DEVSTRESS

Children exposed to maternal prenatal stress have a high risk of experiencing psychological and developmental difficulties over the short and long-term. The prevailing supposed mechanism underlying this association is increased activity of the HPA-axis and related cortisol levels. To date, research combining prospective assessment of maternal prenatal stress, longitudinal follow-up of offspring HPA- axis functioning, and child outcomes is lacking.
The aims of this project are to determine i) whether exposure to prenatal maternal stress is associated with disturbances in children’s longitudinal stress response trajectories (HPA-axis functioning); ii) to explore if children’s stress response trajectories mediate the association between prenatal maternal stress and emotional, behavioural and cognitive outcomes in middle and late childhood; and iii) to test if potential effects on child outcomes vary by child sex and family socio-economic status. We will conduct association and mediation studies using data and biological samples from the French EDEN Mother-Child Cohort.

Project funding : 2021-2025 FRM – Programme Environnement Santé 2020, Fondation de France AAP 2019

ESSMA Team members involved: Judith VAN DER WAERDEN, Sara AVENDANO

Collaborations : M Koehl (Neurocentre Magendie U862).

Publications:
Maguet C, Downes N, Marr K, Sutter-Dallay AL, Galéra C, Wallez S, Kirschbaum C, Gressier F, Melchior M, Charles MA, Koehl M, van der Waerden J (2024). Hair cortisol concentrations across pregnancy and maternal postpartum depressive symptoms – the ELFE cohort. J Psychiatr Res, 178, 305-312. 10.1016/j.jpsychires.2024.08.032

Avendano, S, Moirangthem, S, Taflet M, Heude, B, Koehl, M, van der Waerden, J Downes, N. (2024). Prenatal maternal negative life events associated with child emotional and behavioral problems in the French EDEN cohort, J Affect Dis 10:356:224-232 ; doi:10.1016/j.jad.2024.04.040

Downes N, Kallas KA, Moirangthem S, Maguet C, Marr K, Tafflet M, Kirschbaum C, Heude B, Koehl M, van der Waerden J (2024). Longitudinal effects of maternal depressive and anxiety symptomatology on child hair cortisol and cortisone from pregnancy to 5-years: The EDEN mother-child cohort. J Psychoneuroendocrinology; 162:106957; doi:10.1016/j.psyneuen.2024.106957

Kallas KA, Marr K, Moiranghtem S, Heude B, Koehl M, van der Waerden J, Downes N. (2023). Maternal mental health care matters: the impact of prenatal depressive and anxious symptoms on child emotional and behavioural trajectories in the French EDEN cohort. J Clin Med, 12(3), 1120; doi :10.3390/jcm12031120.