Maternal Stressful Life Events during Pregnancy and Atopic Dermatitis in Children Aged Approximately 4–6 Years

Camilla C. Senter, Nicole R. Bush, Christine T. Loftus, Adam A. Szpiro, Annette L. Fitzpatrick, Kecia N. Carroll, Kaja Z. LeWinn, W. Alex Mason, Sheela Sathyanarayana, Oluwatobiloba A. Akingbade and Catherine J. Karr
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Camilla C. Senter: Department of Epidemiology, University of Washington, Seattle, WA 98195, USA
Nicole R. Bush: Department of Psychiatry and Behavioral Sciences, University of California, San Francisco, CA 94143, USA
Christine T. Loftus: Department of Environmental and Occupational Health Sciences, University of Washington, Seattle, WA 98195, USA
Adam A. Szpiro: Department of Biostatistics, University of Washington, Seattle, WA 98195, USA
Annette L. Fitzpatrick: Department of Epidemiology, University of Washington, Seattle, WA 98195, USA
Kecia N. Carroll: Department of Pediatrics, Vanderbilt University Medical Center, Nashville, TN 37232, USA
Kaja Z. LeWinn: Department of Psychiatry and Behavioral Sciences, University of California, San Francisco, CA 94143, USA
W. Alex Mason: Department of Preventive Medicine, University of Tennessee Health Science Center, Memphis, TN 38163, USA
Sheela Sathyanarayana: Department of Environmental and Occupational Health Sciences, University of Washington, Seattle, WA 98195, USA
Oluwatobiloba A. Akingbade: Department of Environmental and Occupational Health Sciences, University of Washington, Seattle, WA 98195, USA
Catherine J. Karr: Department of Epidemiology, University of Washington, Seattle, WA 98195, USA

IJERPH, 2021, vol. 18, issue 18, 1-13

Abstract: The prevalence of atopic dermatitis (AD) in children has steadily increased over time, yet it remains largely unknown how maternal factors during pregnancy are associated with child AD. Few studies have specifically assessed the relationship between prenatal stress and child AD, with inconsistent findings. In this prospective cohort study following 426 mother-child dyads from pregnancy to middle childhood, women reported stressful life events (SLEs) experienced during the 12 months before delivery and AD outcomes in children aged approximately 4–6 years, including current, location-specific, and ever AD. We used Poisson regression to estimate risk ratios (RRs) and corresponding 95% confidence intervals (CIs) associated with a 1-unit increase in prenatal SLEs, adjusting for potential confounders. We also assessed whether the association between prenatal SLEs and child AD was modified by child sex, history of maternal atopy, or prenatal maternal resilient coping. The mean (standard deviation) of prenatal SLEs reported in the overall sample was 1.4 (1.6), with 37.1% of women reporting none. A 1-unit increase in prenatal SLEs was not significantly associated with current AD (RR: 1.08, 95% CI: 0.89, 1.31), location-specific AD (RR: 1.09, 95% CI: 0.78, 1.52), or ever AD (RR: 0.97, 95% CI: 0.87, 1.09). We did not find evidence of effect modification. Findings from this study suggest no association between prenatal SLEs and AD in middle childhood, although larger longitudinal studies with enhanced case definition and higher variability of SLE experience may more fully inform this question.

Keywords: prenatal stress; stressful life events; atopic dermatitis; child sex; history of atopy; resilience (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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