Citation

Bublitz MH, Parade S, Stroud LR. Biol. Psychol. 2014; 103: 152-157.

Affiliation

Centers for Behavioral and Preventive Medicine, The Miriam Hospital.

Copyright

(Copyright © 2014, Elsevier Publishing)

DOI

10.1016/j.biopsycho.2014.08.014

PMID

25220484

Abstract

The goal of this study was to understand the roles of maternal history of childhood sexual abuse (CSA) and current family functioning on the cortisol awakening response (CAR) in pregnancy. Participants were 185 pregnant women (ages 18-40) who completed items from the Adverse Childhood Experiences scale to measure child maltreatment history and the Family Assessment Device to measure current family functioning. Participants provided saliva samples at wake-up and 30minutes after wake-up at 25, 29, and 35 weeks gestation to measure CAR. A moderation effect was found such that participants with more severe CSA histories and poorer perceived family functioning had increasing CAR in pregnancy compared to participants with less severe CSA histories and better family functioning. These findings highlight the importance of considering stress in both childhood and current environments in predicting maternal cortisol in pregnancy.

Language: en