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The role of maternal emotional states during pregnancy and early infancy on infant cortisol levels: A prospective study
Author(s) -
HernándezMartínez Carmen,
Voltas Moreso Nuria,
Arija Val Victoria,
Jardí Piñana Cristina,
Bedmar Carretero Cristina,
Canals Josefa
Publication year - 2019
Publication title -
infant and child development
Language(s) - English
Resource type - Journals
SCImago Journal Rank - 0.87
H-Index - 57
eISSN - 1522-7219
pISSN - 1522-7227
DOI - 10.1002/icd.2149
Subject(s) - psychopathology , psychology , anxiety , pregnancy , psychosocial , cortisol awakening response , feeling , prenatal stress , gestation , developmental psychology , medicine , clinical psychology , hydrocortisone , psychiatry , endocrinology , genetics , biology , social psychology
Cortisol plays an important role in human body functioning, stress response, and reactivity, and altered cortisol levels have been related to psychopathology throughout life. This study investigates several types of clinical and psychosocial prenatal, perinatal, and postnatal factors related to morning cortisol levels in 71 12‐month‐old infants. Several sociodemographic, obstetrical, environmental, and psychological predictors were taken into account. Regression models show that prenatal anxiety, type of birth, depressive symptoms at 6 months, and the mothers' feelings about the relationship with their child explain 32.9% of the variance in morning cortisol levels in 12‐month old infants. When sociodemographic, obstetrical, environmental, and psychological variables are taken into account, maternal emotional status and feelings about the mother–infant bonding are the most important factors that explain infant cortisol levels, which suggests that they should be included in obstetric and paediatric care routines to improve infant health. Highlights Cortisol has an important effect on human homeostasis, growth, neurodevelopment, stress response and reactivity; however, altered cortisol levels have been related to psychopathology throughout life. This study aims to investigate, prospectively from pregnancy, several types of clinical and psychosocial prenatal, perinatal and postnatal factors related to infant morning cortisol levels at 12 months. When several kind of factors are taken into account (prenatal life events, prenatal and postnatal nicotine exposure, gender, gestational age at birth, infant birth weight, parity, socioeconomic status, maternal psychopathology, breastfeeding status and anthropometry), prenatal anxiety, type of birth, postnatal depression and mothers' feelings about the relationship with their infant are the are the variables that better predict infant morning cortisol levels. Maternal emotional characteristics are the central axis for influencing the development of HPA axis. Healthcare professionals may pay more attention to the mother feelings and emotions along prenatal and postnatal infant development to promote infant mental health.