98 research outputs found
Maternal and Neonatal Hair Cortisol Levels Are Associated with Infant Neurodevelopment at Six Months of Age
Background: Maternal stress during pregnancy can affect fetal development during
certain sensitive periods. Objective: To longitudinally assess maternal hair cortisol levels during
pregnancy, and the postpartum along with neonatal hair cortisol levels that could be associated
with infant neurodevelopment at six months of age. Methods: A sample of 41 pregnant women
longitudinally assessed during the first, second, and third trimester and the postpartum, along
with their 41 full-term neonates participated in this study. Hair cortisol levels were assessed from
participants. Infant neurodevelopment was assessed by means of the Bayley Scale of Infants
Development, Third Edition at age six months. Results: Maternal hair cortisol levels in the first
and second trimester accounted for 24% and 23%, respectively, of variance of infant gross motor
development (p < 0.05). Maternal hair cortisol levels during the postpartum accounted for 31%
of variance of infant cognitive development (p < 0.05), and 25% of variance of infant gross motor
development (p < 0.05). Neonatal hair cortisol levels accounted for 28% of variance of infant gross
motor development (p < 0.05). Conclusions: The preconception and prenatal time are sensitive
periods related to infant neurodevelopment along with the cortisol levels surrounding the fetus
while in the womb. Pregnant women could be assessed for hair cortisol levels while attending
a prenatal appointment.This work was supported by the I+D Project “PSI2015-63494-P” of the Spanish Ministry of Science and
Innovation; co-supported by funds/European Regional Development Fund (ERDF) a way to build Europe (MIPR).
In addition, B.R.-G. has been awarded with an individual research grant (Spanish Ministry of Economy, Industry
and Competitiveness, FPI Program (research professional training Program), reference number BES-2016-077619)
Giving birth during a pandemic: From elation to psychopathology
Ministry of Economy, Knowledge, Business and University of the Junta de Andalucia, Grant/Award Number: A-CTS-229-UGR18; European Regional Development Fund (ERDF); Spanish Ministry of Science, Innovation and Universities, Grant/Award Number: 18/00617Objective: To compare the postpartum psychopathological symptoms of women who
gave birth before the pandemic with those who gave birth during the pandemic.
Methods: A total of 212 women participated in the study, of which 96 gave birth
before the pandemic and 116 during the pandemic. Psychopathological symptoms,
postpartum depression, perceived stress, and resilience were evaluated.
Results: Women who gave birth during the pandemic had higher scores on somatization,
obsessions and compulsions, interpersonal sensitivity, depression, anxiety, hostility,
phobic anxiety, and psychoticism. In addition, perceived stress was the common
predictor of an increase in these symptoms.
Conclusion: Postpartum is a complicated period in a woman's life. Many psychological
adaptations take place and women may be subject to psychological alterations during
this period. In addition, women who gave birth during the COVID-19
crisis may show
greater psychological vulnerability, due to the specific situation experienced during
the pandemic. The COVID-19
pandemic may have played a role in the increase in psychopathological
symptoms after childbirth. Detecting possible symptoms postpartum
plays a crucial role, because it allows intervening and preventing the development of
psychopathologies.Ministry of Economy, Knowledge, Business and University of the Junta de Andalucia A-CTS-229-UGR18European CommissionSpanish Ministry of Science, Innovation and Universities 18/0061
The psychological impact of the COVID-19 pandemic on pregnant women
This work was supported by the Frontier Project "ACTS229UGR18" of the Ministry of Economy, Knowledge, Business and University of the Junta de Andalucia, cosupported by funds/European Regional Development Fund (ERDF) - a way to build Europe. Beside, Mr. Jose Antonio PuertasGonzalez has been awarded with an individual research grant (Spanish Ministry of Science, Innovation and Universities, FPU program, reference number 18/00617) .The aim was to examine the psychological effects caused by the COVID-19 pandemic on pregnant women, as well as the factors influencing these effects. The study design was cross-sectional and the participants were 200 pregnant women. The first group called the Pandemic Group (PG) included 100 women who were evaluated with psychological assessment instruments during the COVID-19 pandemic. The second group titled Pre-Pandemic Group (PPG) consisted of 100 women who were evaluated prior to the pandemic. Perceived stress, prenatal concerns and psychopathological symptoms were evaluated and compared. Pandemic Group scored significantly higher than Pre-Pandemic Group in the depression dimension of the SCL-90, in the phobic anxiety dimension, and in the Perceived Stress Scale. In addition, insomnia, along with having recently suffered the loss of a loved one explained 25% of the score variance in the depression dimension of the SCL-90. Insomnia also explained 13% of the variance of the results found in the Perceived Stress Scale. The fear of contagion by COVID-19 increased the scores obtained in the phobic anxiety dimension, explaining 11% of the variance. Thus, the COVID-19 pandemic could produce an increase in psychopathological symptomatology and stress, which can lead to negatively affecting pregnant women's mental health.Ministry of Economy, Knowledge, Business ACTS229UGR18Junta de AndaluciaEuropean CommissionSpanish Ministry of Science, Innovation and Universities, FPU program 18/0061
Stress and Psychopathology Reduction in Pregnant Women through Online Cognitive Behavioural Therapy during COVID-19: A Feasibility Study
Background: The global pandemic has affected the psychological health of the population,
including pregnant women. Due to the difficulty of offering conventional therapies to reduce
stress in this population, studies are needed to show the effect of online therapies. Therefore, the
objective was to test the effect of online cognitive behavioural therapy in pregnant women during
the pandemic on the main variables of stress and psychopathology. Methods: The sample consisted
of 16 pregnant women who participated in a weekly cognitive behavioural intervention for 8 weeks.
