title: Biological embedding of perinatal social relationships in infant stress reactivity.
abstract: 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.
authors.affiliation: Department of Psychology, University of Calgary, Calgary, Alberta, Canada.|Alberta Children's Hospital Research Institute, University of Calgary, Calgary, Alberta, Canada.
authors.forename: Jenna C
authors.initials: JC
authors.lastname: Thomas
authors.affiliation: Alberta Children's Hospital Research Institute, University of Calgary, Calgary, Alberta, Canada.|Faculties of Nursing and Medicine (Pediatrics and Psychiatry), University of Calgary, Calgary, Alberta, Canada.|Department of Pediatrics and Community Health Sciences, University of Calgary, Calgary, Alberta, Canada.
authors.forename: Nicole
authors.initials: N
authors.lastname: Letourneau
authors.affiliation: T. Denny Sanford School of Social and Family Dynamics, Arizona State University, Tempe, Arizona.
authors.forename: Crystal I
authors.initials: CI
authors.lastname: Bryce
authors.affiliation: Department of Psychology, University of Calgary, Calgary, Alberta, Canada.
authors.forename: Tavis S
authors.initials: TS
authors.lastname: Campbell
authors.affiliation: Alberta Children's Hospital Research Institute, University of Calgary, Calgary, Alberta, Canada.|Faculties of Nursing and Medicine (Pediatrics and Psychiatry), University of Calgary, Calgary, Alberta, Canada.
authors.forename: Gerald F
authors.initials: GF
authors.lastname: Giesbrecht
mesh_terms: D000328:Adult; D002657:Child Development / Q000502:physiology*; D003863:Depression / Q000523:psychology*; D005260:Female; D006801:Humans; D006854:Hydrocortisone / Q000378:metabolism*; D007223:Infant; D008297:Male; D009034:Mother-Child Relations / Q000523:psychology*; D011247:Pregnancy; D011297:Prenatal Exposure Delayed Effects / Q000523:psychology*; D012931:Social Environment; D012944:Social Support; D018454:Spouses / Q000523:psychology*; D013315:Stress, Psychological / Q000523:psychology*; D055815:Young Adult
chemical_list: D006854:Hydrocortisone
keywords: biological embedding; cortisol reactivity; mother-infant interaction quality; social support