title: The effects of childhood sexual abuse on cortisol trajectories in pregnancy are moderated by current family functioning.
abstract: The goal of this study was to understand the roles of maternal history of childhood sexual abuse (CSA) and current family functioning on the cortisol awakening response (CAR) in pregnancy. Participants were 185 pregnant women (ages 18-40) who completed items from the Adverse Childhood Experiences scale to measure child maltreatment history and the Family Assessment Device to measure current family functioning. Participants provided saliva samples at wake-up and 30min after wake-up at 25, 29, and 35 weeks gestation to measure CAR. A moderation effect was found such that participants with more severe CSA histories and poorer perceived family functioning had increasing CAR in pregnancy compared to participants with less severe CSA histories and better family functioning. These findings highlight the importance of considering stress in both childhood and current environments in predicting maternal cortisol in pregnancy.
authors.affiliation: Centers for Behavioral and Preventive Medicine, The Miriam Hospital, Department of Psychiatry and Human Behavior, Alpert Medical School, Brown University, Providence, RI, USA. Electronic address: mbublitz@lifespan.org.
authors.forename: Margaret H
authors.initials: MH
authors.lastname: Bublitz
authors.affiliation: Bradley Research Center, E.P. Bradley Hospital, Department of Psychiatry and Human Behavior, Alpert Medical School, Brown University, Providence, RI, USA.
authors.forename: Stephanie
authors.initials: S
authors.lastname: Parade
authors.affiliation: Centers for Behavioral and Preventive Medicine, The Miriam Hospital, Department of Psychiatry and Human Behavior, Alpert Medical School, Brown University, Providence, RI, USA.
authors.forename: Laura R
authors.initials: LR
authors.lastname: Stroud
mesh_terms: D000293:Adolescent; D000328:Adult; D054523:Adult Survivors of Child Abuse / Q000523:psychology*; D005190:Family / Q000523:psychology*; D005260:Female; D006801:Humans; D006854:Hydrocortisone / Q000032:analysis*; D011247:Pregnancy; D012463:Saliva / Q000737:chemistry; D012742:Sex Offenses / Q000523:psychology*; D013315:Stress, Psychological / Q000503:physiopathology* / Q000523:psychology; D014851:Wakefulness / Q000502:physiology; D055815:Young Adult
chemical_list: D006854:Hydrocortisone
keywords: Childhood sexual abuse; Cortisol awakening response; Family functioning; Pregnancy