Prenatal concerns, general stress, stress vulnerability, resilience and psychopathology were assessed.
Results: The results show a reduction in prenatal concerns, perceived stress, stress vulnerability and
psychopathology, as well as an increase in resilience. Conclusions: Online cognitive behavioural
intervention may be effective in pregnant women, so it is important to conduct a randomised
controlled trial to certify these findings.Frontier Project “A-CTS-229-UGR18” of the Ministry of
Economy, Knowledge, Business and University of the Junta de AndalucíaEuropean Regional Development Fund (ERDF)Spanish
Ministry of Science, Innovation and Universities, FPU program - 18/0061
How prenatal cortisol levels may differentially affect the neurodevelopment of boys and girls
Producción CientíficaBackground: Prenatal stress could have serious consequences on maternal and fetal health. In this sense, some studies have stated that maternal HCC during pregnancy could contribute to sex-specific effects on infant neurodevelopment, following the Developmental Origins of Health and Disease Hypothesis. Aim: This study aimed to determine whether maternal hair cortisol concentration (HCC) during each trimester of pregnancy and postpartum could predict the neurodevelopmental outcomes of their 12-month-old offspring, with sex-specific differences considered. Study design: longitudinal. Subjects: The study involved 93 pregnant women and their babies. Outcome measure: Hair samples collected during each trimester and postpartum and The Bayley Scales for Infant Development III was used to assess the infants' abilities. Results: The results showed that maternal HCC during the first and second trimesters could predict language and motor abilities. However, when discriminated by sex, only females' cognitive, expressive language, and fine and gross motor skills were predicted by cortisol, not males. Conclusions: These findings support the idea that non-toxic levels of cortisol can positively influence infants' neurodevelopment
Newborn infants' hair cortisol levels reflect chronic maternal stress during pregnancy
Cortisol obtained from hair samples represents a retrospective biomarker of chronic stress
experienced by the subject in previous months. Although hair cortisol levels have been used to
study the relationship between maternal and neonatal stress levels in primates, this has not yet
been performed in humans using a longitudinal design and focusing specifically on this association.
Therefore, the objective of this study was to determine whether a relationship existed
between maternal psychological stress and hair cortisol levels during pregnancy and postpartum,
and neonatal hair cortisol levels. The sample consisted of 80 pregnant women and their
80 newborn infants. We conducted a longitudinal assessment of hair cortisol levels, psychological
stress, anxiety, and depression in the three trimesters of pregnancy and postpartum. After
childbirth, neonatal hair cortisol levels were also measured. We found that maternal hair cortisol
levels in the first trimester negatively predicted neonatal hair cortisol levels. Perceived stress in
the third trimester of pregnancy also predicted lower neonatal cortisol, whereas pregnancyspecific
stress in the same trimester had a positive relation with neonatal cortisol. Cortisol is
essential for embryonic and fetal development; consequently, if fetal synthesis of cortisol is
affected by high maternal cortisol levels, such development could be impaired.This work was supported by the I+D
Project "PSI2015-63494-P" of the Spanish
Ministry of Science and Innovation co-supported by funds/
European Regional Development Fund (ERDF) - a way to build Europe (MIPR). Besides, Mr. Borja
Romero-Gonzalez has been awarded with an
individual research grant (Spanish Ministry of
Economy, Industry and Competitiveness, FPI
Program, reference number BES-2016-077619
Can we influence the neurological development and hair cortisol concentration of offspring by reducing the stress of the mother during pregnancy? A randomized controlled trial
Producción CientíficaThe objective was to evaluate the effects of a stress management cognitive behavioural therapy followed during pregnancy on subsequent childhood on hair cortisol at birth and on neurodevelopment and Hair Cortisol Concentrations (HCC) at 6 months of age. The study sample included 48 pregnant women, divided into two groups: 24 women in the Therapy Group (TG) and 24 women who received standard pregnancy care (control group (CG); CG). To test the therapy efficacy, an evaluation of the HCC and psychological stress, psychopathological symptomatology and resilience was conducted before and after the treatment. The level of cortisol in their hair was obtained during pregnancy and that of their babies at birth. Six months after birth, a cortisol sample was taken from the hair and the babies' neurodevelopment was evaluated based on a Bayley-III test. The TG presented reductions in psychological stress and psychopathological symptomatology after treatment. On the other hand, the CG increased their cortisol concentrations between the pre and post intervention, remaining stable in the TG. Moreover, results showed that TG babies had lower cortisol concentrations at birth and obtained significantly higher cognitive and motor development scores at 6 months. These findings support that providing psychological care to pregnant women may not only have a benefit on these women's mental state, but may also benefit the neurodevelopment of their offspring.Ministerio de Ciencia, Innovación y Universidades, (programa FPU, referencia 18/00617
Hair cortisol concentrations in a Spanish sample of healthy adults
Hair cortisol concentration (HCC), as a novel promising method to retrospectively measure
hypothalamic-pituitary-adrenal (HPA) axis activation, is being increasingly studied. We
tested the relationships between HCC and a range of possible confounding variables in a
Spanish sample of healthy adults and pregnant women. In this sample of healthy Spaniards, results suggested an association between HCC and
physical exercise and educational level. In pregnant women, the prevalence of HCC was
higher than in non-pregnant woman, and was related to educational level. This study
emphasises the need to determine the relationship between HCC and confounders such as
sociodemographic and lifestyle variables in the general population and specific groups
formed by individuals such as pregnant women.This research is part of a doctoral thesis.
