Pamela Scorza1,2, Emily C Merz3, Marisa Spann4, Emily Steinberg5, Tianshu Feng6, Seonjoo Lee4,6, Elizabeth Werner4, Bradley S Peterson7,8,9, Catherine Monk4,6,10. 1. Department of Psychiatry, Columbia University Medical Center, New York, NY, USA. pls2122@cumc.columbia.edu. 2. New York State Psychiatric Institute, New York, NY, USA. pls2122@cumc.columbia.edu. 3. Department of Psychology, Colorado State University, 0000- 0003-1950-2345, Fort Collins, CO, USA. 4. Department of Psychiatry, Columbia University Medical Center, New York, NY, USA. 5. Department of Psychology, Fordham University, New York, NY, USA. 6. New York State Psychiatric Institute, New York, NY, USA. 7. Department of Pediatrics, Children's Hospital Los Angeles, University of Southern California, Los Angeles, CA, USA. 8. Division of Child and Adolescent Psychiatry, Keck School of Medicine, University of Southern California, Los Angeles, CA, USA. 9. Institute for the Developing Mind, Children's Hospital Los Angeles, Los Angeles, CA, USA. 10. Department of Obstetrics and Gynecology, Columbia University Medical Center, New York, NY, USA.
Abstract
BACKGROUND: Maternal prenatal stress is associated with worse socio-emotional outcomes in offspring throughout childhood. However, the association between prenatal stress and later caregiving sensitivity is not well understood, despite the significant role that caregiving quality plays in child socio-emotional development. The goal of this study was to examine whether dimensions of pregnancy-specific stress are correlated with observer-based postnatal maternal caregiving sensitivity in pregnant adolescents. METHODS: Healthy, nulliparous pregnant adolescents (n = 244; 90 % LatinX) reported on their pregnancy-specific stress using the Revised Prenatal Distress Questionnaire (NuPDQ). Of these 244, 71 participated in a follow-up visit at 14 months postpartum. Videotaped observations of mother-child free play interactions at 14 months postpartum were coded for maternal warmth and contingent responsiveness. Confirmatory factor analysis of the NuPDQ supported a three-factor model of pregnancy-specific stress, with factors including stress about the social and economic context, baby's health, and physical symptoms of pregnancy. RESULTS: Greater pregnancy-specific stress about social and economic context and physical symptoms of pregnancy was associated with reduced maternal warmth but not contingent responsiveness. CONCLUSIONS: Heightened maternal stress about the social and economic context of the perinatal period and physical symptoms of pregnancy may already signal future difficulties in caregiving and provide an optimal opening for early parenting interventions.
BACKGROUND: Maternal prenatal stress is associated with worse socio-emotional outcomes in offspring throughout childhood. However, the association between prenatal stress and later caregiving sensitivity is not well understood, despite the significant role that caregiving quality plays in child socio-emotional development. The goal of this study was to examine whether dimensions of pregnancy-specific stress are correlated with observer-based postnatal maternal caregiving sensitivity in pregnant adolescents. METHODS: Healthy, nulliparous pregnant adolescents (n = 244; 90 % LatinX) reported on their pregnancy-specific stress using the Revised Prenatal Distress Questionnaire (NuPDQ). Of these 244, 71 participated in a follow-up visit at 14 months postpartum. Videotaped observations of mother-child free play interactions at 14 months postpartum were coded for maternal warmth and contingent responsiveness. Confirmatory factor analysis of the NuPDQ supported a three-factor model of pregnancy-specific stress, with factors including stress about the social and economic context, baby's health, and physical symptoms of pregnancy. RESULTS: Greater pregnancy-specific stress about social and economic context and physical symptoms of pregnancy was associated with reduced maternal warmth but not contingent responsiveness. CONCLUSIONS: Heightened maternal stress about the social and economic context of the perinatal period and physical symptoms of pregnancy may already signal future difficulties in caregiving and provide an optimal opening for early parenting interventions.
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