Developmental origins of infant stress reactivity profiles: A multi-system approach
Date
2016-03-08
Journal Title
Journal ISSN
Volume Title
Publisher
Wiley
Abstract
Background: This study tested the hypothesis that maternal physiological and psychological variables during pregnancy discriminate between theoretically informed infant stress reactivity profiles. Methods: The sample comprised 254 women and their infants. Maternal mood, salivary cortisol, respiratory sinus arrhythmia (RSA), and salivary α-amylase (sAA) were assessed at 15 and 32 weeks gestational age. Infant salivary cortisol, RSA, and sAA reactivity were assessed in response to a structured laboratory frustration task at 6-months of age. Infant responses were used to classify them into stress reactivity profiles using three different classification schemes: HPA-axis, autonomic, and multi-system. Discriminant function analyses evaluated the prenatal variables that best discriminated infant reactivity profiles within each classification scheme. Results: Maternal stress biomarkers, along with self-reported psychological distress during pregnancy discriminated between infant stress reactivity profiles. Conclusions: These results suggest that maternal psychological and physiological states during pregnancy have broad effects on the development of the infant stress response systems.
Description
Article deposited according to publisher policies: http://olabout.wiley.com/WileyCDA/Section/id-828039.html
Keywords
Fetal programming, Stress reactivity, salivary α-amylase, salivary cortisol, respiratory sinus arrthymia, psychological distress
Citation
Rash, J.A., Thomas, J.C., Campbell, T.S., Letourneau, N., Granger, D.A., *Giesbrecht, G.F. & the APrON Study Team. (2016). Developmental origins of infant stress reactivity profiles: A multi-systems approach. Developmental Psychobiology, 58(July), 578-599.