Prenatal Maternal Stress Programs Infant Stress Regulation

Whether prenatal maternal psychosocial stress and cortisol (a biological indicator of stress) exerts a joint or independent influence on infant stress regulation was examined. Mothers completed measures of stress, anxiety, and depression during pregnancy, and provided cortisol assays. Infants were assessed in terms of their stress regulation following a heel-stick procedure (i.e., drawing blood from the heel), and through cortisol assays. Results suggest that exposure to maternal cortisol and psychosocial stress negatively influences infant stress regulation.