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BackgroundMaternal depressive symptoms in pregnancy may affect offspring health through prenatal programming of the hypothalamic-pituitary-adrenal (HPA) axis. The biological mechanisms that explain the associations between maternal prenatal depressive symptoms and offspring HPA axis regulation are not yet clear. This pre-registered investigation examines whether patterns of maternal depressive symptoms in pregnancy are associated with infant cortisol reactivity and whether this association is mediated by changes in placental corticotropin-releasing hormone (pCRH).MethodA sample of 174 pregnant women completed assessments in early, mid, and late pregnancy that included standardized measures of depressive symptoms and blood samples for pCRH. Infant cortisol reactivity was assessed at 1 and 6 months of age.ResultsGreater increases in maternal depressive symptoms in pregnancy were associated with higher cortisol infant cortisol reactivity at 1 and 6 months. Greater increases in maternal depressive symptoms in pregnancy were associated with greater increases in pCRH from early to late pregnancy which in turn were associated with higher infant cortisol reactivity.ConclusionsIncreases in maternal depressive symptoms and pCRH over pregnancy may contribute to higher infant cortisol reactivity. These findings help to elucidate the prenatal biopsychosocial processes contributing to offspring HPA axis regulation early in development.

ObjectivesAnxiety is prevalent in pregnancy and predicts risk of adverse birth outcomes. Many instruments measure anxiety in pregnancy, some of which assess pregnancy anxiety defined as maternal concerns about a current pregnancy (e.g., baby, childbirth). The present study examined covariance among four anxiety or distress measures at two times in pregnancy and tested joint and individual effects on gestational length. We hypothesized that the common variance of the measures in each trimester would predict earlier delivery.MethodResearch staff interviewed 196 women in first and third trimester utilizing a clinical screener of anxiety severity/impairment, two instruments measuring pregnancy anxiety, and one on prenatal distress. Birth outcomes and medical risk factors were obtained from medical records after birth. Structural equation modeling fit latent factors for each trimester from the four measures. Subsequent models tested whether the latent factors predicted gestational length, and unique effects of each measure.ResultsThe third-trimester pregnancy anxiety latent factor predicted shorter gestational length adjusting for mother's age, education, parity, and obstetric risk. Scores on a four-item pregnancy-specific anxiety measure (PSAS) in third trimester added uniquely to prediction of gestational length. In first trimester, scores on the clinical screener (OASIS) uniquely predicted shorter gestational length whereas the latent factor did not.ConclusionThese results support existing evidence indicating that pregnancy anxiety is a reliable risk factor for earlier birth. Findings point to possible screening for clinically significant anxiety symptoms in the first trimester, and pregnancy-specific anxiety thereafter to advance efforts to prevent earlier delivery. (PsycInfo Database Record (c) 2022 APA, all rights reserved).

ObjectiveHigh pregnancy anxiety is a consistent predictor of earlier labor and delivery. Placental corticotropin-releasing hormone (pCRH) predicts earlier delivery consistently and it has been identified as a biological mediator of the association between pregnancy anxiety and gestational length. However, studies have not examined whether changes in pregnancy anxiety are associated with earlier birth as mediated by changes in pCRH during pregnancy. Accordingly, this study tests whether linear changes in pregnancy anxiety are associated with length of gestation indirectly through nonlinear increases in pCRH over pregnancy.MethodsA sample of pregnant women (n=233) completed prenatal assessments in early pregnancy, second trimester, and third trimester that included a 4-item assessment of pregnancy anxiety and collection of blood samples assayed for pCRH using radioimmunoassay. Length of gestation was abstracted from medical records after birth.ResultsIncreases in pregnancy anxiety from early pregnancy to third trimester predicted shorted length of gestation, as did nonlinear increases in pCRH over pregnancy. However, there was no evidence of an indirect effect of changes in pregnancy anxiety on length of gestation via changes in pCRH.ConclusionsThese results indicate that linear changes in pregnancy anxiety and nonlinear changes in pCRH during pregnancy are independent risk factors for shortened gestational length. This study adds to a small but growing body of work on biopsychological processes in pregnancy and length of gestation. Modeling changes in psychological and biological processes during pregnancy could provide more insight into understanding risk for adverse pregnancy outcomes.

