Mothers Of Children Research Articles

Poverty induced inequality in nutrition among children born during 2010-2021 in India.

Almost two-fifth of the children in India is stunted and among various factors, poverty differential in child undernutrition is the largest. Using the latest population-based survey of National Family Health Survey, 2015-16 and 2019-21 this paper examined the poverty induced inequality in child stunting across the sub-populations of India. A sample of 213,136 children aged between 0-5 years from NFHS fourth round and 98,222 children in the same age group from the NFHS fifth round constitute the study sample. The wealth index is used as the proxy of household's economic wellbeing and height-for-age (HAZ) z-score of a child is used to identify the stunting status of the child. Box plots are drawn to understand the distributional characteristics of the HAZ score for both the study sample. We calculate the Erreygers corrected concentration index and decomposed the concentration indices using Gonzalo-Almorox and Urbanos-Garrido method. During 2015-16, more than half of the children from the poorest wealth quintile were stunted (52%), compared to 22% among the children from richest wealth quintile. In 2015-16, stunting was as high as 65% among the children of mothers with low stature (height less than 145 cm) and from the poorest wealth quintile whereas, the prevalence was observed 56% from the same sub-population during 2019-21. Among various factors, the concentration index of stunting was observed highest among the children of 36-47 months (-0.28) followed by children of age 48-59 months (-0.27) and among the fully immunized children (-0.25). Similar to NFHS-4, NFHS-5 also shows a predominantly higher socio-economic inequality among 24+ months children and among the fully immunised children. Factors like child age, birth order and sanitation showed positive elasticity. Decomposition analysis of NFHS-4 data shows that due to uneven distribution of wealth, mother's education as a determinant of child stunting solely explained 33% of the overall inequality followed by improved access to sanitation (24%), mother's height (8%) and place of residence (5%). Similar to NFHS-4, NFHS-5 data also shows that mother's education, sanitation, mother's height and place of residence predominantly contributes to the overall wealth inequality in child stunting. In India, poverty differential in child undernutrition is acute among the different sub-population of children. And the concentration of stunted children is higher among the different sub-population with higher wealth poverty. Mother's education, improved sanitation and mother's height explained larger variation in the overall inequalities in child nutrition across India.

Association of Maternal Immigration Status with Emotional Eating in Taiwanese Children: The Mediating Roles of Health Literacy and Feeding Practices.

Emotional eating has been linked to childhood obesity. A variety of emotions often trigger this form of eating, which has been associated with stress-induced overeating, loss of control eating, and binge eating in children. However, research on how maternal immigration status and feeding practices influence emotional eating in children within Asian contexts is sparse. This study examines the association between maternal immigration status and emotional eating in children, exploring the mediating roles of health literacy and feeding practices. The study focused on children aged 10-11 and their mothers in Taiwan, utilizing a sample of 2,308 mother-child dyads. The Child Feeding Questionnaire (CFQ) was used to assess mothers' feeding practices, while emotional eating was measured using a subscale of the Three-Factor Eating Questionnaire-Revised 18 (TFEQ-R18). Health literacy was evaluated using the Health Literacy Survey Questionnaire (HLS-EU-Q12). Confirmatory factor analysis, Pearson's correlation, and Structural Equation Models (SEMs) were employed to explore the potential pathways leading to children's emotional eating. Children of mothers with foreign nationality demonstrate higher emotional eating scores compared to those with native-born mothers (5.73 vs. 5.35, p = 0.04). These mothers also have significantly lower health literacy levels (35.21 vs. 38.52, p < 0.0001). They are more inclined to use rewarding and pressure-to-eat feeding practices while showing reduced tendencies toward monitoring and restriction. Serial mediation models suggest that maternal foreign nationality influences children's emotional eating primarily by increasing rewarding and pressure-to-eat practices alongside reduced health literacy, which ultimately lowers monitoring practices. Interventions should improve maternal health literacy and promote healthy feeding practices. Future research should investigate these pathways across various geographic regions and age groups to develop targeted interventions for immigrant families.

