Infant colic and sleeping problems from early childhood through adolescence.

Our aims are 1) to assess whether sleeping problems persist from early childhood until adolescence, and 2) to investigate whether infant colic is associated with more sleeping problems throughout childhood and adolescence. Furthermore, we explore a moderation by parent-infant room sharing of potential associations between infant colic and sleeping problems. Data originate from a prospective longitudinal study in a healthy community sample (N = 185).

A mesocorticolimbic insulin receptor gene co-expression network moderates the association between early life adversity and food approach eating behaviour style in childhood.

Insulin receptors, located in brain regions associated with reward sensitivity and decision-making, facilitate insulin action in the brain, modulating intracellular signaling cascades, gene expression, and neural activity. Here, we tested if variations in the expression of the insulin receptor gene network in the prefrontal cortex (PFC) and striatum (STR) moderate the association between early life adversity and eating behaviour in childhood and if this moderation is sex-specific. Participants from the Maternal Adversity, Vulnerability and Neurodevelopment (MAVAN) and Basal Influences on the Baby's Development (BIBO) were included as two independent cohorts.

Infant Care: Predictors of Outdoor Walking, Infant Carrying and Infant Outdoor Sleeping.

Background: Although spending time outdoors is beneficial for development, little is known about outdoor time during infancy. The aim of this study was to assess frequencies and durations of (1a) outdoor walking and carrying in mother-infant dyads and (1b) infant outdoor sleeping in a stationary cot or pram. We furthermore aimed to identify associations of (2a) outdoor walking and carrying and (2b) infant outdoor sleeping, with infant, maternal and environmental sample characteristics.

Maternal early life and prenatal stress in relation to birth outcomes in Argentinian mothers.

Environmental influences before and during pregnancy significantly impact offspring development. This study investigates open research questions regarding the associations between maternal early life stress (ELS), prenatal psychosocial stress, prenatal hair cortisol (HC), and birth outcomes in Argentinian women. Data on ELS, prenatal life events, HC (two samples representing first and second half of pregnancy), and birth outcomes were collected from middle-class Argentinian women (N = 69) upon delivery.

Stress-related eating in pregnancy? An RCT examining links between prenatal stress and food choices.

Background: Diet quality during pregnancy is important for maternal health and offspring development. However, national dietary recommendations are not always met. A potential barrier for healthy food choices might be the experience of stress.

Implications of childhood adversity for women's perinatal sleep quality and depressive symptoms over time: A serial mediation model.

This study sought to examine the effects of childhood adversity on the longitudinal associations between perinatal sleep quality and depressive symptoms, and to determine the prospective associations between these constructs over time. A cross-lagged autoregressive model was used to examine the longitudinal association between sleep quality and depressive symptoms at four points during the perinatal period: 18 and 32 weeks of pregnancy, and 6 and 12 weeks postpartum. Longitudinal mediation models were used to examine whether sleep quality or depressive symptoms mediated the effects of childhood adversity on these symptoms.

Infant colic and HPA axis development across childhood.

This study examines the long-term impact of infant colic on Hypothalamic-Pituitary-Adrenal (HPA) axis development and the moderating role of attachment security, in a low-risk Dutch sample of 193 children. We assessed infant colic at 6 weeks, circadian cortisol concentrations at ages 1, 2.5, 6, and 10 years, and attachment security at 1 year.

Methodological recommendations for human microbiota-gut-brain axis research.

Observational studies have determined numerous correlations between sequence-based gut microbiota data and human mental traits. However, these associations are often inconsistent across studies. This inconsistency is one of the reasons that mechanistic validation studies of the observed correlations are lagging, making it difficult to establish causal associations.

Daily skin-to-skin contact alters microbiota development in healthy full-term infants.

The gut microbiota is vital for human body development and function. Its development in early life is influenced by various environmental factors. In this randomized controlled trial, the gut microbiota was obtained as a secondary outcome measure in a study on the effects of one hour of daily skin-to-skin contact (SSC) for five weeks in healthy full-term infants.

Individual differences in processing speed and curiosity explain infant habituation and dishabituation performance.

Habituation and dishabituation are the most prevalent measures of infant cognitive functioning, and they have reliably been shown to predict later cognitive outcomes. Yet, the exact mechanisms underlying infant habituation and dishabituation are still unclear. To investigate them, we tested 106 8-month-old infants on a classic habituation task and a novel visual learning task.

Adolescents' hair cortisol concentrations during COVID-19: Evidence from two longitudinal studies in the Netherlands and the United States.

Background: Prolonged stress exposure is associated with alterations in cortisol output. The COVID-19 pandemic represented a stressor for many, including children. However, a high-quality caregiving environment may protect against psychological problems and possibly against elevations in cortisol.

Prenatal anticipatory stress: Baby preparation and worry scale-revised in the Dutch context.

