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Maternal Stress (maternal + stress)
Selected AbstractsMultilevel Factors Influencing Maternal Stress During the First Three YearsJOURNAL OF MARRIAGE AND FAMILY, Issue 4 2002Miriam Mulsow This prospective study applies family stress theory to the influence of personal, child, and familial factors on a mother's parenting stress during the first 3 years of her infant's life. Participants included 134 mothers and their infants at ages 1, 6, 15, 24, and 36 months from one site of a multisite, longitudinal study. Mother's personality was most predictive of parenting stress cross-sectionally and longitudinally. Intimacy with partner reduced parenting stress early in the infant's life and at 36 months, whereas general social support was more important in the second year. Child temperament was influential at 1 and 36 months. Counterintuitively, mothers who were more satisfied with work or school choices were more likely to be chronically stressed. Implications are discussed. [source] Elevated corticosterone levels in stomach milk, serum, and brain of male and female offspring after maternal corticosterone treatment in the ratDEVELOPMENTAL NEUROBIOLOGY, Issue 10 2010Susanne Brummelte Abstract Early influences such as maternal stress affect the developmental outcome of the offspring. We created an animal model of postpartum depression/stress based on giving high levels of corticosterone (CORT) to the rat dam, which resulted in behavioral and neural changes in the offspring. This study investigated whether highly elevated levels of maternal CORT during pregnancy or the postpartum result in higher levels of CORT in the stomach milk, serum, and brain of offspring. Dams received daily injections of CORT (40 mg/kg) or oil (control) either during pregnancy (gestational days 10,20) or the postpartum (Days 2,21). Pups that were exposed to high gestational maternal CORT had higher CORT levels in serum, but not in stomach milk or brain, on postnatal day (PND) 1. However, on PND7, pups that were exposed to high postpartum maternal CORT had higher CORT levels in stomach milk and brain, but not in serum. Conversely on PND18, pups that were exposed to high postpartum maternal CORT had higher CORT levels in serum, but not in brain (prefrontal cortex, hypothalamus, or hippocampus). Moreover, 24 h after weaning, there were no significant differences in serum CORT levels between the groups. Thus, CORT given to the dam during pregnancy or the postpartum results in elevated levels of CORT in the offspring, but in an age- and tissue-dependent manner. Developmental exposure to high CORT could reprogram the HPA axis and contribute to the behavioral and neural changes seen in adult offspring. © 2010 Wiley Periodicals, Inc. Develop Neurobiol 70: 714,725, 2010 [source] Using drinking in the dark to model prenatal binge-like exposure to ethanol in C57BL/6J miceDEVELOPMENTAL PSYCHOBIOLOGY, Issue 6 2008Stephen L. Boehm II Abstract Animal models of prenatal ethanol exposure are necessary to more fully understand the effects of ethanol on the developing embryo/fetus. However, most models employ procedures that may produce additional maternal stress beyond that produced by ethanol alone. We employed a daily limited-access ethanol intake model called Drinking in the Dark (DID) to assess the effects of voluntary maternal binge-like ethanol intake on the developing mouse. Evidence suggests that binge exposure may be particularly harmful to the embryo/fetus, perhaps due to the relatively higher blood ethanol concentrations achieved. Pregnant females had mean daily ethanol intakes ranging from 4.2 to 6.4 g/kg ethanol over gestation, producing blood ethanol concentrations ranging from 115 to 182 mg/dL. This level of ethanol intake produced behavioral alterations among adolescent offspring that disappeared by adulthood, including altered sensitivity to ethanol's hypnotic actions. The DID model may provide a useful tool for studying the effects of prenatal ethanol exposure in mice. © 2008 Wiley Periodicals, Inc. Dev Psychobiol 50: 566,578, 2008. [source] Prenatal predictors of infant temperamentDEVELOPMENTAL PSYCHOBIOLOGY, Issue 5 2007Elizabeth A. Werner Abstract Emerging data suggest that prenatal factors influence children's temperament. In 50 dyads, we examined fetal heart rate (FHR) activity and women's antenatal psychiatric illness as predictors of infant temperament at 4 months (response to