Laura A McGuinn1, Marcela Tamayo-Ortiz2, Maria José Rosa3, Homero Harari3, Erika Osorio-Valencia4, Lourdes Schnaas4, Carmen Hernandez-Chavez4, Rosalind J Wright5, Daniel N Klein6, Martha Maria Téllez-Rojo7, Robert O Wright3. 1. Department of Environmental Medicine and Public Health, Icahn School of Medicine at Mount Sinai, New York, NY, USA. Electronic address: laura.mcguinn@mssm.edu. 2. Occupational Health Research Unit, Mexican Institute of Social Security (IMSS), Mexico City, Mexico. 3. Department of Environmental Medicine and Public Health, Icahn School of Medicine at Mount Sinai, New York, NY, USA. 4. National Institute of Perinatology, Mexico City, Mexico. 5. Department of Environmental Medicine and Public Health, Icahn School of Medicine at Mount Sinai, New York, NY, USA; Kravis Children's Hospital, Department of Pediatrics, Division of Pediatric Pulmonology, Icahn School of Medicine at Mount Sinai, New York, NY, USA. 6. Department of Psychology, Stony Brook University, Stony Brook, NY, USA. 7. Center for Nutrition and Health Research, National Institute of Public Health, Cuernavaca, Morelos, Mexico.
Abstract
BACKGROUND: The etiology of child and adolescent anxiety remains poorly understood. Although several previous studies have examined associations between prenatal maternal psychological functioning and infant and child health outcomes, less is known about the impact of maternal anxiety specific to pregnancy and cortisol during pregnancy on childhood anxiety outcomes. METHODS: Participants included 496 mother-child pairs from the PROGRESS longitudinal birth cohort in Mexico City. Anxiety symptoms were assessed at age 8-11 years during 2018-2019 using the Revised Children's Manifest Anxiety Scale. Pregnancy-specific anxiety was assessed using an expanded version of the Pregnancy Anxiety Scale. Maternal biological stress response during pregnancy was assessed using salivary cortisol measures (area under the curve, cortisol awakening response, and diurnal slope). Linear regression models were used to estimate associations between maternal anxiety and cortisol in relation to continuous child anxiety symptom T-scores. Models were adjusted for maternal age, socioeconomic status, child sex and age, and gestational age at saliva collection. RESULTS: We found that higher levels of pregnancy-specific anxiety in the mother were associated with higher anxiety symptoms in the child (β: 1.30, 95% CI: 0.19, 2.41). We additionally observed an association between higher maternal total cortisol output during pregnancy and higher anxiety symptoms in the child (β: 1.13, 95% CI: 0.25, 2.01). DISCUSSION: These findings highlight the importance of screening for maternal pregnancy-specific anxiety and the need to identify interventions and support for mothers during pregnancy in order to promote healthy outcomes for mothers and their children.
BACKGROUND: The etiology of child and adolescent anxiety remains poorly understood. Although several previous studies have examined associations between prenatal maternal psychological functioning and infant and child health outcomes, less is known about the impact of maternal anxiety specific to pregnancy and cortisol during pregnancy on childhood anxiety outcomes. METHODS: Participants included 496 mother-child pairs from the PROGRESS longitudinal birth cohort in Mexico City. Anxiety symptoms were assessed at age 8-11 years during 2018-2019 using the Revised Children's Manifest Anxiety Scale. Pregnancy-specific anxiety was assessed using an expanded version of the Pregnancy Anxiety Scale. Maternal biological stress response during pregnancy was assessed using salivary cortisol measures (area under the curve, cortisol awakening response, and diurnal slope). Linear regression models were used to estimate associations between maternal anxiety and cortisol in relation to continuous child anxiety symptom T-scores. Models were adjusted for maternal age, socioeconomic status, child sex and age, and gestational age at saliva collection. RESULTS: We found that higher levels of pregnancy-specific anxiety in the mother were associated with higher anxiety symptoms in the child (β: 1.30, 95% CI: 0.19, 2.41). We additionally observed an association between higher maternal total cortisol output during pregnancy and higher anxiety symptoms in the child (β: 1.13, 95% CI: 0.25, 2.01). DISCUSSION: These findings highlight the importance of screening for maternal pregnancy-specific anxiety and the need to identify interventions and support for mothers during pregnancy in order to promote healthy outcomes for mothers and their children.
Authors: Julie D Flom; Yueh-Hsiu Mathilda Chiu; Marcela Tamayo-Ortiz; Lourdes Schnaas; Paul C Curtin; Rosalind J Wright; Robert O Wright; Martha M Téllez-Rojo; Maria José Rosa Journal: J Affect Disord Date: 2018-05-29 Impact factor: 4.839
Authors: Sherita Hill Golden; Brisa N Sánchez; Meihua Wu; Shivam Champaneri; Ana V Diez Roux; Teresa Seeman; Gary S Wand Journal: Psychoneuroendocrinology Date: 2013-07-26 Impact factor: 4.905
Authors: Megan Galbally; Stuart J Watson; Elisabeth F C van Rossum; Wai Chen; Edo Ronald de Kloet; Andrew J Lewis Journal: Psychol Med Date: 2020-06-29 Impact factor: 7.723
Authors: Line C Gjerde; Espen Moen Eilertsen; Ted Reichborn-Kjennerud; Tom A McAdams; Henrik Daae Zachrisson; Imac Maria Zambrana; Espen Røysamb; Kenneth S Kendler; Eivind Ystrom Journal: J Child Psychol Psychiatry Date: 2017-02-23 Impact factor: 8.982