Prospective associations of prenatal stress with child behavior: Moderation by the early childhood caregiving environment.

Fetal exposure to prenatal stress can increase risk for psychopathology but postnatal caregiving may offset risk. This study tests whether maternal sensitivity and the home environment during early childhood modify associations of prenatal stress with offspring behavior in a sample of 127 mother-child pairs ( = 127). Mothers reported on perceived stress during pregnancy.

Developmental cascades from maternal preconception stress to child behavior problems: Testing multilevel preconception, prenatal, and postnatal influences.

Although maternal stress during pregnancy and even before conception shapes offspring risk for mental health problems, relatively little is known about the mechanisms through which these associations operate. In theory, preconception and prenatal stress may affect offspring mental health by influencing child responses to postnatal caregiving. To address this knowledge gap, this study had two aims.

Childhood family stress modifies the association between perinatal stressful life events and depressive symptoms.

The childhood family environment can influence long-term well-being in part by modifying how individuals' respond to and cope with stress across the life span. Theoretical models propose that childhood stress will either exacerbate ) or attenuate () the effects of adult stress on mental health. This study tests whether childhood family stress modifies the association between stressful life events and depressive symptoms in pregnancy and consecutive postpartum periods.

Maternal stress and mental health before pregnancy and offspring diurnal cortisol in early childhood.

The current study investigates whether prepregnancy maternal posttraumatic stress disorder (PTSD) symptoms, depressive symptoms, and stress predict children's cortisol diurnal slopes and cortisol awakening responses (CARs) adjusting for relevant variables. Mothers were enrolled after delivering a baby and followed through their subsequent pregnancy with 5 years of longitudinal data on their subsequent child. This prospective design allowed assessment of PTSD symptoms, depressive symptoms, and perceived stress prior to pregnancy.

Heart Rate Variability biofeedback therapy for children and adolescents with chronic pain: A pilot study.

Purpose: As a brief, noninvasive, cost-effective, and technology-driven therapy, biofeedback is a promising and welcomed clinical intervention for children and adolescents with pediatric chronic pain conditions. The aim of this pilot study was to explore the application of a brief Heart Rate Variability (HRV) biofeedback intervention supplemented by at-home breathing practice as a tool for reducing symptomatology associated with chronic pain in a pediatric urban hospital setting.

Design And Methods: Twenty-one participants aged 10-17 years (M = 14.

Maternal depressive symptom trajectories from preconception through postpartum: Associations with offspring developmental outcomes in early childhood.

Background: Two theoretical frameworks, the cumulative stress and match-mismatch model, propose that patterns of maternal depressive symptoms over early periods of offspring development predict outcomes in opposing ways. Studies have yet to test these theories across the preconception, prenatal, and early postnatal period. Study 1 identified trajectories of maternal depressive symptoms from preconception to postpartum.

Preconception maternal posttraumatic stress and child negative affectivity: Prospectively evaluating the intergenerational impact of trauma.

The developmental origins of psychopathology begin before birth and perhaps even prior to conception. Understanding the intergenerational transmission of psychopathological risk is critical to identify sensitive windows for prevention and early intervention. Prior research demonstrates that maternal trauma history, typically assessed retrospectively, has adverse consequences for child socioemotional development.

Prenatal maternal stress prospectively relates to shorter child buccal cell telomere length.

Prenatal exposure to stress increases risk for suboptimal child and adult mental and physical health outcomes, hypothesized to occur via fetal exposure to maternal stress hormones that alter growth and development. One proposed pathway through which stress exposure in utero could affect the offspring is by accelerating cellular aging in the form of telomere attrition. We tested this hypothesis in a cohort of 111 mother-child dyads, where mothers were assessed over 6 or more years, beginning prior to conception, and later during pregnancy, postpartum, and when the children were 3-5 years old.

Prenatal maternal stress and child hair cortisol four years later: Evidence from a low-income sample.

Background: Maternal stress during pregnancy can influence the trajectory of fetal development, shaping offspring physiology and health in enduring ways. Some research implicates fetal programming of the hypothalamic-pituitary-adrenocortical (HPA) axis as a mediator of these effects. The present study is the first to examine child hair cortisol concentration (HCC) and maternal stress during pregnancy in a diverse, low-income sample.

Prenatal maternal C-reactive protein prospectively predicts child executive functioning at ages 4-6 years.

This prospective longitudinal study evaluated multiple maternal biomarkers from the preconception and prenatal periods as time-sensitive predictors of child executive functioning (EF) in 100 mother-child dyads. Maternal glycated hemoglobin (HbA ), C-reactive protein (CRP), and blood pressure (BP) were assayed before pregnancy and during the second and third trimesters. Subsequently, children were followed from birth and assessed for EF (i.

A Secondary Analysis of Integrated Pediatric Chronic Pain Services Related to Cost Savings.

Youth with chronic pain have high healthcare utilization and associated costs. Research supports integrated treatment; though, it's unclear which treatments are used and cost-effective. This study expands on work that found reduced service use and cost savings following participation in an outpatient integrated pediatric pain clinic.

Psychological interventions for depression and anxiety in pregnant Latina and Black women in the United States: A systematic review.

Black women and Latinas have more symptoms of depression and anxiety during pregnancy than do their non-Latina White counterparts. Although effective interventions targeting internalizing disorders in pregnancy are available, they are primarily tested with White women. This article reviews randomized controlled trials and non-randomized studies to better understand the effectiveness of psychological interventions for anxiety and depression during pregnancy in Latinas and Black women.