Correlation of Parental and Child Dental Plaque Levels: A Clinical Study

Objective: This clinical study aimed to explore the correlation between dental plaque levels in parents and their children. Specifically, the study examined differences in plaque correlation between mother–child and father–child pairs and evaluated the role of parental education in influencing children’s oral hygiene practices. Materials and Methods: A total of 196 subjects were recruited, comprising 49 mother–child and 49 father–child pairs, with children aged 6 to 15 years. Dental plaque was assessed using the O’Leary Plaque Control Record, applying a liquid plaque discloser and explorer. The plaque index was calculated as the percentage of dental surfaces with visible plaque relative to the total surfaces examined. Results: The findings revealed a significant positive correlation between the parental plaque index (IP_PARENTS) and the children’s plaque index (IP_CHILD) (p &lt; 0.001), indicating a strong relationship. While the father’s plaque index (ID_PARENTS(FATHER)) showed a marginally positive effect on IP_CHILD (p = 0.0589), the interaction between father identification and IP_PARENTS had a significant negative impact (p = 0.0344), suggesting that paternal influence on children’s plaque levels may vary. The model accounted for 28% of the variability in IP_CHILD (pseudo R2 = 0.2758). Conclusions: The analysis demonstrated a significant association between parental and child plaque levels, with minor differences observed between maternal and paternal influence. No significant effects were found for the age or gender of the children. Overall, increased plaque levels in parents were associated with higher plaque levels in their children, with slight variations depending on the parent’s role.

Parental Burnout—A Model of Risk Factors and Protective Resources Among Mothers of Children with/Without Special Needs

Parents of children With Special Needs and Disabilities (W-SND) who require long-term healthcare are at high risk of Parental Burnout (PB). However, most studies have focused on PB among parents of children Without Special Needs (WO-SN). This study aimed to develop a new model explaining PB of mothers of children W-SND/WO-SN. The main hypothesis was that the nexus of correlations between risk factors of PB (severity of child’s disability/challenge, perceived caregiver burden) and protective resources (social support, learned resourcefulness, deep emotion work) will explain the variance of PB of mothers of children W-SND and WO-SN. A questionnaire assessing PB, its risk factors, and protective resources was completed by 352 Israeli mothers of children W-SND (mean age 36.9) or WO-SN (mean age 32.3). The child’s disabilities were communicative, physical, intellectual and developmental. The main results are that mothers of children W-SND reported higher PB, higher caregiver burden, and a higher severity of disability. About 50% of PB variance was significantly explained by the nexus of correlations between selected risk and protective factors. Among all mothers, the more social support they received, the higher their learned-resourcefulness. However, learned resourcefulness mediates the correlation between caregiver burden and PB among mothers of children W-SND. Accordingly, it is important to increase awareness among healthcare professionals regarding the risk factors and symptoms of PB, and to develop workshops on protective resources in order to prevent PB and promote mothers’ well-being. Further research should be conducted among fathers and parents from diverse cultures.

Parental separation penalties among university students in Italy

AbstractThis paper addresses the long-standing question of whether parental separation shapes offspring school performance drawing on retrospective data from a group of university students in Italy, a country that has historically had very low separation rates yet has experienced an important rise in family dissolution over the last two decades. Using survey data from 1st-year enrollees in undergraduate courses in Economics and Statistics at two points in time (2000 and 2017), we explore whether the association between parental separation and children’s school performance (i) is observed both at the level of middle school (MS) and high school (HS); (ii) varies according to the age at which students experienced separation, and (iii) varies by parental socio-economic status (SES). Our results suggest that students whose parents separated before MS completion score on average 2 points less on the end-of-middle-school exam relative to students whose parents did not separate or separated after MS completion. Similarly, students whose parents separated before HS completion score 1 point less on the end-of-high-school exam relative to their counterpart. As such, we document a parental separation penalty both at the level of MS and HS, yet lower by half when separation occurs later in students’ life course. Moreover, for HS grade parental separation is associated with more negative consequences when students experience it at very young ages (0–5), while for MS grade heterogeneity by age is less clear-cut. Such penalties are concentrated among children of low-educated mothers, particularly for HS, providing support to the “compensatory advantage” hypothesis predicting smaller penalties for children of high-SES parents. Overall, findings from this study corroborate existing evidence suggesting that the consequences of parental separation vary depending on a combination of social background and the “selectivity” of the educational outcome considered.

Examining fairness in machine learning applied to support families: A case study of preventive services

AbstractObjectiveTo evaluate the fairness of a machine learning (ML) model designed to assess the need for home visiting services, focusing on its performance across family characteristics.BackgroundML models are increasingly used in family‐centered services; however, their fairness remains underexplored, particularly concerning family sociodemographic factors and service contexts.MethodsThis study assessed the fairness of an ML model developed for home visiting services examining false negative rates (FNRs) across subgroups, particularly focusing on the intersection of maternal ethnicity and nativity.ResultsThe ML model reduced FNRs from 52.9% to 22.1%, with the most notable improvements for children of Black mothers and with family characteristics associated with high risk. However, the model was less effective for children of Asian and foreign‐born Hispanic mothers.ConclusionAlthough the ML model substantially reduced FNRs across various family subgroups, disparities were observed.ImplicationsUnderstanding fairness in ML models requires a thoughtful approach, considering service context and impact on the families from diverse backgrounds. Continued research and collaboration are necessary for fair and inclusive use of ML models for family‐centered services.

