Little research has examined the impact of maternal lifetime trauma exposure on infant temperament. We examined associations between maternal trauma history and infant negative affectivity and modification by prenatal cortisol exposure in a sociodemographically diverse sample of mother–infant dyads. During pregnancy, mothers completed measures of lifetime trauma exposure and current stressors. Third-trimester cortisol output was assessed from maternal hair. When infants were 6 months old, mothers completed the Infant Behavior Questionnaire-Revised. In analyses that controlled for infant sex and maternal age, education, race/ethnicity, and stress during pregnancy, greater maternal trauma exposure was associated with increased infant distress to limitations and sadness. Higher and lower prenatal cortisol exposure modified the magnitude and direction of association between maternal trauma history and infant rate of recovery from arousal. The association between maternal trauma history and infant distress to limitations was somewhat stronger among infants exposed to higher levels of prenatal cortisol. The analyses suggested that maternal lifetime trauma exposure is associated with several domains of infant negative affectivity independently of maternal stress exposures during pregnancy and that some of these associations may be modified by prenatal cortisol exposure. The findings have implications for understanding the intergenerational impact of trauma exposure on child developmental outcomes.

Prenatal stress and prenatal nutrition each have demonstrable impact on fetal development, with implications for child neurodevelopment and behavior. However, few studies have examined their joint influences despite evidence of potential interactive effects. We examined associations among prenatal stress, prenatal antioxidant intakes, and child temperament in a sociodemographically diverse pregnancy cohort (N=137 mother-child dyads). In mid-pregnancy, mothers completed an assessment of recent negative life events as a measure of prenatal stress and an assessment of prenatal diet. When the children were 30 months of age, mothers completed the Early Childhood Behavior Questionnaire-Very Short form, which provides scores on child Negative Affectivity, Effortful Control, and Surgency/Extraversion. Linear regressions tested associations between maternal prenatal negative life events and child temperament and effect modification by maternal prenatal antioxidant intakes (vitamins A, C, and E, magnesium, zinc, selenium, beta-carotene). Analyses revealed that increased maternal prenatal negative life events were associated with higher child Negative Affectivity (β=0.08, P=0.009) but not with child Effortful Control (β= −0.03, P=0.39) or Surgency/Extraversion (β=0.04, P=0.14). Prenatal intakes of zinc and selenium modified this effect: Maternal exposure to prenatal negative life events was associated with higher child Negative Affectivity in the presence of lower intakes of zinc and selenium. Modification effects approached significance for vitamins A and C. The results suggest that the combination of elevated stress exposures and lower antioxidant intakes in pregnancy increases the likelihood of heightened child temperamental negative affectivity. Increased antioxidant intakes during pregnancy may protect against influences of prenatal stress on child temperament.

Objective Traumatic stressors, including child abuse and/or interpersonal violence over a woman’s lifecourse, can affect the health of her children. This study examines associations between maternal lifetime interpersonal trauma (IPT) and children’s asthma by age six years (N=857). Methods Pregnant women completed the Revised Conflict Tactics Scale; IPT exposure was categorized as unexposed (55%), early (childhood and/or teen years only, 25%), late (adulthood and/or index pregnancy, 7%), and chronic (early and late, 13%). Clinician-diagnosed asthma in children was reported by mothers at each follow-up visit until the child reached age 6 years. We examined effects of maternal IPT categories and child’s asthma using logistic regression. Using structural equation models, we also examined indirect relationships between maternal chronic IPT and child asthma operating through active asthma in pregnancy, pre-pregnancy BMI, prenatal smoking, and/or increased exposure to other adverse life events or environmental toxins prenatally. Effect modification by the child’s sex was examined. Results Mothers were primarily Hispanic (55%) or Black (30%) with < high school education (62%). In logistic regression models, chronic maternal IPT (compared to unexposed) was associated with asthma in boys (OR=2.87; 95% CI, 1.48–5.57) but not girls (OR=0.69; 95% CI 0.23–2.12) (pinteraction=0.042). In SEMs, chronic IPT was associated with maternal active asthma in pregnancy (β=0.59, p<0.001); maternal active asthma was associated with children’s asthma (β=0.20, p=0.009); and the total indirect effect for this path was significant (β=0.12, p=0.031). Associations were most evident among boys. Conclusions Mothers’ history of chronic interpersonal trauma was associated with asthma in boys. This association was mediated through active maternal asthma in pregnancy.

