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Lähdepuro A, Räikkönen K, Pham H, Thompson-Felix T, Eid RS, O'Connor TG, Glover V, Lahti J, Heinonen K, Wolford E, Lahti-Pulkkinen M, O'Donnell KJ. Maternal social support during and after pregnancy and child cognitive ability: examining timing effects in two cohorts. Psychol Med 2024; 54:1661-1670. [PMID: 38087866 DOI: 10.1017/s0033291723003550] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Submit a Manuscript] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 02/22/2024]
Abstract
BACKGROUND Maternal anxiety, depression, and stress during and after pregnancy are negatively associated with child cognitive development. However, the contribution of positive maternal experiences, such as social support, to child cognitive development has received less attention. Furthermore, how maternal experience of social support during specific developmental periods impacts child cognitive development is largely unknown. METHODS Using data from the Avon Longitudinal Study of Parents and Children (ALSPAC; n = 5784) and the Prediction and Prevention of Preeclampsia and Intrauterine Growth Restriction study (PREDO; n = 420), we investigated the associations between maternal perceived social support during and after pregnancy and child's general cognitive ability at 8 years of age, assessed with the Wechsler Intelligence Scale for Children (WISC). Bayesian relevant life course modeling was used to investigate timing effects of maternal social support on child cognitive ability. RESULTS In both cohorts, higher maternal perceived social support during pregnancy was associated with higher performance on the WISC, independent of sociodemographic factors and concurrent maternal symptoms of depression and anxiety. In ALSPAC, pregnancy emerged as a sensitive period for the effects of perceived social support on child cognitive ability, with a stronger effect of social support during pregnancy than after pregnancy on child cognitive ability. CONCLUSIONS Our findings, supported from two prospective longitudinal cohorts, suggest a distinct role of maternal perceived social support during pregnancy for cognitive development in children. Our study suggests that interventions aimed at increasing maternal social support during pregnancy may be an important strategy for promoting maternal and child well-being.
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Affiliation(s)
- Anna Lähdepuro
- Department of Psychology and Logopedics, University of Helsinki, Helsinki, Finland
- Yale Child Study Center, Yale University, New Haven, CT, USA
| | - Katri Räikkönen
- Department of Psychology and Logopedics, University of Helsinki, Helsinki, Finland
- Department of Obstetrics and Gynecology, Helsinki University Hospital, University of Helsinki, Helsinki, Finland
| | - Hung Pham
- Yale Child Study Center, Yale University, New Haven, CT, USA
| | | | - Rand S Eid
- Department of Psychology, McGill University, Montreal, QC, Canada
| | - Thomas G O'Connor
- Departments of Psychiatry, Neuroscience, Obstetrics and Gynecology, and Wynne Center for Family Research, University of Rochester, Rochester, NY, USA
| | | | - Jari Lahti
- Department of Psychology and Logopedics, University of Helsinki, Helsinki, Finland
- Folkhälsan Research Center, Helsinki, Finland
| | - Kati Heinonen
- Department of Psychology and Logopedics, University of Helsinki, Helsinki, Finland
- Psychology/Welfare Sciences, Tampere University, Tampere, Finland
- Lawrence S. Bloomberg Faculty of Nursing, University of Toronto, Toronto, ON, Canada
- Population Health Unit, Finnish Institute for Health and Welfare, Helsinki and Oulu, Finland
| | - Elina Wolford
- Department of Psychology and Logopedics, University of Helsinki, Helsinki, Finland
| | - Marius Lahti-Pulkkinen
- Department of Psychology and Logopedics, University of Helsinki, Helsinki, Finland
- Population Health Unit, Finnish Institute for Health and Welfare, Helsinki and Oulu, Finland
- Centre for Cardiovascular Science, Queen's Medical Research Institute, University of Edinburgh, Edinburgh, UK
| | - Kieran J O'Donnell
- Yale Child Study Center, Yale University, New Haven, CT, USA
- Department of Obstetrics, Gynecology and Reproductive Sciences, Yale University, New Haven, CT, USA
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Heine E, Trautmann-Villalba P, Schoemig C, Hucklenbruch-Rother E, Kribs A, Mehler K. Delivery room skin-to-skin contact brings mother-child-interaction of preterm infants close to normal. Acta Paediatr 2023; 112:2381-2383. [PMID: 37463073 DOI: 10.1111/apa.16909] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Submit a Manuscript] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 06/25/2023] [Accepted: 07/17/2023] [Indexed: 07/20/2023]
Affiliation(s)
- Eva Heine
- Department of Paediatrics, Faculty of Medicine and University Hospital Cologne, Cologne, Germany
| | | | - Charlotte Schoemig
- Department of Paediatrics, Faculty of Medicine and University Hospital Cologne, Cologne, Germany
| | - Eva Hucklenbruch-Rother
- Department of Paediatrics, Faculty of Medicine and University Hospital Cologne, Cologne, Germany
| | - Angela Kribs
- Department of Paediatrics, Faculty of Medicine and University Hospital Cologne, Cologne, Germany
| | - Katrin Mehler
- Department of Paediatrics, Faculty of Medicine and University Hospital Cologne, Cologne, Germany
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