Maternal caregiving moderates the impact of antenatal maternal cortisol on infant stress regulation
Conflict of interest statement: No conflicts declared.
Abstract
Background
Emerging evidence suggests that antenatal exposure to maternal stress signals affects the development of the infant stress response systems. Animal studies indicate that maternal sensitive caregiving can reverse some of these effects. However, the generalizability of these findings to humans is unknown. This study investigated the role of maternal caregiving in the association between multiple markers of maternal antenatal stress and infant stress regulation.
Methods
The sample consisted of 94 mother-infant (N = 47 males, mean postnatal weeks = 12; SD = 1.84) dyads. Maternal levels of Interleukin-6, C-Reactive Protein (CRP), diurnal cortisol and alpha amylase, depressive and anxiety symptoms were assessed in late pregnancy (mean gestational age = 34.76; SD = 1.12), whereas postnatal symptomatology, caregiving, and infant cortisol response to the inoculation were evaluated at 3 months.
Results
Hierarchical linear models (HLMs) showed a significant interaction between maternal antenatal cortisol, caregiving, and time on infant cortisol reactivity, while controlling for gender, maternal age, and postnatal depression. Specifically, higher levels of maternal antenatal cortisol were associated with greater cortisol response only among infants of less emotionally available mothers. All other markers of antenatal stress were not significantly associated with infant cortisol reactivity either independently or in interaction with maternal caregiving.
Conclusions
Albeit preliminary, results provide the first evidence in humans that maternal sensitive caregiving may eliminate the association between antenatal maternal cortisol and infant cortisol regulation.
Open Research
Data availability statement
Key points
- Exposure to maternal stress signals during pregnancy is an emerging risk factor for the development of the infant stress response systems.
- Animal models indicate that early caregiving may buffer these effects, but the generalizability of these findings to human is unknown.
- We provided the first evidence for a buffering role of maternal emotional availability in the association between maternal antenatal cortisol levels and infant cortisol reactivity.
- Findings suggest that enhancing maternal sensitive caregiving, especially in situations of high stress in pregnancy, should be a key target of postnatal interventions. Further, they highlight the need to account for the role of variations in caregiving in future research, as they are likely to alter the unfolding of antenatal processes.
