Marital Quality and Stress in Pregnancy Predict the Risk of Infectious Disease in the Offspring: The Norwegian Mother and Child Cohort Study

Abstract

ObjectivesThe aim of this study was to explore the degree to which couples’ relationship dissatisfaction and stressful life events during pregnancy predict the risk of infectious disease in the offspring during their first year of life.MethodsData were obtained from the Norwegian Mother and Child Cohort Study, conducted by the Norwegian Institute of Public Health. Pregnant women completed questionnaires in week 30 of pregnancy concerning the couples’ relationship satisfaction and stressful life events. In follow-up questionnaires, the women reported whether their children (n = 74,801) had been subject to various categories of infectious disease: the common cold, throat infection, bronchitis, RS virus, pneumonia, pseudocroup, gastric flu, ear infection, conjunctivitis and urinary tract infection. Reports from two age groups of infants were used. Associations between the predictor and outcome variables were assessed via logistic regression and linear regression analyses.ResultsSeparate logistic regression analyses for each disease and age group showed that prenatal relationship dissatisfaction and stressful life events were significantly associated with all reported categories of infectious disease. After controlling for socioeconomic factors, social support, smoking, breastfeeding, maternal depression, the sex of the offspring, and use of child care, 29 out of 32 tested associations were statistically significant. Finally, multivariate linear regression analyses showed that prenatal relationship dissatisfaction and stressful life events were significantly associated with the frequency, as well as the variety, of infectious disease in the offspring.

Early Life Stress Activates Glial Cells in the Hippocampus but Attenuates Cytokine Secretion in Response to an Immune Challenge in Rat Pups

“…In different parts of the world, the simultaneous occurrence of infections has been observed in infants who experience ELS, such as extreme poverty [28,29] or parental distress [30,31]. Further, children with severe infections in hospital often develop PTSD after discharge [27].…”

“…The coexistence of clusters of extreme poverty (a type of ELS) and infectious diseases occurs worldwide [28,29]. Parental death, parental divorce [30], and maternal distress [31] influence the frequency and severity of infectious diseases during childhood. In the current study, our aim was to investigate the immediate effects of MS, together with an immune challenge (LPS), on astrocyte and microglial cell morphology, and its activation in the CA3 and hilus regions of the hippocampus, which are highly vulnerable to the effects of stress.…”

Perinatal maternal mental health is associated with both infections and wheezing in early childhood

“…In these studies, the outcomes were assessed using registries. In the Norwegian Mother and Child Cohort Study, the researchers found a weak association between exposure to negative life events in pregnancy and infections in the first 12 months of infant's life . Finally, in a study based on a database of primary care medical records in the United Kingdom, children of mothers with perinatal depression had an increased risk of gastrointestinal and lower respiratory tract infections …”

“…Few previous studies also suggested a relationship between maternal mental health and common childhood infections …”

“…Few previous studies also suggested a relationship between maternal mental health and common childhood infections. [10][11][12][13] Given that childhood respiratory infections often trigger wheeze, 14 we hypothesized that there might be a common mechanism, namely an enhanced susceptibility to infections related to maternal stress and mental health problems, which could explain the association with both childhood infections and wheezing.…”