The association between prenatal alcohol consumption and preschool child stress system disturbance.

Background: Drinking alcohol during pregnancy is considered a risk factor for child development; however, child biomarkers of prenatal alcohol exposure have been rarely studied. We examined whether a meconium alcohol metabolite (ethyl glucuronide, EtG) was associated with child cortisol concentrations at primary school age.

Methods: For 137 children, prenatal alcohol exposure was operationalized by the meconium biomarker EtG and by maternal self-reports during pregnancy. Two EtG cut-offs (EtG ≥10 ng/g and EtG ≥112 ng/g) were applied. Cortisol concentrations were measured in saliva and hair samples.

Results: Children with EtG ≥10 ng/g showed significantly reduced hair cortisol concentrations (HCCs) (p = .050,  = 0.042). For children with EtG ≥112 ng/g, the cortisol awakening response (CAR) was significantly decreased (p = .025,  = 0.070). These effects were also present in correlational analyses with continuous EtG data, speaking for partly dose-dependent effects. Especially, within the EtG ≥112 ng/g group, the basal (CAR: r  = -.642, p = .120) and cumulative (HCC: r  = -.660, p = .107) cortisol parameters were associated with child emotional symptoms at medium effect size.

Conclusions: The present study showed both the biological association of intrauterine alcohol exposure with the cortisol stress system, partly dose-dependent, and the functional association with emotional and behavioral symptoms.