Trends and inequalities in anaemia prevalence among children aged 6–59 months in Ghana, 2003–2022

BackgroundAnaemia, characterised by a deficiency in red blood cells or haemoglobin, is a public health issue in Ghana, particularly among children. The prevalence of anaemia in this age group has been a longstanding concern due to its adverse effects on cognitive development, physical growth, and well-being. This study examined the trends and inequalities in anaemia prevalence among children aged 6–59 months in Ghana between 2003 and 2022.MethodsData from the Ghana Demographic Health Survey conducted between 2003 and 2022 was used to analyse the prevalence of anaemia in children aged 6–59 months. The World Health Organization’s Health Equity Assessment Toolkit software calculated several inequality measures, including difference, ratio, population-attributable risk, and population-attributable percentage. An inequality assessment was performed for six stratifiers: child’s age, mother’s economic status, maternal educational level, place of residence, child’s sex, and sub-national region.ResultsAnaemia prevalence among children aged 6–59 months in Ghana declined from 76.1% in 2003 to 48.9% by 2022. The results revealed an age-related inequality in anaemia prevalence among children in Ghana, with younger age group ( 6–11 months) consistently showing higher rates. The age-related inequality Difference was 24.6 percentage points in 2022, indicating that age is crucial to understanding anaemia risk. Economic-related inequality between children of mothers in Quintile 5 (richest) and Quintile 1 (poorest) increased from a Difference of 21.1 percentage points in 2003 to 32.7 percentage points in 2022 highlighting the stark inequalities across wealth quintiles. Education inequality between children of mothers with higher education and no education decreased from a Difference of 29.4 percentage points in 2003 to 25.3 percentage points in 2022, suggesting that children from less educated households are still at higher risk. Place of residence inequality between children of mothers living in urban areas and rural areas increased from a Difference of 12.3 percentage points in 2003 to 14.8 percentage points in 2022 reflecting urban-rural disparities. Sex-related inequality between male and female children decreased from a Difference of -0.3 percentage points in 2003 to -5.5 percentage points in 2022 indicating the absence of inequality based on sex of the child. Lastly, regional inequalities are pronounced, as indicated by an increase in the Difference from 21.2 percentage points in 2003 to 34.0 percentage points in 2022, highlighting that children in certain regions like the Northern and Upper East are more affected by anaemia.ConclusionThe decline in anaemia prevalence among children aged 6–59 months in Ghana, reflects substantial progress; however, notable inequalities persist across age, economic status, education, place of residence, and region. To address these disparities, strategies such as enhancing access to healthcare services in underserved regions, implementing community education programs to raise awareness about nutrition and health, and promoting economic empowerment initiatives can be effective. Additionally, community education can play a crucial role in offsetting the effects of low household education levels, fostering a more informed population that can advocate for better health practices and policies. By addressing these key areas, we can work towards reducing anaemia prevalence and improving child health outcomes across all populations in Ghana.

Mother-Child Closeness and Adolescent Structural Neural Networks: A Prospective Longitudinal Study of Low-Income Families.

Mother-child closeness, a mutually trusting and affectionate bond, is an important factor in shaping positive youth development. However, little is known about the neural pathways through which mother-child closeness are related to brain organization. Utilizing a longitudinal sample primarily from low-income families (N=181; 76% African American youth and 54% female), this study investigated the associations between mother-child closeness at ages 9 and 15 and structural connectivity organization (network integration, robustness, and segregation) at age 15. The assessment of mother-child closeness included perspectives from both mother and child. The results revealed that greater mother-child closeness is linked with increased global efficiency and transitivity, but not modularity. Specifically, both the mother's and child's report of closeness at age 15 predicted network metrics but report at age 9 did not. Our findings suggest that mother-child closeness is associated with neural white matter organization, as adolescents who experienced greater mother-child closeness displayed topological properties indicative of more integrated and robust structural networks.

