Poster #10 - Diurnal cortisol patterns among pregnant women with and without opioid dependence

• In Event: Poster Session 03

Abstract

Pregnant women who use opioids disproportionately experience chronic stressors, such as poverty and trauma, compared to healthy pregnant women. Past research has shown mothers using opioids experience challenges in providing sensitive caregiving to their infants. One of the mechanisms potentially responsible could be dysregulation of the HPA axis. Differences in HPA axis functioning are important to examine because mothers’ biological regulation may interfere with their ability to provide sensitive caregiving, thereby posing risks to infants’ neural and psychosocial development.

The present study sought to address this question by examining the patterns of wake-to-bedtime salivary cortisol production among pregnant women (N=101) with or without opioid dependency (n=63 and 38, respectively) enrolled in MAT programs, across three consecutive days.

Hierarchical linear modeling with restricted maximum likelihood estimation was performed using R package “lme4” to fit the data. The hierarchical structure reflected two time points nested within each day, and three days nested within each subject. Predictors of interest included group, wake-to-bedtime, and their interaction term. Covariates included age, day, time of saliva collection, sickness, sleep quality, food, and medication intake. A significant wake-to-bedtime x group interaction emerged (t=-4.604, p<.001), with steeper slopes for mothers without opioid dependency.

The results suggest that pregnant women on MAT experience disruption to diurnal cortisol regulation. Future studies may examine the impact of diurnal cortisol dysregulation and mothers’ ability to provide sensitive caregiving to their children.

Authors

• Krupa Patel, University of Delaware
  Presenting Author

• Hung-Wei Bernie Chen, University of Delaware

• Marta Korom, University of Delaware

• Pablo Carrera, University of Delaware

• Mallory Leigh Garnett, University of Delaware

• Mary Dozier, University of Delaware