BackgroundPregnancy anxiety predicts adverse developmental outcomes in offspring from infancy through late childhood, but studies have not examined associations with outcomes in early childhood, nor clarified ethnic or cultural variations in these processes.Aims(1) To examine differences in pregnancy anxiety and related concerns between non-Hispanic White women, Latina women who prefer to speak in English, and Latinas who prefer Spanish; (2) To test prospective associations between pregnancy anxiety and child negative affect and moderation by ethnicity and language preference, used as a proxy for acculturation.Study design and methodsThis longitudinal study included 95 women (40 Non-Hispanic Whites, 31 Spanish-preference Latinas, and 24 English-preference Latinas). Language preference was provided at study entry. Pregnancy anxiety was assessed in the second and third trimesters of pregnancy with two standardized measures. Mothers reported child negative affect at age 4.ResultsSpanish-preference Latinas had significantly more pregnancy-related anxiety about their health and safety in childbirth and concerning the medical system compared to English-preference Latinas and non-Hispanic White women. Adjusting for covariates, pregnancy anxiety in the second trimester, though not the third trimester, predicted significantly higher child negative affect in the full sample. A significant moderation effect indicated that the association was strongest among the lower acculturated Latinas, i.e., those who preferred Spanish.ConclusionThese results document higher risk for offspring associated with pregnancy anxiety in the second trimester especially among less acculturated Latina women, and suggest the need for culturally-sensitive screening tools and interventions to improve outcomes for Latina mothers and their children.

ObjectivePrevious research has shown that a woman's anxiety about her pregnancy predicts gestational length. Placental corticotrophin-releasing hormone (CRH) is a stress-responsive peptide proposed as a mechanism. We examined placental CRH as a physiological mediator of the association between pregnancy anxiety and gestational length in Latina and non-Latina White women to replicate evidence of associations between pregnancy anxiety, placental CRH and gestational length; to test whether placental CRH levels or changes mediate effects of pregnancy anxiety on gestational length; to examine ethnic differences in pregnancy anxiety, placental CRH, and gestational length; and to explore whether the effects of pregnancy anxiety on gestational length as mediated by placental CRH vary by ethnicity.MethodsIn a prospective study of 337 pregnant Latina and non-Latina White women, participants completed in-person interviews that included a 10-item measure of pregnancy anxiety and provided blood samples assayed using radioimmunoassay at three timepoints (19, 25, and 31 weeks gestation).ResultsPregnancy anxiety at 19 and 31 weeks and levels of placental CRH at 31 weeks predicted gestational length. Tests of indirect effects were consistent with mediation such that both pregnancy anxiety at 19 weeks and increases from 19 to 31 weeks predicted placental CRH at 31 weeks, which in turn predicted gestational length. Tests of moderated mediation by ethnicity showed that the mediated effect of placental CRH at 31 weeks was significant for Latinas only.ConclusionsThese findings add to growing evidence of the involvement of pregnancy anxiety in the timing of birth, address mechanisms, and suggest possible ethnic differences.

BackgroundHispanic Americans consistently exhibit an intergenerational increase in the prevalence of many noncommunicable chronic physical and mental disorders.MethodsWe review and synthesize evidence suggesting that a constellation of prenatal and postnatal factors may play crucial roles in explaining this trend. We draw from relevant literature across several disciplines, including epidemiology, anthropology, psychology, medicine (obstetrics, neonatology), and developmental biology.ResultsOur resulting model is based on evidence that among women, the process of postmigration cultural adjustment (i.e., acculturation) is associated, during pregnancy and after delivery, with psychological and behavioral states that can affect offspring development in ways that may alter susceptibility to noncommunicable chronic disease risk in subsequent-generation Hispanic Americans. We propose one integrated process model that specifies the biological, behavioral, psychological, and sociocultural pathways by which maternal acculturation may influence the child's long-term health. We synthesize evidence from previous studies to describe how acculturation among Hispanic American mothers is associated with alterations to the same biobehavioral systems known to participate in the processes of prenatal and postnatal developmental programming of disease risk. In this manner, we focus on the concepts of biological and cultural mother-to-child transmission across the prenatal and postnatal life phases. We critique and draw from previous hypotheses that have sought to explain this phenomenon (of declining health across generations). We offer recommendations for examining the transgenerational effects of acculturation.ConclusionA life course model with a greater focus on maternal health and well-being may be key to understanding transgenerational epidemiological trends in minority populations, and interventions that promote women's wellness may contribute to the elimination or reduction of health disparities.