Influence of track placement and teachers' perceptions of children's academic schoolwork skills on the development of children's motivational self-beliefs and achievement

In this study, we analyzed longitudinal data from 1065 Finnish elementary school students to examine how teachers' perceptions of students' academic schoolwork skills and track placement influence children's motivational self-beliefs and achievement. Our findings indicate, that teachers' perceptions of students, which varied notably based on the students' gender, their mothers' education level, and their class types, significantly affected children's motivation and achievement. Teachers viewed girls, children of more educated mothers, and students in classes with a special emphasis more positively. Moreover, studying in a class with a special emphasis was associated with more positive developments in achievement and ability beliefs.

Natural Disasters as a Maternal Prenatal Stressor and Children’s Neurodevelopment: A Systematic Review

The intrauterine period is a time of high sensitivity in the development of the embryo and the fetus. Therefore, low levels of maternal stress are closely associated with healthy brain development in the neonatal and early childhood periods. There is increasing evidence linking natural disasters as prenatal maternal stress (PNMS) to neurodevelopmental disorders (including subclinical manifestations). Natural disasters involve many factors in addition to the trauma they cause, including loss and the physical and psychosocial difficulties that result from that trauma. This review article aims to bring together research findings on the neurodevelopmental effects of natural disasters on children as PNMS. It also looks at how factors such as gestational age and gender contribute to these effects. We conducted a systematic review on PubMed, Web of Science, and Scopus, with 30 studies meting the inclusion criteria. This systematic review was conducted in accordance with the PRISMA guidelines. A total of 1,327,886 mother–child dyads participated in the included studies. The results of the studies indicate that natural disasters have a negative impact on children’s outcomes in terms of cognitive development, language development, autism/autism-like features, motor skills, performance in mathematics, mental development, sleep, attention, behavioral and emotional problems, and various psychiatric comorbidities.

Analysis of Contributing Factors to Stunting in Poso Regency: A Perspective from the Special Stunting Handling Index

Introduction: The prevalence of stunting in children in Indonesia, including Poso Regency, remains relatively high despite a decrease in recent years. This study aims to analyze factors associated with stunting in Poso Regency. Methods: This study employed a cross-sectional analytical method with a sample size of 250 mothers and their children under 2 years old, using structured questionnaires and direct measurements to collect data. Univariate analysis, chi-square tests and binary logistic regression were performed with a final report of adjusted odds ratios (AORs) and 95% confidence intervals (CI). All of the analyses used Stata version 15. Results: Results indicate a significant association between stunting and the child's gender, maternal education, immunization, and breastfeeding. Boys face a 2.3 times higher risk of stunting, while children of mothers with primary education have a 4.7 times higher risk compared to those with higher education. Non-immunized and non-breastfed children also exhibit significantly higher stunting risks. Conclusion: The study underscores the impact of factors such as the child's sex, maternal education, immunization, and breastfeeding on stunting in Poso Regency. The study emphasizes the need for targeted educational programs by healthcare professionals, policy-driven nutritional support initiatives, and community-based awareness campaigns to effectively address stunting in Poso Regency.

Social-motional challenges in children of mothers with postpartum depression

In Denmark, approximately 5% of new mothers experience postpartum depression, potentially hindering a child's care and stimulation for ideal social-emotional development. This literary review explores the impact of maternal postpartum depression on a child's social-emotional development and confirms that maternal postpartum depression potentially harms the child's social-emotional development. Nevertheless, there is cause for optimism in the literature, suggesting that the impact on the child is likely to be transient in cases of shorter durations of postpartum depression.

Caring Under Pressure: Investigating Parental Attitudes in Mother–Child Chronic Illness Dynamics

Background: The presence of chronic illnesses in both a mother and a child poses a significant challenge for mothers in managing these conditions, yet how maternal attitudes adapt to dual illness remains poorly understood. This study aims to explore parenting styles in families dealing with mother–child chronic illnesses. Methods: Mothers of children aged 2–6 were recruited from three pediatric clinics and categorized based on the health status of both the mother and the child. Data collection included case files and the Parental Attitude Scale (PAS), which assessed democratic, authoritarian, overprotective, and permissive attitudes. The interaction between mother–child health status and higher levels of parental subscales was analyzed using the chi-square test. Multiple logistic regression analysis was then performed to evaluate this interaction, controlling for confounding baseline characteristics. Results: In total, 878 mother–child pairs were included. Mothers exhibited varying attitudes based on education, employment, and the child’s age. Chronic illness in both mother and child and only the child having an illness were significantly associated with higher overprotective scores (p &lt; 0.001). The percentage of mothers with high permissive scores was higher when only the mother had an illness and when both were healthy, compared to the case of both mother and child having an illness (p = 0.018). After adjusting for confounding factors, having a sick child showed a 1.6-fold increase in the likelihood of a high overprotective score, and both the mother and child having an illness showed a 2.94-fold increase. Similarly, after adjusting for the same confounding factors, the likelihood of a high permissive score was 2.56 times lower when both were ill compared to when both were healthy. Conclusions: This study reveals that when a child is affected by a chronic illness—whether or not the mother is also ill—mothers tend to exhibit higher levels of overprotection and lower levels of permissiveness, while their levels of authoritarianism and democratic attitudes in parenting remain relatively stable.