novelty and the Infant Behavior Checklist). FHR change during maternal challenge was positively associated with observed infant motor reactivity to novelty (p,=,.02). The odds of being classified as high versus low motor among fetuses who had an increase in FHR during maternal stress was 11 times those who had a decrease in FHR (p,=,.0006). Antenatal psychiatric diagnosis was associated with an almost fourfold greater odds of having a high cry reactivity classification (p,=,.03). There also were modest associations between baseline FHR and maternal reports of infant temperament and between observed temperament and that based on mothers' reports. All of the infant results were found independent of the influence of women's postnatal anxiety. These data indicate that physiological markers of individual differences in infant temperament are identifiable in the fetal period, and possibly shaped by the prenatal environment. © 2007 Wiley Periodicals, Inc. Dev Psychobiol 49: 474-484, 2007. [source] The individuality of miceGENES, BRAIN AND BEHAVIOR, Issue 6 2004R. Lathe Mutant mice simulating human CNS disorders are used as models for therapeutic drug development. Drug evaluation requires a coherent correlation between behavioral phenotype and drug status. Variations in behavioral responses could mask such correlations, a problem highlighted by the three-site studies of Crabbe et al. (1999) and Wahlsten et al. (2003a). Factors contributing to variation are considered, focusing on differences between individual animals. Genetic differences due to minisatellite variation suggest that each mouse is genetically distinct. Effects during gestation, including maternal stress, influence later life behavior; while endocrine exchanges between fetus and parent, and between male and female fetuses dependent on intrauterine position, also contribute. Pre and perinatal nutrition and maternal attention also play a role. In adults, endocrine cyclicity in females is a recognized source of behavioral diversity. Notably, there is increasing recognition that groups of wild and laboratory mice have complex social structures, illustrated through consideration of Crowcroft (1966). Dominance status can markedly modify behavior in test paradigms addressing anxiety, locomotion and aggressiveness, to an extent comparable to mutation or drug status. Understanding how such effects amplify the behavioral spectrum displayed by otherwise identical animals will improve testing. [source] Psychological and psychophysiological considerations regarding the maternal,fetal relationshipINFANT AND CHILD DEVELOPMENT, Issue 1 2010Janet A. DiPietro Abstract The earliest relationship does not begin with birth. Pregnant women construct mental representations of the fetus, and the feelings of affiliation or ,maternal,fetal attachment' generally increase over the course of gestation. While there is a fairly substantial literature on the development and moderation of psychological features of the maternal,fetal relationship, including the role of ultrasound imaging, relatively little is known about the manner in which maternal psychological functioning influences the fetus. Dispositional levels of maternal stress and anxiety are modestly associated with aspects of fetal heart rate and motor activity. Both induced maternal arousal and relaxation generate fairly immediate alterations to fetal neurobehaviors; the most consistently observed fetal response to changes in maternal psychological state involves suppression of motor activity. These effects may be mediated, in part, by an orienting response of the fetus to changes in the intrauterine environment. Conversely, there is evidence that fetal behaviors elicit maternal physiological responses. Integration of this finding into a more dynamic model of the maternal,fetal dyad, and implications for the postnatal relationship are discussed. Research on the period before birth affords tremendous opportunity for developmental scientists to advance understanding of the origins of the human attachment. Copyright © 2010 John Wiley & Sons, Ltd. [source] Do maternal stress and home environment mediate the relation between early income-to-need and 54-months attentional abilities?INFANT AND CHILD DEVELOPMENT, Issue 5 2007Janean E. Dilworth-Bart Abstract Using Ecological Systems Theory and stage sequential modelling procedures for detecting mediation, this study examined how early developmental contexts impact preschoolers' performances