Cited by 472Birth, Development, and HealthStress Responses and CortisolMaternal Mental Health During Pregnancy and Postpartum

Prenatal maternal stress programs infant stress regulation

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Davis, Elysia Poggi, Glynn, Laura M., Waffarn, Feizal, Sandman, Curt A.·2011·Journal of Child Psychology and Psychiatry

Abstract

Objective: Prenatal exposure to inappropriate levels of glucocorticoids (GCs) and maternal stress are putative mechanisms for the fetal programming of later health outcomes. The current investigation examined the influence of prenatal maternal cortisol and maternal psychosocial stress on infant physiological and behavioral responses to stress. Methods: The study sample comprised 116 women and their full term infants. Maternal plasma cortisol and report of stress, anxiety and depression were assessed at 15, 19, 25, 31 and 36 + weeks’ gestational age. Infant cortisol and behavioral responses to the painful stress of a heel‐stick blood draw were evaluated at 24 hours after birth. The association between prenatal maternal measures and infant cortisol and behavioral stress responses was examined using hierarchical linear growth curve modeling. Results: A larger infant cortisol response to the heel‐stick procedure was associated with exposure to elevated concentrations of maternal cortisol during the late second and third trimesters. Additionally, a slower rate of behavioral recovery from the painful stress of a heel‐stick blood draw was predicted by elevated levels of maternal cortisol early in pregnancy as well as prenatal maternal psychosocial stress throughout gestation. These associations could not be explained by mode of delivery, prenatal medical history, socioeconomic status or child race, sex or birth order. Conclusions: These data suggest that exposure to maternal cortisol and psychosocial stress exerts programming influences on the developing fetus with consequences for infant stress regulation.

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Crossref · 10.1111/j.1469-7610.2010.02314.x

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  • Salivary levels of cortisol in pregnant women are related to infant outcomes.

    “Importantly for the current study, salivary levels of cortisol in pregnant women do not appear associated with concurrent self-reported stress (Voegtline et al., 2013) but are, nevertheless, related to infant outcomes (Davis, Glynn, Waffarn, & Sandman, 2011).”

    From Couples becoming parents: Trajectories for psychological distress and buffering effects of social support (2020) · cites this paper as Davis, Glynn, Waffarn, & Sandman, 2011

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Authors
Davis, E. P., Glynn, L. M., Waffarn, F., & Sandman, C. A.
Affiliations
  • University of California, Irvine (US)
  • Chapman University (US)
Corresponding author
Davis, Elysia Poggi
Venue
Journal of Child Psychology and Psychiatry
Publisher
Wiley
Published
2010-09-20
Volume
52
Issue
2
Pages
119-129
ISSN
  • 0021-9630 (ISSN-L)
  • 1469-7610
OpenAlex
W2128337375
Cited by
472
References
70
Citations by year
2026: 7 · 2025: 18 · 2024: 35 · 2023: 24 · 2022: 39 · 2021: 26 · 2020: 35 · 2019: 30 · 2018: 34 · 2017: 35 · 2016: 33 · 2015: 39 · 2014: 26 · 2013: 36 · 2012: 35
FWCI
26.36
Type
journal article
Language
en
Open access
Locations
  • Journal of Child Psychology and Psychiatry (publishedVersion)
  • PubMed (publishedVersion)
  • Europe PMC (PubMed Central) (acceptedVersion)
  • PubMed Central (acceptedVersion)
  • Chapman University Digital Commons (Chapman University) (submittedVersion)
  • eScholarship (California Digital Library) (submittedVersion)
Funders
  • National Institutes of Health
  • National Institute of Neurological Disorders and Stroke (NS-41298;, R01NS041298)
  • Eunice Kennedy Shriver National Institute of Child Health and Human Development (HD-50662, R01HD065823, R01HD050662)
Topics
  • Health Sciences › Medicine › Pediatrics, Perinatology and Child Health › Birth, Development, and Health
  • 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
Keywords
prenatal stress, maternal cortisol, glucocorticoid exposure, fetal programming, psychosocial stress, developmental origins of health and disease
MeSH terms
Adult, Anxiety, Depression, Female, Gestational Age, Glucocorticoids, Humans, Hydrocortisone, Infant, Newborn, Male, Mothers, Pregnancy, Prenatal Exposure Delayed Effects, Saliva, Stress, Psychological

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