Evidence map›Paper›PMID 37898740›Full record

ArticleBMC pediatrics2023

Associations of prenatal maternal depressive symptoms with cord blood glucocorticoids and child hair cortisol levels in the project viva and the generation R cohorts: a prospective cohort study.

Nathan J Cohen, Serena Defina, Sheryl L Rifas-Shiman, Sabrina Faleschini, Russell S Kirby, Henian Chen, Ronee Wilson, Kimberly Fryer, Hanan El Marroun, Charlotte A M Cecil and 4 more

Open access · goldAbstract read
PubMed Full text at PMC Publisher
In one paragraph

Article in BMC pediatrics, 2023. The graph could read no effect estimate from its abstract, so it casts no vote on the map. Cited by 4 papers, 1 of them a synthesis that pooled it.

0numbers the graph read from it
0cells of the map it votes in
4citing papers in PubMed, 1 pooled it
0.9field-weighted citation impact, top 24% of its field
1 · What the graph read from it

What it found

Each row is one number read from the abstract, on the scale the paper reported it, with its interval. Left of the dashed line favours the treatment, right favours the comparator. Under each row is the sentence it came from. New to these charts? A ten-minute tutorial.

The abstract states no effect estimate the extractor could read, or names no intervention and outcome on the map, so this paper lights no cell and moves no belief. It is still indexed, cited and linked below.

2 · The registry

The trial behind it

Trials whose registry record cites this paper, or whose number appears in the abstract. A trial that started after this paper was published is citing it as background, not reporting it.

Neither the registry nor the abstract names a trial number. If this is a trial report, that itself is worth knowing.

3 · Its place in the literature

Who cites it

4 citing papers in PubMed, 1 synthesis or guideline pooled it, 3 citations in OpenAlex.

  1. Pooled it
  2. Review
  3. Article
  4. Effects of stress on bone health in children.Frontiers in endocrinology · 2025
    Review
4 · The record

Corrections and comments

PubMed lists nothing against this paper. Absence here is not a guarantee, only a check that was made.

5 · Who and what money

Authors and funding

14 authors at 6 institutions in 2 countries.

Nathan J CohenCollege of Public Health, University of South Florida, Tampa, FL, USA. njcohen@usf.edu.
Serena DefinaDepartment of Child and Adolescent Psychiatry, Erasmus Medical Center, Rotterdam, The Netherlands.
Sheryl L Rifas-ShimanDivision of Chronic Disease Research Across the Lifecourse, Department of Population Medicine, Harvard Medical School, Harvard Pilgrim Health Care Institute, Boston, MA, USA.
Sabrina FaleschiniDivision of Chronic Disease Research Across the Lifecourse, Department of Population Medicine, Harvard Medical School, Harvard Pilgrim Health Care Institute, Boston, MA, USA.
Russell S KirbyCollege of Public Health, University of South Florida, Tampa, FL, USA.
Henian ChenCollege of Public Health, University of South Florida, Tampa, FL, USA.
Ronee WilsonCollege of Public Health, University of South Florida, Tampa, FL, USA.
Kimberly FryerDepartment of Obstetrics and Gynecology, Morsani College of Medicine, University of South Florida, Tampa, FL, USA.
Hanan El MarrounDepartment of Child and Adolescent Psychiatry, Erasmus Medical Center, Rotterdam, The Netherlands.
Charlotte A M CecilDepartment of Child and Adolescent Psychiatry, Erasmus Medical Center, Rotterdam, The Netherlands.
Marie-France HivertDivision of Chronic Disease Research Across the Lifecourse, Department of Population Medicine, Harvard Medical School, Harvard Pilgrim Health Care Institute, Boston, MA, USA.
Emily OkenDivision of Chronic Disease Research Across the Lifecourse, Department of Population Medicine, Harvard Medical School, Harvard Pilgrim Health Care Institute, Boston, MA, USA.
Henning TiemeierDepartment of Child and Adolescent Psychiatry, Erasmus Medical Center, Rotterdam, The Netherlands.
Amy C AlmanCollege of Public Health, University of South Florida, Tampa, FL, USA.
University of South Florida · USHarvard University · USHarvard Pilgrim Health Care · USErasmus MC · NLErasmus University Rotterdam · NLLeiden University Medical Center · NL

Funding

Prenatal environmental determinants of health in young adulthood: a lifecourse approachR01HD034568 · NICHD · HARVARD PILGRIM HEALTH CARE, INC. · PI Marie-France Hivert, Emily Oken · 1998 to 2026
$20.6M
Common and distinct early environmental influences on cardiometabolic and respiratory health: Mechanisms and methodsUH3OD023286 · OD · HARVARD PILGRIM HEALTH CARE, INC. · PI OKEN, EMILY · 2018 to 2022
$11.7M
Research Training Program in Pediatric ExposomicsT32HD049311 · NICHD · ICAHN SCHOOL OF MEDICINE AT MOUNT SINAI · PI KECIA Nicole CARROLL, Robert O Wright · 2007 to 2026
$7.4M
NICHD NIH HHS R01 HD034568NICHD NIH HHS T32 HD049311NIH HHS UH3 OD023286
6 · The paper itself

Abstract

backgroundPrior studies have reported conflicting results regarding the association of prenatal maternal depression with offspring cortisol levels. We examined associations of high levels of prenatal depressive symptoms with child cortisol biomarkers.

methodsIn Project Viva (n = 925, Massachusetts USA), mothers reported their depressive symptoms using the Edinburgh Postnatal Depression Scale (EPDS) during pregnancy, cord blood glucocorticoids were measured at delivery, and child hair cortisol levels were measured in mid-childhood (mean (SD) age: 7.8 (0.8) years) and early adolescence (mean (SD) age: 13.2 (0.9) years). In the Generation R Study (n = 1644, Rotterdam, The Netherlands), mothers reported depressive symptoms using the Brief Symptom Inventory (BSI) during pregnancy, and child hair cortisol was measured at a mean (SD) age of 6.0 (0.5) years. We used cutoffs of ≥ 13 for the EPDS and > 0.75 for the BSI to indicate high levels of prenatal depressive symptoms. We used multivariable linear regression models adjusted for child sex and age (at outcome), and maternal pre-pregnancy BMI, education, social support from friends/family, pregnancy smoking status, marital status, and household income to assess associations separately in each cohort. We also meta-analyzed childhood hair cortisol results from both cohorts.

results8.0% and 5.1% of women respectively experienced high levels of prenatal depressive symptoms in Project Viva and the Generation R Study. We found no associations between high levels of maternal depressive symptoms during pregnancy and child cortisol biomarkers in either cohort.

conclusionsThe present study does not find support for the direct link between high levels of maternal depressive symptoms and offspring cortisol levels.

Indexed as

GlucocorticoidsPrenatal Exposure Delayed EffectsAdolescentBiomarkersChildDepressionFemaleFetal BloodHairHumansHydrocortisoneMothersPregnancyProspective StudiesBiomarkersGlucocorticoidsHydrocortisoneDepressionGlucocorticoidsHairPrenatal exposure delayed effects

Identifiers

PMID37898740
PMCPMC10612353
OpenAlexW4388035475

What OpenQuestion holds

Textmetadata
LicenceCC BY
Read underepoch 390

Registered trials

None linked

Read under generation 80e0d062 · epoch 390. Bibliography from PubMed, PubMed Central and OpenAlex; grants from NIH RePORTER; trial links from ClinicalTrials.gov; estimates, votes and beliefs from the OpenQuestion graph.