on a measure of sustained attention and impulse control. Data from 1273 European-American and African-American participants in the NICHD Study of Early Child Care were used to identify the potential mediators of the relation between early household income-to-need (INR) and 54-month impulsivity and inattention. Exploratory analyses were also conducted to determine whether the relationships between early income, home environment, parenting stress, and the outcome variables differ for African-American versus European-American-American children. We found modest support for the study hypothesis that 36-month home environment quality mediated the INR/attention relationship. INR accounted for more home environment score variance and home environment accounted for more Impulsivity score variance for African-American children. Home environments were related to inattention in the European-American, but not African-American, group. Copyright © 2007 John Wiley & Sons, Ltd. [source] The Ages & Stages Questionnaire: Social,Emotional: A validation study of a mother-report questionnaire on a clinical mother,infant sample,INFANT MENTAL HEALTH JOURNAL, Issue 4 2010Björn Salomonsson Mother-report questionnaires of infant socioemotional functioning are increasingly used to screen for clinical referral to infant mental health services. The validity of the Ages & Stages Questionnaire: Social Emotional (ASQ:SE; J. Squires, D. Bricker, K. Heo, & E. Twombly, 2002) was investigated in a sample of help-seeking mothers with young infants. It was compared with independent observer-rated dyadic interactions, and the quality of dyadic relationships was rated by expert clinicians. The ASQ:SE ratings also were compared with questionnaires on maternal psychological stress and distress. The ASQ:SE did not correlate significantly with either external ratings of dyadic interaction or clinically assessed relationship qualities, though the latter two were strongly associated with each other. In contrast, ASQ:SE scores were associated with questionnaires relating to maternal psychological distress. This was especially true for mothers classified as depressed. Furthermore, reports on the ASQ:SE were strongly predicted by maternal stress. The study points to some problems with the concurrent validity of the ASQ:SE in clinical samples. It also demonstrates a close link between mothers' psychological distress and their ratings of infant social and emotional functioning. Further research should investigate the extent to which the ASQ:SE specifically measures infant functioning or maternal distress, and how it functions in clinical versus nonclinical samples. Los cuestionarios en que las madres reportan el funcionamiento socio-emocional del infante se están usando más para determinar la necesidad de referir a los servicios de salud mental infantil. Se investigó la validez del Cuestionario de Edades y Niveles: Socio-emocional (ASQ:SE) en un grupo muestra de madres con infantes pequeños las cuales buscaban ayuda. Al grupo se le comparó con las interacciones de las díadas evaluadas por un observador independiente, y con la calidad de las relaciones de las díadas evaluadas por clínicos expertos. Los puntajes del ASQ:SE también fueron comparados con cuestionarios sobre el estrés y la ansiedad maternales sicológicas. Resultados: el ASQ:SE no se correlacionó significativamente ni con los puntajes externos de la interacción de la díada ni con las cualidades de la relación evaluadas clínicamente, aunque ambas fueron asociadas fuertemente una con la otra. En contraste, los puntajes de ASQ:SE fueron asociados con cuestionarios que se referían a la ansiedad mental psicológica maternal. Esto resultó verdadero sobretodo en los casos de madres clasificadas como depresivas. Es más, el estrés maternal predijo fuertemente los reportes sobre el ASQ:SE. Este estudio apunta hacia ciertos problemas con la validez concurrente del ASQ:SE en muestras clínicas. El mismo demuestra una conexión cercana entre la ansiedad mental psicológica maternal y los puntajes que las madres les dan al funcionamiento social y emocional del infante. La investigación futura debe enfocarse en hasta qué punto el ASQ:SE mide específicamente el funcionamiento del infante o la ansiedad mental de la madre, y cómo el mismo funciona en muestras clínicas versus aquellas que no lo son. Les questionnaires "rapport de la mère" de fonctionnement social et émotionnel du nourrison sont de plus