It has been economically supported by the
"PSI2015-63494-P" I+D Project of the Spanish
Ministry of Economy and Competitiveness
(MINECO) and FEDE
Midwives and psychologists as profesionals to screen and prevent pregnancy-specific stress
El presente trabajo está apoyado por el Proyecto Fronteras “A-CTS-229-UGR18” de la Consejería
de Economía, Conocimiento, Empresas y Universidad de la Junta de Andalucía, cofinanciado por funds/European
Regional Development Fund (ERDF) - a way to build Europe.Los eventos que ocurren durante la vida fetal y perinatal
pueden tener consecuencias sobre la salud y la enfermedad
del neonato y del adulto. Los trabajos pioneros sobre
la “Hipótesis de la Programación Fetal“ se centraron
en embarazadas expuestas a una gran hambruna que ocurrió
en Holanda al final de la Segunda Guerra Mundial. El
ambiente intrauterino de los bebés durante esa hambruna
condicionó que nacieran con un bajo peso y determinó la
aparición de enfermedades cardiovasculares en ellos mismos
al llegar a la edad adulta, riesgo que se trasmitió incluso
a la siguiente generación.
Además del estrés general que pueda sufrir una embarazada
como consecuencia de la muerte de un familiar,
sufrir una guerra o un desastre natural como la pandemia
por el coronavirus SARS-CoV-2, existe otro tipo de estrés
concreto y referido exclusivamente al proceso de embarazo:
el estrés específico del embarazo. El estrés específico
del embarazo es capaz de predecir de manera sensible
resultados negativos maternos y neonatales. Este tipo de
estrés se refiere al estrés concreto de las embarazadas en
referencia a problemas médicos, la salud del recién nacido,
los cambios que el embarazo va a producir en sus
relaciones sociales, la posibilidad de un parto prematuro,
los cambios físicos del embarazo y el miedo al parto y
nacimiento.
El objetivo de este artículo fue ofrecer información
actualizada sobre el estrés específico del embarazo y sus
consecuencias para la salud materna y neonatal. Así mismo,
nos propusimos ofrecer estrategias que los profesionales
sanitarios (incluidas las matronas) y los profesionales
de la Psicología pudieran usar para reducir los niveles
de estrés específico del embarazo.
Como conclusión, afirmamos que las matronas y los profesionales
de la Psicología pueden trabajar conjuntamente
para reducir los niveles de estrés específico del embarazo.Events that occur during fetal and perinatal life can
have consequences on the health and disease of the offspring.
The pioneering work on the “Fetal Programming
Hypothesis” focused on pregnant women exposed to a
great famine that occurred in the Netherlands at the end of
World War II. The intrauterine environment of the babies
during that famine caused them to low birthweight and
determined the appearance of cardiovascular diseases in
themselves when they reached adulthood, a risk that was
transmitted even to the following generation.
In addition to the general stress that a pregnant woman
may suffer as a result of the death of a family member, suffering
a war or natural disaster such as the SARS-CoV-2
coronavirus, there is another specific type of stress that refers
exclusively to the pregnancy process; this is the pregnancy
specific-stress. Pregnancy-specific stress is capable
of sensitively predicting negative maternal and neonatal
outcomes. This type of stress refers to the specific stress of
pregnant women related to medical problems, the health
of the newborn, the changes that the pregnancy will produce
in their social relationships, prematurity, physical
changes of pregnancy and fear of labor and birth.
The objective of this article was to offer an updated information
on pregnancy-specific stress and its consequences
for maternal and neonatal health. Thus, we also proposed
to offer strategies that midwives and psychologists
can use to reduce pregnancy-specific stress levels.
In conclusion, midwives and psychologists can work
together to reduce pregnancy-specific stress levels.Proyecto Fronteras “A-CTS-229-UGR18” de la Consejería
de Economía, Conocimiento, Empresas y Universidad de la Junta de Andalucía, cofinanciado por funds/European
Regional Development Fund (ERDF) - a way to build Europe
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