Prenatal maternal mood is associated with altered diurnal cortisol in adolescence.
Title | Prenatal maternal mood is associated with altered diurnal cortisol in adolescence. |
Publication Type | Journal Article |
Year of Publication | 2013 |
Authors | O'Donnell K, Glover V, Jenkins J, Browne D, Ben-Shlomo Y, Golding J, O'Connor TG |
Journal | Psychoneuroendocrinology |
Volume | 38 |
Issue | 9 |
Pagination | 1630-8 |
Date Published | 2013 Sep |
ISSN | 1873-3360 |
Keywords | Adolescent, Affect, Anxiety, Circadian Rhythm, Depression, Female, Follow-Up Studies, Humans, Hydrocortisone, Hypothalamo-Hypophyseal System, Pituitary-Adrenal System, Pregnancy, Pregnancy Complications, Prenatal Exposure Delayed Effects, Saliva, Sampling Studies, Secretory Rate, Severity of Illness Index, Socioeconomic Factors, Wakefulness |
Abstract | BACKGROUND: Experimental animal work shows that prenatal stress has a persisting effect on the hypothalamic-pituitary-adrenal (HPA) axis of offspring. The implications of these findings for human health and development are not yet clear.METHODS: The data are based on the ALSPAC cohort, a prospective longitudinal study of a community sample that has followed mothers and children from pregnancy. When the children were aged 15 years, diurnal cortisol samples were collected at wake-up, 30 min post-awakening and at afternoon and evening times on up to three consecutive days on n=889 adolescents. Diurnal cortisol was predicted from prenatal anxiety and depression, obstetric, life-style, socio-demographic, and postnatal covariates.RESULTS: Multilevel model analysis indicated that maternal prenatal anxiety was associated with a modest alteration of diurnal cortisol, indexed by a reduced cortisol awakening response and flatter diurnal slope. The effects were independent of psychosocial and obstetric covariates and measures of maternal postnatal anxiety; effects were similar for prenatal maternal depression. There was no association between adolescent cortisol and paternal prenatal anxiety.CONCLUSIONS: There are small but persisting associations between maternal prenatal mood and diurnal cortisol in the child that persist into adolescence and may constitute a programming effect. |
DOI | 10.1016/j.psyneuen.2013.01.008 |
Alternate Journal | Psychoneuroendocrinology |
PubMed ID | 23433748 |
PubMed Central ID | PMC3695029 |
Grant List | R01 MH073842 / MH / NIMH NIH HHS / United States 092731 / / Wellcome Trust / United Kingdom 74882 / / Medical Research Council / United Kingdom 076467 / / Wellcome Trust / United Kingdom G9815508 / / Medical Research Council / United Kingdom |