cortisol reactivity

Prospective Relations Between Prenatal Maternal Cortisol and Child Health Outcomes.

June 16, 2019 by IISBR

OBJECTIVE:

To investigate prospective, longitudinal associations between maternal prenatal cortisol response to an interpersonal stressor and child health over the subsequent three years.

METHODS:

123 women expecting their first child provided salivary cortisol samples between 12-32 weeks gestation (M=22.4±4.9 weeks) before and after a videotaped couple conflict discussion with their partner. Mothers reported on overall child health and several indicators of child illness (sick doctor visits, fevers, ear and respiratory infections) when children were 6 months (n=114), 1 (n=116) and 3 (n=105) years old. Associations between maternal prenatal cortisol reactivity and recovery and later child health at each of the three time points were analyzed using longitudinal regression models.

RESULTS:

Greater cortisol reactivity in response to the couple conflict discussion was associated with maternal self-report of better overall child health (p = 0.016, 95% CI = [0.06, 1.30], Cohen’s f = 0.045) across the study period. Greater cortisol reactivity was also associated with lower incidence rate ratios (IRRs) for maternal reports of sick doctor visits (IRR 95% CI = [0.25, 0.83], p = 0.006), fevers (CI = [0.25, 0.73], p = 0.002), ear infections (CI = [0.25, 0.58], p < 0.001), and respiratory infections (CI = [0.08, 1.11], p = 0.073). Cortisol recovery was unrelated to study outcomes (all ps > 0.05). Maternal prenatal depressive symptoms moderated the association between cortisol reactivity and overall child health (p = 0.034, 95% CI = [0.07, 1.87] for interaction term) but no other health outcomes (ps > 0.05). Among women with lower depressive symptoms, cortisol reactivity was not associated with overall child health; among women with higher levels of depressive symptoms, greater cortisol reactivity was associated with better overall child health.

CONCLUSIONS:

This study provides longitudinal evidence that greater maternal cortisol reactivity to a salient interpersonal stressor during pregnancy is associated with fewer child health problems and better maternal report of overall child health during infancy and into early childhood.

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Improving infants’ stress-induced cortisol regulation through attachment-based intervention: A randomized controlled trial.

March 3, 2019 by IISBR

Background: Attachment-based parenting interventions have shown positive effects on early cortisol regulation, a key biomarker. Evaluations to date have focused on diurnal cortisol production in high-risk infants. It is important to understand whether attachment-based intervention may also improve stress-induced cortisol production in typically developing infants. This randomized controlled trial tested an enhanced model of U.S. Early Head Start (EHS) services that combined home-based EHS with a brief, attachment-based parenting intervention, Attachment and Biobehavioral Catch-up (ABC). The trial included 153 low-income mothers and their infants (M age 12.4 months [SD = 4.1]). Control participants received home-based EHS plus 10 weekly books. Intent-to-treat analyses using multilevel models revealed a significant indirect intervention effect on infants’ rates of cortisol change in response to a series of mild stressors. The intervention increased maternal sensitivity, which in turn improved cortisol regulation, particularly infants’ rates of cortisol recovery. The findings illustrate the efficacy of EHS plus ABC for supporting infants’ stress-induced cortisol regulation and implicate sensitive maternal behavior as the underlying driver of the intervention effect. Findings are discussed in terms of the preventative value of attachment-based parenting interventions that improve both parenting and infants’ physiological regulation.

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Attachment-Related Regulatory Processes Moderate the Impact of Adverse Childhood Experiences on Stress Reaction in Borderline Personality Disorder.

February 24, 2018 by IISBR

Background:

In this study, the authors explored whether attachment insecurity moderates the effects of adverse childhood experiences on stress reactivity in the context of borderline personality disorder (BPD). Participants were 113 women (39 with BPD, 15 with some BPD criteria present, 59 without any BPD symptoms) who participated in the Trier Social Stress Test. Saliva samples were collected before and after the stressor and assayed for salivary alpha-amylase (sAA) and cortisol. Adverse childhood experiences were measured using the Childhood Trauma Questionnaire, and attachment by the Experiences in Close Relationships-Revised questionnaire. Results revealed that attachment avoidance and a combination of more adverse childhood experiences and attachment insecurity resulted in higher sAA levels and differences in reactivity to the stressor. Interactions between attachment anxiety and adverse childhood experiences were related to blunted cortisol reactivity. The results suggest that the influence of adverse childhood experiences on stress regulation in BPD may be moderated by attachment-related regulatory processes.

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Prenatal Drug Exposure and Adolescent Cortisol Reactivity: Association with Behavioral Concerns.

August 27, 2016 by IISBR

Background:
OBJECTIVE: To examine stress reactivity in a sample of adolescents with prenatal drug exposure (PDE) by examining the consequences of PDE on stress-related adrenocortical reactivity, behavioral problems, and drug experimentation during adolescence.

METHODS: Participants (76 PDE, 61 non-drug exposed [NE]; 99% African-American; 50% male; mean age = 14.17 yr, SD = 1.17) provided a urine sample, completed a drug use questionnaire, and provided saliva samples (later assayed for cortisol) before and after a mild laboratory stress task. Caregivers completed the Behavior Assessment System for Children, Second Edition (BASC II) and reported their relationship to the adolescent.

RESULTS: The NE group was more likely to exhibit task-related cortisol reactivity compared to the PDE group. Overall behavior problems and drug experimentation were comparable across groups with no differences between PDE and NE groups. In unadjusted mediation analyses, cortisol reactivity mediated the association between PDE and BASC II aggression scores (95% bootstrap confidence interval [CI], 0.04-4.28), externalizing problems scores (95% bootstrap CI, 0.03-4.50), and drug experimentation (95% bootstrap CI, 0.001-0.54). The associations remain with the inclusion of gender as a covariate but not when age is included.

CONCLUSION: Findings support and expand current research in cortisol reactivity and PDE by demonstrating that cortisol reactivity attenuates the association between PDE and behavioral problems (aggression) and drug experimentation. If replicated, PDE may have long-lasting effects on stress-sensitive physiological mechanisms associated with behavioral problems (aggression) and drug experimentation in adolescence.

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