Pregnancy anxiety in expectant mothers predicts offspring negative affect: The moderating role of acculturation.

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).

U.S. Mexican-origin adolescents' bicultural competence and mental health in context.

Objectives: We examined the prospective association (from Mage = 15.84 to 17.38 years) between bicultural competence and mental health among U.

Does Pain Intensity Matter? The Relation between Coping and Quality of Life in Pediatric Patients with Chronic Pain.

Purpose: Chronic pain is a complex and debilitating chronic health condition that negatively impacts a child's daily function. Previous investigations of coping behaviors in youth with chronic illness have suggested that secondary control/accommodative coping may be more adaptive than primary control/active coping or disengagement/passive coping. However, studies have not considered how pain intensity may change the effect of various coping strategies on functioning in this pediatric population.

Does Shared Parenting Help or Hurt Children in High Conflict Divorced Families?

Despite a recent shift in the allocation of parenting time arrangements following divorce, there is no clear consensus regarding the effects of shared parenting on children's adjustment in high conflict families. We propose key questions and methodological options to increase the ability of results from well-designed empirical studies to inform practice and policy. We review eleven studies of the relations between parenting time and quality of parenting with children's adjustment in high conflict divorced families.

A Cost-Analysis of an Interdisciplinary Pediatric Chronic Pain Clinic.

Unlabelled: Chronic pain is characterized by high rates of functional impairment, health care utilization, and associated costs. Research supports the use of comprehensive, interdisciplinary treatment approaches. However, many hospitals hesitate to offer this full range of services, especially to Medi-Cal/Medicaid patients whose services are reimbursed at low rates.

Is Virtual Reality Ready for Prime Time in the Medical Space? A Randomized Control Trial of Pediatric Virtual Reality for Acute Procedural Pain Management.

Objective: To conduct a randomized control trial to evaluate the feasibility and efficacy of virtual reality (VR) compared with standard of care (SOC) for reducing pain, anxiety, and improving satisfaction associated with blood draw in children ages 10-21 years.

Methods: In total, 143 triads (patients, their caregiver, and the phlebotomist) were recruited in outpatient phlebotomy at a pediatric hospital and randomized to receive either VR or SOC when undergoing routine blood draw. Patients and caregivers completed preprocedural and postprocedural standardized measures of pain, anxiety, and satisfaction, and phlebotomists reported about the patient's experience during the procedure.

Mindfulness for Novice Pediatric Nurses: Smartphone Application Versus Traditional Intervention.

Purpose: The current study compares the effects of a traditionally delivered mindfulness (TDM) intervention to a smartphone delivered mindfulness (SDM) intervention, Headspace, an audio-guided mindfulness meditation program, in a group of novice nurses.

Design And Methods: Novice nurses participating in a pediatric nurse residency program were asked to participate in either a TDM or SDM intervention. Participants (N=95) completed self-administered pencil and paper questionnaires measuring mindfulness skills, and risk and protective factors at the start of their residency and three months after entering the program.

Long-term effects of a parenting preventive intervention on young adults' painful feelings about divorce.

This study examined whether the New Beginnings Program (NBP), a parenting preventive intervention for divorced mothers that was designed to reduce children's postdivorce mental health problems, reduced painful feelings about divorce in young adults whose families had participated 15 years earlier. This study also explored whether NBP participation reduced the relations between young adults' painful feelings about divorce and their concurrent internalizing, externalizing, and substance use problems. Participants (M = 25.

The Socialization of Culturally Related Values and Prosocial Tendencies Among Mexican-American Adolescents.

The socialization of cultural values, ethnic identity, and prosocial behaviors is examined in a sample of 749 Mexican-American adolescents, ages 9-12; M (SD) = 10.42 years (.55); 49% female, their mothers, and fathers at the 5th, 7th, and 10th grades.

Cost-benefit analysis of a preventive intervention for divorced families: reduction in mental health and justice system service use costs 15 years later.

This cost-benefit analysis compared the costs of implementing the New Beginnings Program (NBP), a preventive intervention for divorced families to monetary benefits saved in mental healthcare service use and criminal justice system costs. NBP was delivered when the offspring were 9-12 years old. Benefits were assessed 15 years later when the offspring were young adults (ages 24-27).

Effects of a prevention program for divorced families on youth cortisol reactivity 15 years later.

Objective: We examined whether an empirically based, randomised controlled trial of a preventive intervention for divorced mothers and children had a long-term impact on offspring cortisol regulation.

Design: Divorced mothers and children (age 9-12) were randomly assigned to a literature control condition or the 11-week New Beginnings Program, a family-focused group preventive intervention for mothers and children in newly divorced families.

Main Outcome Measures: Fifteen years after the trial, offspring salivary cortisol (n = 161) was measured before and after a social stress task.

Effects of a preventive parenting intervention for divorced families on the intergenerational transmission of parenting attitudes in young adult offspring.

This study evaluates whether the New Beginnings Program (NBP), a parenting intervention for divorced mothers, led to positive parenting attitudes in young adult offspring. Data were collected from 240 mothers (G1) and offspring (G2) at ages 9-12 and again in adolescence and young adulthood. Alternative theoretical models were tested to examine mediators of NBP effects on G2 parenting attitudes.