A Mother-Child data linkage approach using data from the information System for the development of research in primary care (SIDIAP) in Catalonia

BackgroundLarge-scale clinical databases containing routinely collected electronic health records (EHRs) data are a valuable source of information for research studies. For example, they can be used in pharmacoepidemiology studies to evaluate the effects of maternal medication exposure on neonatal and pediatric outcomes. Yet, this type of studies is infeasible without proper mother–child linkage. MethodsWe leveraged all eligible active records (N = 8,553,321) of the Information System for Research in Primary Care (SIDIAP) database. Mothers and infants were linked using a deterministic approach and linkage accuracy was evaluated in terms of the number of records from candidate mothers that failed to link. We validated the mother–child links identified by comparison of linked and unlinked records for both candidate mothers and descendants. Differences across these two groups were evaluated by means of effect size calculations instead of p-values. Overall, we described our data linkage process following the GUidance for Information about Linking Data sets (GUILD) principles. ResultsWe were able to identify 744,763 unique mother–child relationships, linking 83.8 % candidate mothers with delivery dates within a period of 15 years. Of note, we provide a record-level category label used to derive a global confidence metric for the presented linkage process. Our validation analysis showed that the two groups were similar in terms of a number of aggregated attributes. ConclusionsComplementing the SIDIAP database with mother–child links will allow clinical researchers to expand their epidemiologic studies with the ultimate goal of improving outcomes for pregnant women and their children. Importantly, the reported information at each step of the data linkage process will contribute to the validity of analyses and interpretation of results in future studies using this resource.

Experiences of Growing Up with Mothers with Schizophrenia in South Korea: A Qualitative Study.

The purpose of this study was to explore the experience of living with mothers with schizophrenia from childhood to the present from the perspective of their now-adult child. Individual interviews were conducted with 10 adult children of mothers with schizophrenia. The data were collected in South Korea from July 2017 to March 2018 and thematic analysis was employed. Purposive sampling was used. Four themes were identified: (1) Navigating Childhood Confusion and Isolation Due to Maternal Schizophrenia, (2) Journey Through Loneliness, Resentment, and Emerging Responsibility, (3) Facing real-life difficulties as an adult child with vulnerability, and (4) Satisfaction in well-grown self. Notwithstanding the real-life difficulties due to unstable life with their mothers with schizophrenia, the children still had faith and confidence in themselves as well-grown thus far. Reflection on memories with their mothers served as a basis for continued maternal-child relationship and for taking on the role of guardians despite the negative experiences of their mothers' psychotic symptoms. Mental health nurses and school health professionals should pay attention to the children of mothers with schizophrenia and their difficulties in providing appropriate mental health services.

Heart Disease in Mothers of Children with Duchenne Muscular Dystrophy.

Female carriers of Duchenne Muscular Dystrophy (DMD) carry a heterozygous pathogenic variant in the dystrophin gene and can transmit pathogenic variants to their offspring. DMD is an X-linked recessive disease that affects up to 19.8 in every 100,000 male births. Those carriers with symptoms can be referred to as women with dystrophinopathy. Even among asymptomatic carriers, cardiac involvement can be verified in between 2.5% and 75% through echocardiography. The most commonly affected wall of the left ventricle is the inferolateral, with myocardial fibrosis detected by cardiac nuclear resonance. Therefore, screening is recommended for these women carriers due to the risk of cardiomyopathy. There is a lack of longitudinal studies on the evolution of these carriers. In this article, data on clinical presentation, cardiac assessment for female patients with dystrophinopathy and DMD carriers, and approaches for these patients are discussed.

Caries Activity Tests and Associated Factors among 3-5-Year-Old Preschool Children in Zhao County, Hebei Province, China.

