Associations between Physiological Biomarkers and Psychosocial Measures of Pregnancy-Specific Anxiety and Depression with Support Intervention

Karen L. Weis, Tony T. Yuan, Katherine C. Walker, Thomas F. Gibbons and Wenyaw Chan
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Karen L. Weis: School of Nursing and Health Professions, University of the Incarnate Word, 4301 Broadway, CPO #300, San Antonio, TX 78209, USA
Tony T. Yuan: Science and Technology, 59th Medical Wing, 1632 Nellis St. Bldg. 5406, JBSA-Lackland, TX 78236, USA
Katherine C. Walker: School of Nursing and Health Professions, University of the Incarnate Word, 4301 Broadway, CPO #300, San Antonio, TX 78209, USA
Thomas F. Gibbons: Science and Technology, 59th Medical Wing, 1632 Nellis St. Bldg. 5406, JBSA-Lackland, TX 78236, USA
Wenyaw Chan: Department of Biostatistics and Data Science, School of Public Health, University of Texas-Health Science Center at Houston, 1200 Pressler St., Houston, TX 77030, USA

IJERPH, 2021, vol. 18, issue 15, 1-9

Abstract: Stress and anxiety significantly impact the hypothalamic–pituitary axis, and in pregnancy, the subsequent maternal–fetal response can lead to poor outcomes. The objective of this study was to assess the association between psychosocial measures of pregnancy-specific anxiety and physiologic inflammatory responses. Specifically, to determine the effectiveness of the Mentors Offering Maternal Support (M-O-M-S TM ) program to reduce psychosocial anxiety and associated inflammatory response. In conjunction with measures of pregnancy-specific anxiety and depression, serum biomarkers (IL-2, IL-6, IL-10, IL1-B, TNF-?, CRH, CRP, and cortisol) were analyzed for each trimester throughout pregnancy. Results demonstrated that women receiving the M-O-M-S TM intervention had longitudinally sustained lower TNF-?/IL-10 ratios than the control group, and it was significantly associated with psychosocial measures of anxiety, specifically for fears of labor and spouse/partner relationships . Additionally, the anxiety of spouse/partner relationships was significantly associated with IL-6/IL-10 ratios. The findings highlight the important counter-regulatory relationship between anti- and pro-inflammatory cytokines and provide insight into the distinct physiologic responses to pregnancy-specific anxiety with early prenatal intervention.

Keywords: pregnancy; prenatal anxiety; depression; cytokines; intervention; military (search for similar items in EconPapers)
JEL-codes: I I1 I3 Q Q5 (search for similar items in EconPapers)
Date: 2021
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