Maternal childhood adversity and infant epigenetic aging: Moderation by restless sleep during pregnancy

Abstract

Maternal exposure to childhood adversity is associated with detrimental health outcomes throughout the life span and may have implications for offspring. Evidence links maternal adverse childhood experiences (ACEs) to detrimental birth outcomes, yet the impact on the infant's epigenome is unclear. Moreover, maternal sleep habits during pregnancy may influence this association. Here, we explore whether restless sleep during pregnancy moderates the association between exposure to maternal childhood adversity and infant epigenetic age acceleration in 332 mother–infant dyads (56% female; 39% Black; 25% Hispanic). During the second trimester, mothers self‐reported childhood adversity and past‐week restless sleep; DNA methylation from umbilical vein endothelial cells was used to estimate five epigenetic clocks. Multivariable linear regression was used to test study hypotheses. Despite no evidence of main effects, there was evidence of an interaction between maternal ACEs and restless sleep in predicting infant epigenetic age acceleration using the EPIC gestational age clock. Only infants whose mothers reported exposure to both ACEs and restless sleep demonstrated accelerated epigenetic aging. Results provide preliminary evidence that maternal childhood adversity and sleep may influence the infant epigenome.