Dataset Information

Pandemic beyond the virus: maternal COVID-related postnatal stress is associated with infant temperament.

ABSTRACT:

Background

Studies have shown that infant temperament varies with maternal psychosocial factors, in utero illness, and environmental stressors. We predicted that the pandemic would shape infant temperament through maternal SARS-CoV-2 infection during pregnancy and/or maternal postnatal stress. To test this, we examined associations among infant temperament, maternal prenatal SARS-CoV-2 infection, maternal postnatal stress, and postnatal COVID-related life disruptions.

Methods

We tested 63 mother-infant dyads with prenatal maternal SARS-CoV-2 infections and a comparable group of 110 dyads without infections. To assess postnatal maternal stress, mothers completed the Perceived Stress Scale 4 months postpartum and an evaluation of COVID-related stress and life disruptions 6 months postpartum. Mothers reported on infant temperament when infants were 6-months-old using the Infant Behavior Questionnaire-Revised (IBQ-R) Very Short Form.

Results

Maternal SARS-CoV-2 infection during pregnancy was not associated with infant temperament or maternal postnatal stress. Mothers with higher self-reported postnatal stress rated their infants lower on the Positive Affectivity/Surgency and Orienting/Regulation IBQ-R subscales. Mothers who reported greater COVID-related life disruptions rated their infants higher on the Negative Emotionality IBQ-R subscale.

Conclusions

Despite no effect of prenatal maternal SARS-CoV-2 infection, stress and life disruptions incurred by the COVID-19 pandemic were associated with infant temperament at 6-months.

Impact

SARS-CoV-2 infection during pregnancy is not associated with postnatal ratings of COVID-related life disruptions, maternal stress, or infant temperament. Postnatal ratings of maternal stress during the COVID-19 pandemic are associated with normative variation in maternal report of infant temperament at 6 months of age. Higher postnatal ratings of maternal stress are associated with lower scores on infant Positive Affectivity/Surgency and Orienting/Regulation at 6 months of age. Higher postnatal ratings of COVID-related life disruptions are associated with higher scores on infant Negative Emotionality at 6 months of age.

SUBMITTER: Bianco C

PROVIDER: S-EPMC9020754 | biostudies-literature | 2022 Apr

REPOSITORIES: biostudies-literature

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Publications

Pandemic beyond the virus: maternal COVID-related postnatal stress is associated with infant temperament.

Bianco Catherine C Sania Ayesha A Kyle Margaret H MH Beebe Beatrice B Barbosa Jennifer J Bence Mary M Coskun Lerzan L Fields Andrea A Firestein Morgan R MR Goldman Sylvie S Hane Amie A Hott Violet V Hussain Maha M Hyman Sabrina S Lucchini Maristella M Marsh Rachel R Mollicone Isabelle I Myers Michael M Ofray Dayshalis D Pini Nicolo N Rodriguez Cynthia C Shuffrey Lauren C LC Tottenham Nim N Welch Martha G MG Fifer William W Monk Catherine C Dumitriu Dani D Amso Dima D

Pediatric research 20220420 1

<h4>Background</h4>Studies have shown that infant temperament varies with maternal psychosocial factors, in utero illness, and environmental stressors. We predicted that the pandemic would shape infant temperament through maternal SARS-CoV-2 infection during pregnancy and/or maternal postnatal stress. To test this, we examined associations among infant temperament, maternal prenatal SARS-CoV-2 infection, maternal postnatal stress, and postnatal COVID-related life disruptions.<h4>Methods</h4>We t ...[more]

