Associations among Maternal Socioeconomic Status in Childhood and Pregnancy and Hair Cortisol in Pregnancy

Dysregulation of the maternal hypothalamic-pituitary-adrenal axis (HPAA) in pregnancy has been hypothesized to impact fetal development negatively, with potentially long-term consequences. Studies have linked prenatal exposure to disrupted cortisol levels in utero to numerous maladaptive outcomes across the lifespan, including poor fetal physical development and child health problems; disrupted HPAA functioning; cortical thinning evident into childhood; poorer cognitive and motor development; elevated negative affectivity and difficult temperament in infancy and toddlerhood; greater emotional and behavior problems in childhood; and increased risk for posttraumatic stress disorder in adulthood (Brand et al., 2006; Davis et al., 2007; Davis et al., 2013; de Weerth et al., 2003; Enlow et al., 2017; Field and Diego, 2008; Zijlmans et al., 2015).

Source: Psychoneuroendocrinology - September 13, 2018 Category: Psychiatry Authors: Michelle Bosquet Enlow, Georgios Sideridis, Yueh-Hsiu Mathilda Chiu, Farida Nentin, Elizabeth A. Howell, Blake A. Le Grand, Rosalind J. Wright Source Type: research