapped child showed higher levels of cortisol on school days. In addition, the circadian rhythm of cortisol on school days appeared to have a steeper slope as compared to that of the circadian curve on a weekend day.
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Prenatal exposure to maternal stress hormones is linked to temperamental reactivity and stress physiology, likely through epigenetic regulation of gene expression.
“prenatal exposure to maternal stress hormones is linked to temperamental reactivity and stress physiology, likely through epigenetic regulation of gene expression”
From The Adaptive Calibration Model of stress responsivity (2011) · cites this paper as Gutteling et al., 2005
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References 40 · Cited by 238
Research works printed but not linked: 1
- Vingerhoets, A.J.J.M., Jeninga, A.J. Menges, L.J., 1989. Het meten van chronische en alledaagse stressoren: Eerste onderzoekservaringen met de Alledaagse Problemen Lijst (APL)II [The measurement of daily hassles and chronic stressors: the development of the Everyday Problem Checklist (EPCL, Dutch: APL)]. Gedrag Gezond 17, pp. 10-17.
- Authors
- Gutteling, B. M., Weerth, C. D., & Buitelaar, J. K.
- Affiliations
- Radboud University Nijmegen (NL)
- Corresponding author
- Gutteling, Barbara M.
- Venue
- Psychoneuroendocrinology
- Publisher
- Elsevier BV
- Published
- 2005-07
- Volume
- 30
- Issue
- 6
- Pages
- 541-549
- ISSN
- 0306-4530 (ISSN-L)
- OpenAlex
- W2150987138
- Cited by
- 238
- References
- 40
- Citations by year
- 2025: 5 · 2024: 3 · 2023: 8 · 2022: 7 · 2021: 7 · 2020: 10 · 2019: 6 · 2018: 26 · 2017: 13 · 2016: 15 · 2015: 17 · 2014: 17 · 2013: 14 · 2012: 19
- FWCI
- 4.06
- Type
- journal article
- Language
- en
- Open access
- closed
- Locations
- Psychoneuroendocrinology (publishedVersion)
- PubMed (publishedVersion)
- Radboud Repository (Radboud University) (submittedVersion)
- Topics
- Life Sciences › Neuroscience › Behavioral Neuroscience › Stress Responses and Cortisol
- Health Sciences › Medicine › Public Health, Environmental and Occupational Health › Maternal Mental Health During Pregnancy and Postpartum
- Health Sciences › Medicine › Pediatrics, Perinatology and Child Health › Birth, Development, and Health
- Keywords
- prenatal stress, cortisol, hypothalamic-pituitary-adrenal axis, first day of school, children, habituation, circadian rhythm, salivary cortisol
- MeSH terms
- Adaptation, Physiological, Adaptation, Psychological, Child, Child Behavior, Child, Preschool, Circadian Rhythm, Female, Habituation, Psychophysiologic, Humans, Hydrocortisone, Hypothalamo-Hypophyseal System, Longitudinal Studies, Male, Pregnancy, Prenatal Exposure Delayed Effects, Saliva, Schools, Stress, Physiological, Temperament, Linear Models
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