Maternal PTSD Symptoms Prior to Conception Predict Poor Child Cognitive and Emotional Outcomes

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

Integrative Statement

Introduction: Maternal stress has been shown to have an adverse influence on child emotional and cognitive outcomes, however little is known regarding whether maternal stress prior to conception can shape child development. The present research explored whether preconception maternal experiences, specifically symptoms of traumatic stress, have a long-lasting impact on offspring outcomes. Hypotheses: We hypothesized that maternal posttraumatic stress (PTSD) symptoms, evaluated prior to conception, would predict poorer cognitive and emotional outcomes in children at 4 years of age. Study Population: The sample included 72 mother-child dyads. Mothers were recruited prior to the conception of the study child and followed prospectively until these children were 4 years old (M = 3.7 years, SD = 0.3). Methods: Maternal PTSD symptoms were self-reported prior to conception using the PTSD Checklist for DSM-IV (PCL-IV). Child cognitive outcomes were assessed using the Differential Ability Scales-II (DAS-II), a structured assessment of cognitive performance. The DAS-II yielded standardized scores of verbal ability, nonverbal ability, and spatial ability, as well as general conceptual ability (GCA). Child emotional outcomes were assessed using the negative affectivity subscale of the Children’s Behavior Questionnaire (CBQ), a maternal report measure of child temperament. Results: Linear regression models revealed that maternal preconception PTSD symptoms predicted lower general conceptual ability in childhood (β = -0.29, t = -2.52, p = 0.014, R2 = 0.083). Notably, of the three composite scores that comprise general conceptual ability, only verbal ability was significantly predicted by preconception maternal PTSD symptoms (β = -0.36, t = -3.21, p = 0.002, R2 = 0.128). Maternal preconception PTSD symptoms additionally predicted poor child emotional outcomes, indexed by higher scores of negative affectivity on the CBQ (β = 0.67, t = 2.15, p = 0.035, R2 = 0.062). Conclusions: In this prospective study, preschool-aged children of mothers who experienced greater symptoms of posttraumatic stress prior to conception were more likely to show evidence of poor cognitive performance, driven by a deficit in verbal ability, as well as a greater degree of emotional dysregulation, indexed by higher ratings of negative affectivity. These findings suggest that the pathways underlying the lasting transgenerational impact of trauma may begin in the preconception period.

Authors

• Danielle A Swales, Department of Psychology, University of Denver
  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
  Non-Presenting Author