No abstract

The study was based on the assumption that stressors in the lives of pregnant and parenting women are processes that affect prenatal, postpartum, and concurrent maternal hormones and emotions and that these processes affect child temperament. The hypotheses were tested in a group of 67 young mothers and their 3-year-old children. Mothers were clustered into groups based on longitudinal patterns of hormones and emotions at prenatal, postpartum, and 3-year follow-up assessments. The analyses focused on relating maternal patterns of hormones and emotions to the child's temperament at age 3 years. Temperament was assessed by questionnaire and observation of behavior during a challenging situation. Illustrative findings included the following. Verbal aggression and nonverbal aggression were significantly higher in children of mothers in the low prenatal hormone cluster than children of mothers in the high prenatal hormone cluster. Children of mothers in the postpartum low testosterone (T), estradiol (E2), and androstenedione (Δ4-A) and medium cortisol (Cort) cluster (mainly low hormone cluster) exhibited significantly more physical aggression than children of mothers in the medium T and Δ4-A, high E2 and low Cort cluster. Maternal patterns of hormones, emotions, and parenting attitudes and practices were related to multiple aspects of temperament when the children were age 3 years. The findings support the important role of maternal biological and psychological processes in the development of child temperament.

The pregnancies of 58 healthy adolescents (ages 13 to 19 years) were followed to examine links between symptoms of depression, corticotropin-releasing hormone (CRH), interleukin-1 beta, (IL-1 beta), and IL-1 receptor antagonist (IL-1ra) as possible predictors of maternal and infant outcomes. Maternal psychological adjustment and medical complications during gestation, labor, delivery, and the postpartum period were monitored. Plasma samples collected during gestation were assayed for CRH, IL-1 beta, and IL-1ra. During gestation, symptoms of maternal depression were found to be associated with lower levels of CRH; lower levels of CRH were associated with lower levels of IL-1ra. In addition, lower levels of IL-1ra predicted higher rates of maternal complications after childbirth. IL-1 beta, detected in only 4 mothers, was not associated with any predictor or outcome measures. During gestation, CRH may induce circulating cytokine inhibitors without significantly affecting cytokine production or synthesis. Maternal symptoms of depression during gestation may attenuate the association between CRH and IL-1ra.