Context Glucocorticoid (GC) exposure increases food intake, but the mechanisms in humans are not known. Investigation of appetite and food craving has not been done in patients with chronic GC exposure due to Cushing’s disease (CD), either before or after treatment, and could provide insight into mechanisms of food intake and obesity in these patients. Purpose To examine whether surgical remission of CD changes appetite (prospective consumption, hunger, satisfaction, and fullness) and food cravings (sweet, salty, fatty, and savory); and to identify predictors of appetite and craving in CD remission. Methods 30 CD patients, mean age 40.0 yr. (range 17–70), mean BMI 32.3 ± 6.4, were prospectively studied before and at a mean of 17.4 mo. after remission. At each visit fasting and post-test meal (50% carbohydrate, 35% protein, 15% fat) appetite and craving scores were assessed. Results Remission decreased prospective consumption, sweet and savory craving (p<0.05), but did not change hunger, satisfaction, fullness, or fat craving, despite decreases in BMI and fat mass. In CD remission, serum cortisol predicted lower satisfaction and fullness, and masses of abdominal fat depots predicted higher hunger and consumption (p<0.05). Conclusions Chronic GC exposure in CD patients may stimulate the drive to eat by enhancing craving, rather than regulating the sensation of hunger. Continued alterations in appetite regulation due to abdominal fat mass and circulating cortisol could play a role in the cardiovascular and metabolic risk that has been reported in CD patients despite remission.

Background:The autonomic nervous system plays a key role in maintaining homeostasis and responding to external stimuli. In adults, exposure to fine particulate matter (PM2.5) has been associated with reduced heart rate variability (HRV), an indicator of cardiac autonomic control.Objectives:Our goal was to investigate the associations of exposure to fine particulate matter (PM2.5) with HRV as an indicator of cardiac autonomic control during early development.Methods:We studied 237 maternal–infant pairs in a Boston-based birth cohort. We estimated daily residential PM2.5 using satellite data in combination with land-use regression predictors. In infants at 6 months of age, we measured parasympathetic nervous system (PNS) activity using continuous electrocardiogram monitoring during the Repeated Still-Face Paradigm, an experimental protocol designed to elicit autonomic reactivity in response to maternal interaction and disengagement. We used multivariable linear regression to examine average PM2.5 exposure across pregnancy in relation to PNS withdrawal and activation, indexed by changes in respiration-corrected respiratory sinus arrhythmia (RSAnormalc)—an established metric of HRV that reflects cardiac vagal tone. We examined interactions with infant sex using cross-product terms.Results:In adjusted models we found that a 1-unit increase in PM2.5 (in micrograms per cubic meter) was associated with a 3.53% decrease in baseline RSAnormalc (95% CI: −6.96, 0.02). In models examining RSAnormalc change between episodes, higher PM2.5 was generally associated with reduced PNS withdrawal during stress and reduced PNS activation during recovery; however, these associations were not statistically significant. We did not observe a significant interaction between PM2.5 and sex.Discussion:Prenatal exposure to PM2.5 may disrupt cardiac vagal tone during infancy. Future research is needed to replicate these preliminary findings. https://doi.org/10.1289/EHP4434

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Background: The postpartum hospital stay is a unique opportunity for clinicians to educate parents on the importance of promoting early child development. Pediatricians are well positioned to address both medical and developmental concerns during critical periods of development, yet very few parenting interventions are led by pediatricians. Aims: To assess the impact of a novel one-hour long pediatrician-led Newborn Class on maternal knowledge, confidence, and anxiety. Methods: We conducted a nonrandomized controlled trial to evaluate the effectiveness of the Newborn Class. First-time mothers who delivered a full-term singleton vaginally with no major complications and attended the class were recruited. Mothers who expressed a desire to attend the class but were discharged before a class was offered served as controls. Outcome measures: Maternal self-perceived anxiety and confidence were measured using standardized scales (State-Trait Anxiety Inventory for Adults and Karitane Parenting Confidence Scale). Knowledge on newborn care was assessed using a novel scale. Results: A total of 84 participants (intervention n=36, control n=48) were included in the study. Mothers who attended class showed significantly higher levels of knowledge compared to the control group as well as significantly higher parenting confidence levels. No change was observed in the overall level of anxiety. Conclusions: A short pediatrician-led parenting intervention can be an effective tool in improving maternal confidence and newborn care knowledge. Given the importance of the newborn period in establishing healthy developmental trajectories, this cost-and timeeffective intervention could be widely implemented to promote early strong mother-infant relationships that foster healthy development.