PMID: 35444294

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Project description:BackgroundMaternal psychological stress during pregnancy, including stress resulting from disasters and trauma, has been linked to temperamental difficulties in offspring. Although heightened cortisol concentrations are often hypothesized as an underlying mechanism, evidence supporting this mechanism is not consistent, potentially because of methodological issues and low stress in the population.AimTo address these issues, this preregistered study investigated the following associations between: 1) prenatal psychological stress and hair cortisol, as a biomarker for chronic stress, during the COVID-19 outbreak (i.e., as a major worldwide psychological stressor), and 2) maternal hair cortisol during the COVID-19 outbreak and later infant temperamental negative affectivity and orienting/regulation. Additionally, we explored whether associations were different for women with low versus high socioeconomic status (SES; maternal education and annual household income) and at different stages of pregnancy.MethodPregnant women (N = 100) filled out online questionnaires during the first COVID-19 lockdown. Six months later, when most mothers were still pregnant or had just given birth, maternal hair samples were collected during home visits. When infants were six months old, mothers reported on their infant's temperament.ResultsAlthough hierarchical regression analyses revealed no associations between prenatal COVID-19 psychological stress and hair cortisol during the COVID-19 outbreak, SES proved to be a moderator in this association. Only pregnant women with higher levels of SES, not lower levels, showed a positive association between work-related and social support-related COVID-19 worries and hair cortisol. Finally, prenatal hair cortisol was not associated with later infant temperamental negative affectivity and orienting/regulation.ConclusionAlthough the COVID-19 outbreak proved to be a major psychological stressor worldwide, the physiological impact of the crisis might be different for pregnant women with higher SES as compared to lower SES.

Project description:BackgroundGene-environment interactions mediate through the placenta and shape the fetal brain development. Between the environmental determinants of the fetal brain, maternal psychosocial stress in pregnancy has been shown to negatively influence the infant temperament development. This in turn may have adverse consequences on the infant neurodevelopment extending throughout the entire life-span. However little is known about the underlying biological mechanisms of the effects of maternal psychosocial stress in pregnancy on infant temperament. Environmental stressors such as maternal psychosocial stress in pregnancy activate the stress response cascade that in turn drives the increase in the cellular energy demand of vital organs with high metabolic rates such as, in pregnancy, the placenta. Key players of the stress response cascade are the mitochondria.ResultsHere, we tested the expression of all 13 protein-coding genes encoded by the mitochondria in 108 placenta samples from the Stress in Pregnancy birth cohort, a study that aims at determining the influence of in utero exposure to maternal psychosocial stress in pregnancy on infant temperament. We showed that the expression of the protein-coding mitochondrial-encoded gene MT-ND2 was positively associated with indices of maternal psychosocial stress in pregnancy including Prenatal Perceived Stress (β = 0.259; p-regression = 0.004; r2-regression = 0.120), State Anxiety (β = 0.218; p-regression = 0.003; r2-regression = 0.153), Trait Anxiety (β = 0.262; p-regression = 0.003; r2-regression = 0.129) and Pregnancy Anxiety Total (β = 0.208; p-regression = 0.010; r2-regression = 0.103). In the meantime MT-ND2 was negatively associated with the infant temperament indices of Activity Level (β = -0.257; p-regression = 0.008; r2-regression = 0.165) and Smile and Laughter (β = -0.286; p-regression = 0.036; r2-regression = 0.082). Additionally, MT-ND6 was associated with the maternal psychosocial stress in pregnancy index of Prenatal Perceived Stress (β = -0.231; p-regression = 0.004; r2-regression = 0.120), while MT-CO2 was associated with the maternal psychosocial stress in pregnancy indices of State Anxiety (β = 0.206; p-regression = 0.003; r2-regression = 0.153) and Trait Anxiety (β = 0.205; p-regression = 0.003; r2-regression = 0.129).ConclusionsOur data support the role of mitochondria in responding to maternal psychosocial stress in pregnancy, as assessed in placenta, while also suggesting an important role for the mitochondria in the infant temperament development.

Dataset Information

Pandemic beyond the virus: maternal COVID-related postnatal stress is associated with infant temperament.

Background

Methods

Results

Conclusions

Impact

Publications

Pandemic beyond the virus: maternal COVID-related postnatal stress is associated with infant temperament.

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