Salivary cortisol response to infant distress in pregnant women with depressive symptoms.
Arch Womens Ment Health
; 18(2): 247-253, 2015 Apr.
Article
en En
| MEDLINE
| ID: mdl-25352317
ABSTRACT
The Hypothalamic-Pituitary-Adrenal (HPA) axis has been proposed as a potential underlying biological mechanism linking prenatal depression with adverse offspring outcomes. However, it is unknown whether the reactivity of this system to stress is altered in pregnant women experiencing depression. The objective of this study was to investigate whether salivary cortisol response to a distressed infant film is enhanced in pregnant women with symptoms of depression compared with non-depressed controls. Salivary cortisol and subjective mood responses to the film were measured in 53 primiparous women, between 11 and 18 weeks gestation. Both groups showed similar increases in state anxiety in response to the film, but there was a significantly increased cortisol response in women experiencing symptoms of depression. Depression during pregnancy is associated with increased reactivity of the HPA axis. This is consistent with altered HPA axis functioning being a key mechanism by which prenatal mood disturbance can impact upon fetal development.
Texto completo:
1
Colección:
01-internacional
Base de datos:
MEDLINE
Asunto principal:
Ansiedad
/
Estrés Psicológico
/
Embarazo
/
Depresión
Tipo de estudio:
Diagnostic_studies
/
Observational_studies
/
Risk_factors_studies
Límite:
Adult
/
Female
/
Humans
/
Infant
Idioma:
En
Revista:
Arch Womens Ment Health
Asunto de la revista:
PSICOLOGIA
/
SAUDE DA MULHER
Año:
2015
Tipo del documento:
Article
País de afiliación:
Reino Unido