en plus utilisés pour tester les enfants afin de les envoyer consulter en services de santé mentale du nourrisson. La validité du questionnaire "âge et étapes: social et émotionnel" (en anglais Ages and Stages Questionnaire: Social et Emotionnel, abrégé ASQ:SE en anglais) a été examinée chez un échantillon de mères de jeunes bébés cherchant de l'aide. Elle a été comparée à des interactions dyadiques évaluées par un observateur indépendant, la qualité des relations dyadiques étant évaluée par des cliniciens experts. Les évaluations ASQ:SE ont aussi été comparées aux questionnaires sur la détresse et le stress psychologique maternel. Résultats: Le questionnaire ASQ:SE n'a pas été fortement mis en corrélation avec soit les évaluations externes d'interaction dyadique soit les qualités de la relation évaluées cliniquement, bien que ces deux dernières aient été fortement liées les unes aux autres. Par contre, les scores ASQ:SE étaient liés aux questionnaires qui portaient sur la détresse psychologique maternelle. Ceci s'est surtout avéré vrai pour les mères classifiées comme déprimées. De plus, les rapports sur le ASQ:SE étaient frotement prédits par le stress maternel. Cette étude met en lumière certains problèmes avec la validité simultanée du questionnaire ASQ:SE dans les échantillons cliniques. Elle démontre aussi un lien étroit entre la détresse psychologique des mères et leurs évaluations du fonctionnement social et émotionnel du nourrisson. Des recherches plus approfondies devraient porter sur la mesure dans laquelle le questionnaire ASQ:SE mesure spécifiquement le fonctionnement du nourrisson ou la détresse maternelle, et comment il fonctionne dans des échantillons cliniques par rapport à non-cliniques. Fragebögen der sozial-emotionalen Funktionsweisen, die auf Elternurteilen beruhen, werden zunehmend zur Klärung der Frage eingesetzt, ob eine ärztliche Überweisung im Rahmen von psychischer Gesundheit im Kleinkindalter induziert ist. Die Gültigkeit des Fragebogens zum Alter und zu den Entwicklungsstufen "Sozial Emotional" (ASQ: SE) wurde von einer Gruppe Hilfe-suchender Mütter mit Kleinkindern entwickelt. Die Fragebögen wurden von unabhängigern Beobachter innerhalb dyadischer Interaktionen validiert. Zusätzlich überprüften erfahrene Kliniker die Qualität der dyadischen Beziehungen. Die Bewertungen mittels ASQ: SE wurden darüber hinaus mit Fragebogen zu mütterlichen psychologischem Stress und Ängste verglichen. Ergebnisse: Die ASQ: SE zeigte keine signifikant Korrelation mit den externen Ergebnissen der dyadischen Interaktion oder den klinisch beurteilten Beziehungsqualitäten, obwohl die beiden letzteren trotzdem in Zusammenhang standen. Im Gegensatz dazu zeigten die Ergebnisse des ASQ: SE einen Zusammenhang mit den Fragebögen zur mütterlichen psychischen Belastung. Dies galt vor allem für Mütter die als depressiv eingestuft wurden. Außerdem machten die Ergebnisse des ASQ: SE eindeutige Vorhersagen was den mütterlicher Stress anbelangt. Die Studie weist auf einige Probleme der übereinstimmenden Gültigkeit des ASQ: SE in klinischen Stichproben hin. Es zeigt aber auch eine enge Verbindung zwischen mütterlicher psychischer Belastung und ihren Bewertungen der sozialen und emotionalen Funktionsfähigkeit ihrer Säuglinge hin. Weitere Forschung sollte untersuchen, inwieweit der ASQ: SE gezielt Maßnahmen zur Steigerung der Funktionalität von Säuglingen oder mütterliche Not misst und in wie weit der Fragebogen im klinischen bzw. nicht-klinischen Setting Gültigkeit behält. [source] Korean mothers' psychosocial adjustment to their children's cancerJOURNAL OF ADVANCED NURSING, Issue 5 2003Hae-Ra Han PhD RN Background., During the course of adjustment to their child's illness and medical treatment, parents of children with cancer may experience numerous challenges and difficulties. Although parental adjustment has been a research topic for many years, little research has been conducted among families in different cultures and countries. Aim., To identify factors that influence maternal psychosocial adjustment to childhood cancer using a new cultural group: Korean. Methods., A sample of 200 Korean mothers of children with cancer was included in the study. Guided by the double ABCX model of family adjustment and adaptation, a series of variables (i.e. maternal stress, coping, social support and selected illness-related and demographic questions) were examined for their relationships with maternal psychosocial