Background: Prenatal distress encompasses a range of different emotions, worries, and experiences of stress. The Baby Preparation and Worry Scale (Baby-PAWS) was recently developed to target anticipatory worries during pregnancy about the postnatal period. However, the Baby-PAWS questionnaire was only examined in the United States of America, limiting the questionnaire's generalizability to different countries.

A longitudinal study of the gut microbiota during the first three years of life: Links with problem behavior and executive functions at preschool age.

Early life is a sensitive period when microbiota-gut-brain interactions may have important impact on development. This study investigated the associations of the gut microbiota in the first three years of life (two, six, and 12 weeks, and one and three years) with problem behavior and executive functions in = 64 three-year-old children. Higher relative abundance of at the age of two weeks, as well as its trajectory over time (including ages two, six and 12 weeks, and one and three years), was related to worse executive functions.

Gut microbiota and child behavior in early puberty: does child sex play a role?

A growing number of studies have indicated relations between the gut microbiota and mental health. However, to date, there is a scarcity of microbiota studies in community samples in early puberty. The current preregistered study (https://osf.

Determinants of maternal breast milk cortisol increase: Examining dispositional and situational factors.

Background: Breast milk is a rich nutritional source, containing numerous proteins, carbohydrates, and hormones that impact long-term offspring development. Strikingly, predictors and correlates of breast milk composition remain largely unknown. Building on a previously discovered increase in breast milk cortisol concentration from 2 to 12 weeks postpartum, we investigated potential predictors of maternal breast milk cortisol in the first three months post-delivery by examining a suite of maternal dispositional (e.

Are adolescent diet quality and emotional eating predicted by history of maternal caregiving quality and concurrent inhibitory control?

The risk for unhealthy eating behaviour, including poor diet quality and emotional eating, is heightened in adolescence and could result in profound and long-lasting psychological and physical implications. Caregiving quality and adolescents' regulatory skills, such as inhibitory control, may play an essential role in the development of adolescent eating behaviour. This preregistered study investigated whether maternal caregiving throughout the first 14 years of life predicts adolescent diet quality and emotional eating and whether potential associations are mediated by adolescents' inhibitory control.

The effects and process of the intervention "Individual Shantala Infant Massage" in preventive child healthcare to improve parent-child interaction: study protocol for a quasi-experimental study.

Background: Individual Shantala Infant Massage is an intervention that is offered by several Dutch Preventive Child Healthcare (PCH) organizations as optional preventive support, in addition to basic care as offered to all children. It targets vulnerable families and aims to enhance sensitive parenting and to reduce (effects of) parental stress. The intervention is carried out by a certified nurse.

Breastfeeding and room-sharing during COVID-19 in the Netherlands: The impact of perinatal healthcare support.

Aim: The recommendations of 6 months of exclusive breastfeeding (EBF) and parent-infant room-sharing (RS) are often not followed. As these early caregiving practices may have been affected by the COVID-19-related restrictions, we documented BF and RS practices in the Netherlands (2020-2021) and the effects of perceived perinatal healthcare support.

Methods: Pregnant women and mothers of an infant younger than 6 months (N = 784) completed online questionnaires (e.

Development of the gut microbiota in the first 14 years of life and its relations to internalizing and externalizing difficulties and social anxiety during puberty.

Relations between the gut microbiota and host mental health have been suggested by a growing number of case-control and cross-sectional studies, while supporting evidence is limited in large community samples followed during an extended period. Therefore, the current preregistered study ( https://osf.io/8ymav , September 7, 2022) described child gut microbiota development in the first 14 years of life and explored its relations to internalizing and externalizing difficulties and social anxiety in puberty, a period of high relevance for the development of mental health problems.

Fucosylated Human Milk Oligosaccharides during the First 12 Postnatal Weeks Are Associated with Better Executive Functions in Toddlers.

Human milk oligosaccharides (HMOs) are one of the most abundant solid components in a mother's milk. Animal studies have confirmed a link between early life exposure to HMOs and better cognitive outcomes in the offspring. Human studies on HMOs and associations with later child cognition are scarce.

Maternal sensitivity and child internalizing and externalizing behavior: a mediating role for glucocorticoid receptor gene () methylation?

The early caregiving environment can have lasting effects on child mental health. Animal models suggest that glucocorticoid receptor gene () DNA methylation plays a mediating role in linking more responsive caregiving to improved behavioral outcomes by its impact on the stress regulatory system. In this longitudinal study, we examined whether children's methylation levels mediate an effect of maternal sensitivity in infancy on levels of child internalizing and externalizing behavior in a community sample.

Commentary: Natural disaster studies on prenatal stress - moving forward - a commentary/reflection on Nomura et al. (2023).

This commentary is based on the premise that the goal of scientific publications is to advance knowledge and inspire scientific discussion. First, the Nomura et al. paper is briefly summarized and shortly discussed to illustrate some of the challenges faced in this field, and suggestions for improvement are made.