title: Prenatal maternal distress seems to be associated with the infant's temperament and motor development: an explorative study.
abstract: According to the concept of fetal programming, prenatal distress has long-lasting consequences on the offspring's health later in life. The hypothalamic-pituitary-adrenal axis is considered a mediating system by which maternal distress is transferred to the fetus in intrauterine environment. In this longitudinal explorative study on 30 mother-child-dyads, reported maternal distress and salivary cortisol were collected during pregnancy. Infant temperament, motor and cognitive development were assessed at 16 months. Additionally, infant cortisol levels throughout the day and in reaction to a psycho-social stressor where measured. As expected, infants whose mothers had experienced higher prenatal distress expressed a more difficult temperament and lower fine motor development at 16 months. No association could be shown between prenatal maternal distress and infant salivary cortisol.
authors.affiliation: Institute of Medical Psychology and Medical Sociology, University Hospital of Schleswig-Holstein, Campus Kiel, Preußerstraße 1-9, 24105, Kiel, Germany. haselbeck@med-psych.uni-kiel.de.
authors.forename: Christin
authors.identifier: 0000-0002-4194-0141
authors.initials: C
authors.lastname: Haselbeck
authors.affiliation: Institute of Medical Psychology and Medical Sociology, University Hospital of Schleswig-Holstein, Campus Kiel, Preußerstraße 1-9, 24105, Kiel, Germany.
authors.forename: Uwe
authors.initials: U
authors.lastname: Niederberger
authors.affiliation: Department of General Paediatrics, University Hospital of Schleswig-Holstein, Campus Kiel, Schwanenweg 20, 24105, Kiel, Germany.
authors.forename: Alexandra
authors.initials: A
authors.lastname: Kulle
authors.affiliation: Institute of Medical Psychology and Medical Sociology, University Hospital of Schleswig-Holstein, Campus Kiel, Preußerstraße 1-9, 24105, Kiel, Germany.
authors.forename: Katharina
authors.initials: K
authors.lastname: Wache
authors.affiliation: Institute of Medical Psychology and Medical Sociology, University Hospital of Schleswig-Holstein, Campus Kiel, Preußerstraße 1-9, 24105, Kiel, Germany.
authors.forename: Ellen
authors.initials: E
authors.lastname: Brauner
authors.affiliation: Institute of Medical Psychology and Medical Sociology, University Hospital of Schleswig-Holstein, Campus Kiel, Preußerstraße 1-9, 24105, Kiel, Germany.
authors.forename: Merlin
authors.initials: M
authors.lastname: Gutermuth
authors.affiliation: Department of General Paediatrics, University Hospital of Schleswig-Holstein, Campus Kiel, Schwanenweg 20, 24105, Kiel, Germany.
authors.forename: Paul-Martin
authors.initials: PM
authors.lastname: Holterhus
authors.affiliation: Institute of Medical Psychology and Medical Sociology, University Hospital of Schleswig-Holstein, Campus Kiel, Preußerstraße 1-9, 24105, Kiel, Germany.
authors.forename: Wolf-Dieter
authors.initials: WD
authors.lastname: Gerber
authors.affiliation: Institute of Medical Psychology and Medical Sociology, University Hospital of Schleswig-Holstein, Campus Kiel, Preußerstraße 1-9, 24105, Kiel, Germany.
authors.forename: Michael
authors.initials: M
authors.lastname: Siniatchkin
mesh_terms: D000328:Adult; D002657:Child Development / Q000502:physiology*; D005260:Female; D006801:Humans; D006854:Hydrocortisone / Q000032:analysis; D007223:Infant; D008137:Longitudinal Studies; D008297:Male; D009048:Motor Skills / Q000502:physiology*; D011247:Pregnancy; D011297:Prenatal Exposure Delayed Effects; D011446:Prospective Studies; D012463:Saliva / Q000737:chemistry; D013315:Stress, Psychological / Q000150:complications*; D011795:Surveys and Questionnaires; D013694:Temperament / Q000502:physiology*
chemical_list: D006854:Hydrocortisone
keywords: Cortisol; Fetal programming; Infant development; Infant temperament; Prenatal distress