3-209 - Maternal Traumatic Stress Before and During Pregnancy: Pathways to Offspring Development

Session Type: Paper Symposium

Integrative Statement

Although maternal traumatic stress, experienced before and during pregnancy, can have enduring effects on offspring outcomes, the underlying mechanisms are not well understood. Detecting factors that mediate and moderate these pathways is critical for identifying early prevention targets. This symposium brings together four studies investigating social and biological factors underlying the intergenerational transmission of traumatic stress from mothers to children. Paper 1 examined associations between preconception maternal posttraumatic stress and child cognitive and emotional outcomes, demonstrating that trauma symptoms before conception can have lasting effects on a range of preschooler outcomes. Paper 2 extends this model by examining whether prenatal anxiety mediates the effect of preconception trauma on offspring temperament and tested whether stress transmission pathways are heightened for women re-exposed to violence during pregnancy. To further differentiate patterns of intergenerational stress, including stress biomarkers, Paper 3 identified three latent profiles of prenatal stress based on ambulatory diaries and blood pressure assessment, fetal neurobehavioral monitoring, and biospecimens. Prenatal stress increased risk for premature birth, whereas social support during pregnancy was a discriminating factor between healthy, psychologically and physically stressed groups. Finally, extending into the postnatal period, Paper 4 examined the association between prenatal stress and infant cortisol levels, and identified mother-infant attachment as a protective moderator of infant outcomes. Together, these studies highlight the importance of considering the dynamic nature of stress exposure across preconception and prenatal periods and underscore the importance of social support during pregnancy and mother-infant attachment as critical buffers for interrupting the intergenerational transmission of stress.

Sub Unit

• Family Context & Processes

Chair

• Irene Tung, University of Pittsburgh

Individual Presentations

• Maternal PTSD Symptoms Prior to Conception Predict Poor Child Cognitive and Emotional Outcomes - Presenting Author: Danielle A Swales, Department of Psychology, University of Denver; Non-Presenting Author: Elysia Poggi Davis, University of Denver, University of California-Irvine; Non-Presenting Author: Christine M. Guardino, Dickinson College; Non-Presenting Author: Madeleine U. Shalowitz, NorthShore University Health System Research Institute; Non-Presenting Author: Sharon L. Ramey, Virginia Tech; Non-Presenting Author: Christine Dunkel Schetter, UCLA

• Maternal Traumatic Violence and Offspring Temperament: A Moderated Mediation Model of Stress Sensitization During Pregnancy - Presenting Author: Irene Tung, University of Pittsburgh; Non-Presenting Author: Kate Keenan, University of Chicago; Non-Presenting Author: Stephanie D. Stepp, University of Pittsburgh; Non-Presenting Author: Alison Hipwell, University of Pittsburgh

• Latent Profiles of Maternal Stress and Infant Outcomes: Effects on Gestational Age - Presenting Author: Kate Walsh, Ferkauf Graduate School of Psychology; Non-Presenting Author: Clare McCormack, Department of Psychiatry, Division of Behavioral Medicine, Columbia University Medical Center, New York; Non-Presenting Author: Seonjoo Lee, Mailman School of Public Health, Columbia University; Non-Presenting Author: Anita Pinto, Columbia University; Non-Presenting Author: Rachel Webster, Vagelos College of Physicians and Surgeons, Columbia University Medical Center; Non-Presenting Author: Catherine Monk, Columbia University

• Attachment Quality Buffers the Effect of Prenatal Stress Exposure on Infant Baseline Cortisol Levels - Presenting Author: Cecilia Martinez-Torteya, Universidad de Monterrey; Non-Presenting Author: Michelle A. Gilchrist, DePaul University; Non-Presenting Author: Alissa C Huth-Bocks, University Hospitals Cleveland Medical Center; Non-Presenting Author: Matthew Sorenson, DePaul University