adjustment to childhood cancer. Results., Using a hierarchical multiple regression, we found perceived level of stress, coping, social support, and time since diagnosis to be significant correlates of maternal psychosocial adjustment. Stress accounted for most (50%) of the total variance explained (56%) in maternal adjustment. Conclusion., The results suggest that the stress-coping framework may be appropriate in explaining maternal responses to childhood cancer across cultures. [source] Syndrome specificity and behavioural disorders in young adults with intellectual disability: cultural differences in family impactJOURNAL OF INTELLECTUAL DISABILITY RESEARCH, Issue 3 2006J. Blacher Background This study examined whether behaviour problems and adaptive behaviour of low functioning young adults, and well-being of their families, varied by diagnostic syndrome [intellectual disability (ID) only, cerebral palsy, Down syndrome, autism], as well as by cultural group. Methods Behaviour disorders in young adults with moderate to severe ID were assessed from information provided by 282 caregivers during in-home interviews. The sample consisted of 150 Anglo participants, and 132 Latino, primarily Spanish-speaking, participants drawn from Southern California. Results Behaviour disorders and maternal well-being showed the same pattern across disability syndromes. Autism was associated with the highest scores in multiple behaviour problem areas as well as maternal reports of lower well-being. Down syndrome was associated with the lowest behaviour problem scores and the highest maternal well-being. When behaviour problems were controlled for, diagnostic groups accounted for no additional variance in maternal stress or depression. The pattern of behaviour problems and well-being did not differ by sample (Anglo vs. Latino), although level on well-being measures did. Latina mothers reported significantly higher depression symptoms and lower morale, but also higher positive impact from their child than did Anglo mothers. Conclusions Caregivers of young adults with autism report more maladaptive behaviour problems and lower personal well-being, or stress, relative to other diagnostic groups, regardless of cultural group. However, cultural differences exist in caregiver reports of depression, morale, and positive perceptions. Implications for service provision aimed at families of children with challenging behaviour problems are discussed in the context of culture. [source] Partnership Instability and Child Well-BeingJOURNAL OF MARRIAGE AND FAMILY, Issue 4 2007Cynthia Osborne We use data from three waves of the Fragile Families Study (N= 2,111) to examine the prevalence and effects of mothers' partnership changes between birth and age 3 on children's behavior. We find that children born to unmarried and minority parents experience significantly more partnership changes than children born to parents who are married or White. Each transition is associated with a modest increase in behavioral problems, but a significant number of children experience 3 or more transitions. The association between instability and behavior is mediated by maternal stress and lower quality mothering. The findings imply that policies aimed at reducing maternal stress and partnership instability may improve child well-being. [source] Breastfeeding and Maternal Stress Response and HealthNUTRITION REVIEWS, Issue 7 2004Elizabeth Sibolboro Mezzacappa Ph.D. This article reviews findings on the maternal stress and health effects of lactation. Several significant associations have emerged. Compared with not breastfeeding, breastfeeding is associated with increased parasympathetic nervous system modulation, greater vascular stress response, lower perceived stress levels, and fewer depressive symptoms. Breastfeeding exclusively is associated with an attenuated initial sympathetic cardiac nervous system response to some laboratory stressors. Bottle-feeding is associated with increased sympathetic and decreased parasympathetic cardiac control. The act of breastfeeding is associated with decreased neuroendocrine response to stressors and decreased negative mood. Finally, breastfeeding is associated with enhanced physical and mental health compared with non-breastfeeding. [source] Epigenetics and the embodiment of race: Developmental origins of US racial disparities in cardiovascular healthAMERICAN JOURNAL OF HUMAN BIOLOGY, Issue 1 2009Christopher W. Kuzawa The