DOES PERCEIVED STRESS IN PREGNANT IMMIGRANT WOMEN PREDISPOSE THEIR INFANTS TO ALLERGIC DISEASE DEVELOPMENT?

Abstract

Prenatal maternal stress (PNMS) is linked with a multitude of negative outcomes in the exposed offspring, including allergic disease development. Pregnant Canadian immigrant women often experience high levels of stress; however, psychosocial contributors to PNMS and their physiologic sequelae remain understudied in this group. This pilot study prospectively examined whether PNMS in Canadian immigrant women was associated with allergic outcomes in their infants, focusing on potential mediators and underlying mechanisms. Seventy-eight women were examined in early-/mid-pregnancy, in late pregnancy, and at a minimum of one year postpartum. Assessments included questionnaires concerning PNMS and other psychosocial determinants of health, collection of saliva samples throughout the day for measurement of cortisol activity, collection of blood samples for measurement of serum cytokine levels, and administration of a skin-prick test on mothers and infants for measurement of allergic sensitization. Low levels of perceived stress in early-/mid-pregnancy were associated with a greater likelihood of allergic sensitization in infants, but this association was mediated by a lack of financial hardship (i.e., high socioeconomic status). Financial hardship and a greater number of prenatal stressful life events were associated with lowered cortisol activity in early-/mid-pregnancy. A trend was also seen for higher levels of IL-10 during late pregnancy in women reporting financial hardship. These results are limited by a small sample size that further decreased at each subsequent study (i.e., significant participant attrition). Nevertheless, the novelty of this study and the numerous strengths in its design (including women with a language barrier, objectively measuring atopy in mothers and infants, and examining underlying mechanisms) make this a unique contribution to the literature. Furthermore key facilitators and barriers to conducting health research in this group were identified that may aid future studies aiming to test these preliminary results in a larger sample size.