Purpose: To investigate the variability of the culture result for Streptococcus agalactiae between weeks 35-37 of gestation and admissions to the delivery room and the possible variables influencing this change. Material and methods: An observational, descriptive, cross-sectional study of a series of cases was conducted with 304 (608 cultures) pregnant women. An accidental non-probabilistic sampling technique was used. Results: The results' variability occurred in 7.2% (22) of the sample, where 4% (9) changed from positive to negative, and 26% (14) changed from negative to positive. The prevalence of pregnant women with positive Streptococcus agalactiae was 50 positives in the first culture (15.6%) and 46 (15.1%) in a second time. 4.2% (8) were positive and 3% (14) were negative. 22.9% (29) of the positive cases presented strains resistant to clindamycin. Presenting a history of positive culture in another pregnancy increased the probability of positivity four times during the current pregnancy Likewise, obtaining a positive result in the first culture registered the probability of continuing to be positive in subsequent determinations in 9.5 times. The presence of a history of sexually transmitted infections increased the probability of suffering a change in result by 3.8 times. Age, ethnicity, the result of the first culture, the presence of sexually transmitted infections, weight and parity were the main factors that influenced a change in the culture's results. It is necessary to continue studying the associated factors which can change GBS cultures' results to design prevention tools which maintain and further reduce the incidence of neonatal infection. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

High pregnancy anxiety is a consistent predictor of earlier labor and delivery. Placental corticotropin-releasing hormone (pCRH) predicts earlier delivery consistently and it has been identified as a biological mediator of the association between pregnancy anxiety and gestational length. However, studies have not examined whether changes in pregnancy anxiety are associated with earlier birth as mediated by changes in pCRH during pregnancy. Accordingly, this study tests whether linear changes in pregnancy anxiety are associated with length of gestation indirectly through nonlinear increases in pCRH over pregnancy. A sample of pregnant women (n=233) completed prenatal assessments in early pregnancy, second trimester, and third trimester that included a 4-item assessment of pregnancy anxiety and collection of blood samples assayed for pCRH using radioimmunoassay. Length of gestation was abstracted from medical records after birth. Increases in pregnancy anxiety from early pregnancy to third trimester predicted shorted length of gestation, as did nonlinear increases in pCRH over pregnancy. However, there was no evidence of an indirect effect of changes in pregnancy anxiety on length of gestation via changes in pCRH. These results indicate that linear changes in pregnancy anxiety and nonlinear changes in pCRH during pregnancy are independent risk factors for shortened gestational length. This study adds to a small but growing body of work on biopsychological processes in pregnancy and length of gestation. Modeling changes in psychological and biological processes during pregnancy could provide more insight into understanding risk for adverse pregnancy outcomes. • Greater increases in pregnancy anxiety were associated with shorter gestational length. • Greater increases in Placental Corticotropin-Releasing Hormone were associated with shorter gestational length. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Background: Pregnancy anxiety predicts adverse developmental outcomes in offspring from infancy through late childhood, but studies have not examined associations with outcomes in early childhood, nor clarified ethnic or cultural variations in these processes.Aims: (1) To examine differences in pregnancy anxiety and related concerns between non-Hispanic White women, Latina women who prefer to speak in English, and Latinas who prefer Spanish; (2) To test prospective associations between pregnancy anxiety and child negative affect and moderation by ethnicity and language preference, used as a proxy for acculturation.Study Design and Methods: This longitudinal study included 95 women (40 Non-Hispanic Whites, 31 Spanish-preference Latinas, and 24 English-preference Latinas). Language preference was provided at study entry. Pregnancy anxiety was assessed in the second and third trimesters of pregnancy with two standardized measures. Mothers reported child negative affect at age 4.Results: Spanish-preference Latinas had significantly more pregnancy-related anxiety about their health and safety in childbirth and concerning the medical system compared to English-preference Latinas and non-Hispanic White women. Adjusting for covariates, pregnancy anxiety in the second trimester, though not the third trimester, predicted significantly higher child negative affect in the full sample. A significant moderation effect indicated that the association was strongest among the lower acculturated Latinas, i.e., those who preferred Spanish.Conclusion: These results document higher risk for offspring associated with pregnancy anxiety in the second trimester especially among less acculturated Latina women, and suggest the need for culturally-sensitive screening tools and interventions to improve outcomes for Latina mothers and their children. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]