relative contribution of genetic and environmental influences to the US black-white disparity in cardiovascular disease (CVD) is hotly debated within the public health, anthropology, and medical communities. In this article, we review evidence for developmental and epigenetic pathways linking early life environments with CVD, and critically evaluate their possible role in the origins of these racial health disparities. African Americans not only suffer from a disproportionate burden of CVD relative to whites, but also have higher rates of the perinatal health disparities now known to be the antecedents of these conditions. There is extensive evidence for a social origin to prematurity and low birth weight in African Americans, reflecting pathways such as the effects of discrimination on maternal stress physiology. In light of the inverse relationship between birth weight and adult CVD, there is now a strong rationale to consider developmental and epigenetic mechanisms as links between early life environmental factors like maternal stress during pregnancy and adult race-based health disparities in diseases like hypertension, diabetes, stroke, and coronary heart disease. The model outlined here builds upon social constructivist perspectives to highlight an important set of mechanisms by which social influences can become embodied, having durable and even transgenerational influences on the most pressing US health disparities. We conclude that environmentally responsive phenotypic plasticity, in combination with the better-studied acute and chronic effects of social-environmental exposures, provides a more parsimonious explanation than genetics for the persistence of CVD disparities between members of socially imposed racial categories. Am. J. Hum. Biol., 2009. © 2008 Wiley-Liss, Inc. [source] Antenatal maternal stress and long-term effects on child neurodevelopment: how and why?THE JOURNAL OF CHILD PSYCHOLOGY AND PSYCHIATRY AND ALLIED DISCIPLINES, Issue 3-4 2007Nicole M. Talge We review a significant body of evidence from independent prospective studies that if a mother is stressed while pregnant, her child is substantially more likely to have emotional or cognitive problems, including an increased risk of attentional deficit/hyperactivity, anxiety, and language delay. These findings are independent of effects due to maternal postnatal depression and anxiety. We still do not know what forms of anxiety or stress are most detrimental, but research suggests that the relationship with the partner can be important in this respect. The magnitude of these effects is clinically significant, as the attributable load of emotional/behavioral problems due to antenatal stress and/or anxiety is approximately 15%. Animal models suggest that activity of the stress-responsive hypothalamic-pituitary-adrenal (HPA) axis and its hormonal end-product cortisol are involved in these effects in both mother and offspring. The fetal environment can be altered if stress in the mother changes her hormonal profile, and in humans, there is a strong correlation between maternal and fetal cortisol levels. However, many problems remain in understanding the mechanisms involved in this interaction. For example, maternal cortisol responses to stress decline over the course of pregnancy, and earlier in pregnancy, the link between maternal and fetal cortisol is less robust. It is possible that the effects of maternal anxiety and stress on the developing fetus and child are moderated by other factors such as a maternal diet (e.g., protein load). It is suggested that extra vigilance or anxiety, readily distracted attention, or a hyper-responsive HPA axis may have been adaptive in a stressful environment during evolution, but exists today at the cost of vulnerability to neurodevelopmental disorders. [source] Short periods of prenatal stress affect growth, behaviour and hypothalamo,pituitary,adrenal axis activity in male guinea pig offspringTHE JOURNAL OF PHYSIOLOGY, Issue 3 2005Amita Kapoor Prenatal stress can have profound long-term influences on physiological function throughout the course of life. We hypothesized that focused periods of moderate prenatal stress at discrete time points in late gestation have differential effects on hypothalamo,pituitary,adrenal (HPA) axis function in adult guinea pig offspring, and that changes in HPA axis function will be associated with modification of anxiety-related behaviour. Pregnant guinea pigs were exposed