Positive life events predict salivary cortisol in pregnant women

Abstract Maternal stress during pregnancy has been repeatedly associated with problematic child development. According to the fetal programming hypothesis adverse experiences during pregnancy increase maternal cortisol, which is then assumed to exert a negative effect on fetal development. Recent st...

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Bibliographic Details
Published in:Psychoneuroendocrinology 2012-08, Vol.37 (8), p.1336-1340
Main Authors: Pluess, Michael, Wurmser, Harald, Buske-Kirschbaum, Angelika, Papousek, Mechthild, Pirke, Karl-Martin, Hellhammer, Dirk, Bolten, Margarete
Format: Article
Language:English
Subjects:
Adolescent
Adult
Arousal - physiology
Behavioral psychophysiology
Biological and medical sciences
Cortisol awakening response
Development
Emotions
Endocrinology & Metabolism
Female
Fetuses
Fundamental and applied biological sciences. Psychology
Hormones and behavior
Humans
Hydrocortisone
Hydrocortisone - metabolism
Life Change Events
Life events
Positive psychology
Pregnancy
Pregnancy - metabolism
Pregnancy - psychology
Pregnant Women - psychology
Prenatal stress
Psychiatry
Psychology. Psychoanalysis. Psychiatry
Psychology. Psychophysiology
Saliva - metabolism
Salivary cortisol
Stress
Wakefulness - physiology
Young Adult
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Summary:Abstract Maternal stress during pregnancy has been repeatedly associated with problematic child development. According to the fetal programming hypothesis adverse experiences during pregnancy increase maternal cortisol, which is then assumed to exert a negative effect on fetal development. Recent studies in non-pregnant women report significant associations between positive emotionality and low cortisol levels. We tested in a sample of 60 pregnant women whether both negative and positive life events independently predicted third-trimester baseline awakening cortisol levels. While the effect of negative life events proved unrelated positive life events significantly predicted lower cortisol levels. These findings suggest that positive experiences are of relevance regarding maternal morning cortisol levels in pregnancy reflecting a resource with potentially beneficial effects for the mother and the developing fetus. It might be promising for psychological intervention programs to focus on increasing positive experiences of the expecting mother rather than exclusively trying to reduce maternal stress during pregnancy.
ISSN:0306-4530
1873-3360
DOI:10.1016/j.psyneuen.2012.01.006