What Are the Transgenerational Consequences of Maternal Childhood Adversity and Maternal Stress During Pregnancy?

Abstract

Childhood adversity and maternal stress during pregnancy are associated with increased risks for developing psychiatric disorders across the lifespan. 1 Green J.G. McLaughlin K.A. Berglund P.A. et al. Childhood adversities and adult psychiatric disorders in the National Comorbidity Survey Replication I: associations with first onset of DSM-IV disorders. Arch Gen Psychiatry. 2010; 67: 113-123 Crossref PubMed Scopus (1180) Google Scholar , 2 Kim D.R. Bale T.L. Epperson C.N. Prenatal programming of mental illness: current understanding of relationship and mechanisms. Curr Psychiatry Rep. 2015; 17: 5 Crossref PubMed Scopus (94) Google Scholar Understanding how maternal stress and adversity become embedded in the brain and body of a developing child is a crucially important issue, not only for researchers and clinicians, but also for policy makers. Insights from this line of research have the potential to guide preventive interventions that may have positive transgenerational consequences. Indeed, preventive interventions do have the potential truly to “break the cycle.” Thinking Across Generations: Unique Contributions of Maternal Early Life and Prenatal Stress to Infant PhysiologyJournal of the American Academy of Child & Adolescent PsychiatryVol. 56Issue 11PreviewRespiratory sinus arrhythmia (RSA) is a parasympathetic-mediated biomarker of self-regulation linked to lifespan mental and physical health outcomes. Intergenerational impacts of mothers’ exposure to prenatal stress have been demonstrated, but evidence for biological embedding of maternal preconception stress, including adverse childhood experiences (ACEs), on infant RSA is lacking. We examine the independent effects of maternal ACEs and prenatal stress on infant RSA, seeking to broaden the understanding of the earliest origins of mental and physical health risk. Full-Text PDF