Browsing by Author "Bryce, Crystal I."

Now showing 1 - 1 of 1
  • Thumbnail Image
    ItemOpen Access
    Biological embedding of perinatal social relationships in infant stress reactivity
    (Wiley, 2017-02-21) Thomas, Jenna C.; Letourneau, Nicole Lyn; Bryce, Crystal I.; Campbell, Tavis S.; Giesbrecht, G. F.; APrON Study Team
    Whereas significant advances have been made in understanding how exposure to early adversity "gets under the skin" of children to result in long-term changes in developmental outcomes, the processes by which positive social relationships become biologically-embedded remain poorly understood. The aim of this study was to understand the pathways by which maternal and infant social environments become biologically-embedded in infant cortisol reactivity. Two hundred seventy-two pregnant women and their infants were prospectively assessed during pregnancy and at 6 months postpartum. In serial mediation analyses, higher perceived social support from partners during pregnancy was associated with lower infant cortisol reactivity or larger decreases in cortisol in response to a stressor at 6 months of age via lower self-reported prenatal maternal depression and higher mother-infant interaction quality. The findings add to our understanding of how perinatal social relationships become biologically-embedded in child development.