Background: Recent evidence suggests that offspring of mothers having been exposed to childhood abuse and neglect (CA&N) are at increased risk of developmental problems and that boys are more affected by maternal CA&N than girls. Since impairments in reflective functioning (RF) have been associated with maternal CA&N and offspring development, RF could represent a key mechanism in these intergenerational risk trajectories.
Objective: This study evaluated mediating (RF) and moderating (child sex) mechanisms in the association between maternal CA&N and child development.
Participants And Setting: In a longitudinal setting, 111 mothers completed measures during pregnancy and between 11 and 36 months postpartum.
Methods: CA&N and impairments in RF were assessed during pregnancy and offspring development was measured during the longitudinal follow-up using the Ages and Stages Questionnaires (ASQ-3). Child development was operationalized in two ways: using the global score at the ASQ-3 and using a dichotomous score of accumulation of delays across domains of development.
Results: Structural equation modeling indicated that RF mediated the association between maternal CA&N and offspring development. Child sex moderated the association between CA&N and the clustering of developmental problems (Wald = 5.88, p = 0.02), with boys being particularly likely to accumulate developmental delays when their mother experienced CA&N (RR = 2.62). Accumulation of developmental problems was associated with impairments in maternal RF in girls and with maternal exposure to CA&N in boys.
Conclusions: Results provide novel insights on the role of mentalization and child sex in the association between maternal CA&N and child development.
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http://dx.doi.org/10.1016/j.chiabu.2021.105030 | DOI Listing |
Placenta
December 2024
Seattle Children's Research Institute, Seattle WA, USA; University of Washington, Seattle WA, USA.
Introduction: The placenta produces corticotrophin releasing hormone (CRH), which rises exponentially in maternal plasma across pregnancy. CRH plays a functional role in fetal development, labor initiation, and the regulation of gestational length. We aimed to understand how maternal plasma CRH during pregnancy reflects placental physiology during parturition by characterizing placental transcriptomic signatures of maternal plasma CRH and comparing to transcriptomic signatures of gestational age at birth.
View Article and Find Full Text PDFPediatr Nephrol
January 2025
Department of Pediatrics, the First Affiliated Hospital of Zhengzhou University, Zhengzhou, 450052, Henan, China.
Background: The effectiveness of rituximab (RTX) for steroid-dependent/frequently relapsing nephrotic syndrome (SDNS/FRNS) in children is well documented. However, there are insufficient data on relapse risk factors. Additionally, the retreat regimen for relapsed children requires further investigation.
View Article and Find Full Text PDFJ Perinat Med
January 2025
Tufts Medical Center, Mother Infant Research Institute, Boston, MA, USA.
Objectives: Maternal obesity increases a child's risk of neurodevelopmental impairment. However, little is known about the impact of maternal obesity on fetal brain development.
Methods: We prospectively recruited 20 healthy pregnant women across the range of pre-pregnancy or first-trimester body mass index (BMI) and performed fetal brain magnetic resonance imaging (MRI) of their healthy singleton fetuses.
Pediatr Res
January 2025
Center for Genetic Medicine, Children's National Research Institute, Washington, DC, USA.
Background: Prenatally transmitted viruses can cause severe damage to the developing brain. There is unexplained variability in prenatal brain injury and postnatal neurodevelopmental outcomes, suggesting disease modifiers. Of note, prenatal Zika infection can cause a spectrum of neurodevelopmental disorders, including congenital Zika syndrome.
View Article and Find Full Text PDFJ Mol Cell Cardiol
December 2024
Department of Physiology and Pathophysiology, Rady College of Medicine, Max Rady Faculty of Health Sciences, University of Manitoba, The Institute of Cardiovascular Sciences, St. Boniface Hospital Albrechtsen Research Centre, Winnipeg, Manitoba, Canada. Electronic address:
Cardiovascular disease (CVD) is the leading cause of death for women worldwide. One of the risk factors for CVD in women is complications during pregnancy. Pregnancy complications include a wide arena of pathologies, including hypertension, preeclampsia, gestational diabetes, preterm delivery and miscarriage.
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