to a strobe light for 2 h on gestational days (GD) 50, 51, 52 (PS50) or 60, 61, 62 (PS60) (gestation length ,70 days). A control group was left undisturbed throughout pregnancy. Behaviour was assessed in male offspring on postnatal day (PND)25 and PND70 by measurement of ambulatory activity and thigmotaxis (wall-seeking behaviour) in a novel open field environment. Subsequent to behavioural testing, male offspring were cannulated (PND75) to evaluate basal and activated HPA axis function. Body weight was significantly decreased in adult PS50 and PS60 offspring and this effect was apparent soon after weaning. The brain-to-body-weight ratio was significantly increased in adult PS50 males. Basal plasma cortisol levels were elevated in PS50 male offspring throughout the 24 h sampling period compared with controls. In response to an ACTH challenge and to exposure to an acute stressor, PS60 male offspring exhibited elevated plasma cortisol responses. Plasma testosterone concentrations were strikingly decreased in PS50 offspring. Thigmotaxis in the novel environment was increased in PS50 male offspring at PND25 and PND70, suggesting increased anxiety in these animals. In conclusion, prenatal stress during critical windows of neuroendocrine development programs growth, HPA axis function, and stress-related behaviour in adult male guinea pig offspring. Further, the nature of the effect is dependant on the timing of the maternal stress during pregnancy. [source] The Interface Between Physical and Mental Health Problems and Medical Help Seeking in Children and Adolescents: A Research PerspectiveCHILD AND ADOLESCENT MENTAL HEALTH, Issue 4 2004M. Elena Garralda This paper addresses child and adolescent psychopathology as it presents to general practitioners and paediatricians, and explores psychosocial aspects of unexplained medical symptoms in children and adolescents. High rates of psychopathology have been identified amongst children and adolescents attending general practice and paediatric services, most of it ,,hidden'' at presentation and emotional in nature. It is often linked to poor physical well being and to maternal stress focused on the child. It may be of special relevance to medical help seeking in socio-economically advantaged areas. Co-morbid psychopathology, mainly emotional disorders, is common amongst children with unexplained medical symptoms. However, there are specific psychosocial aspects that differentiate these children from those with emotional disorders. They involve disease beliefs, illness behaviour and predicament. The latter may be characterised by special reactivity to stress in children with personality vulnerability, in a context of parents with high levels of mental distress, unexplained medical symptoms and emotional over-involvement with the child. There is comparatively little interface work between CAMHS and primary health care. An important research priority would seem to lie in the development of interventions that can be adapted for use by primary care staff. Similarly, there are few dedicated CAMHS paediatric liaison teams. Their more extensive development should help attend in a more informed and focused way than at present to children and adolescents suffering from unexplained physical symptoms and disorders. Further research is needed into vulnerability mechanisms and maintaining factors, health beliefs, treatment engagement and interventions. [source] The Timing of Prenatal Exposure to Maternal Cortisol and Psychosocial Stress Is Associated With Human Infant Cognitive DevelopmentCHILD DEVELOPMENT, Issue 1 2010Elysia P. Davis The consequences of prenatal maternal stress for development were examined in 125 full-term infants at 3, 6, and 12 months of age. Maternal cortisol and psychological state were evaluated 5 times during pregnancy. Exposure to elevated concentrations of cortisol early in gestation was associated with a slower rate of development over the 1st year and lower mental development scores at 12 months. Elevated levels of maternal cortisol late in gestation, however, were associated with accelerated cognitive development and higher scores at 12 months. Elevated levels of maternal pregnancy-specific anxiety early in pregnancy were independently associated with lower 12-month mental development scores. These data suggest that maternal cortisol and pregnancy-specific anxiety have programming influences on the developing fetus. [source] | |||||||||||||||||||