This study aimed to investigate the caries activity (CA) and its caries status in children aged 3-5 years in Zhao County, Hebei province, China and to explore the related factors. Cariostat caries activity test and oral examination were performed on children aged 3-5 years old in Zhao county, Hebei province by a stratified sampling. A questionnaire survey was used to analyze the CA-related factors and the receiver operating characteristic curve (ROC) was to evaluate the diagnostic value of Cariostat caries activity test in children with early childhood caries (ECC). The caries status among preschool children in Zhao county of Hebei province was serious. The higher the mean dmft of children, the greater the CA value. Mother's educational level and children's diet and lifestyle habits were closely related to CA. The Cariostat caries activity test has good efficacy in diagnosing ECC with high sensitivity and specificity.

Improving Access to PMTCT Through the Involvement of Traditional Birth Attendants in Program Activities in the Far North Region of Cameroon: A Retrospective Cohort Study.

Majority of deliveries occurring in the Cameroon part of the Lake Chad basin is assisted by traditional birth attendants (TBA). The aim of the present study was to assess if training and involving TBA in community-based Prevention of Mother to Child Transmission (PMTCT) interventions can contribute in improving targeted population access to these interventions. This was a retrospective cohort study that assessed among mothers of children aged 0-24 months the effect of training and involving TBA in PMTCT activities. The exposed mother-child pairs were those inhabiting communities were TBA were trained and involved during the 24 previous months in PMTCT activities (exposed communities) while the non-exposed groups where those living in communities with no study intervention. Data were collected in households selected by stratified cluster random sampling from children's mothers or guardians using a face-to-face administered questionnaire (undocumented) and from antenatal booklets (documented) used in health facilities to record antenatal care. A total of 637 mothers-children couples were included, 416 (65.3%) in the exposed group and 221 (34.7%) in the control group. Exposed mother-child pairs had significantly higher documented access to mother antenatal HIV testing compared to the couples living in non-exposed communities with adjusted relative risk (ARR) of 4.20 (2.52-6.99). The mean number of antenatal consultations was significantly higher in the exposed group (Student T-test =6.00, p= 0.000). However, this exposure to community with trained TBA increased but not significantly the proportion of pregnant women who benefit from antenatal consultations (ARR=0.94 (0.70-1.25), p=0.678) and those who withdraw their HIV test results (X2 = 0.271, p=0.786). The training and involvement of TBA in delivering PMTCT interventions at the community level can improve population access to these interventions. The consistency of these findings should be tested in other communities in needs and with other health care interventions.

From mind to mind: Understanding the role of mothers in children’s theory of mind

Theory of mind (ToM) enables children to comprehend mental states of themselves and others. In this first study investigating the mediating role of mothers' mental state talk between mothers' sociocognitive skills (i.e., mothers' ToM and parental reflective functioning) and children's ToM, 89 children (M(SD)age = 57.0 months (5.49)) and their mothers from Türkiye participated. Results revealed that mothers with higher prementalization scores used fewer affective and desire words. Mothers exhibiting greater interest and curiosity in mental states used more cognitive words, while those with more proficient ToM skills tended to use more mental state terms indicating certainty (e.g., ‘perhaps’). Furthermore, mothers' use of certainty words mediated the relationship between mothers' ToM and children's ToM. These cross-sectional findings underscore the significant role of mothers' socio-cognitive abilities in mother-child interactions regarding mental states and the development of children's ToM skills, and call for a longitudinal investigation into these relationships.

Sex-specific associations between maternal prenatal inflammation and offspring cortical morphology in youth: A harmonised study across four birth cohorts

Maternal immune activation (MIA) during pregnancy is implicated in offspring psychiatric disorders. However, it is unknown to what extent MIA affects neurodevelopment, particularly cerebrocortical anatomy, in the general population, and whether effects differ by sex. The current study used vertex-wise statistics to examine the association between maternal prenatal CRP, an archetypal systemic inflammatory marker, and offspring cortical thickness, surface area, and volume, in 2,635 mother–child dyads (5.4–26.5 years) from three population-based cohorts, and one clinical cohort enriched for presence of inflammation markers.Maternal CRP within a normal physiological range (<10 mg/L) exhibited sex-specific quadratic associations with cortical morphological measures in 2 regions in males and 1 region in females at childhood. Elevated (>10 mg/L) CRP was associated with regional cortical morphology in females and in a pooled sample of sexes. Overall, MIA is associated with cortical development in a regional and sex-specific manner in studies spanning childhood to adulthood.