Maternal caregiving moderates relations between maternal childhood maltreatment and infant cortisol regulation.

ABSTRACT:

Background

Children of maltreated mothers are at increased risk for adverse physical and psychological health. Both prenatal and postnatal alterations in offspring biological stress systems have been proposed as mechanisms contributing to such transmission. The aim of the current study was to assess whether maternal postnatal care of the infant moderated any effect of maternal childhood maltreatment on infant cortisol output during a mild stressor at 4 months of age.

Methods

Participants included 181 mother-infant dyads, screened at recruitment to result in 57.4% reporting one or more forms of childhood maltreatment. Mothers were assessed for quality of caregiving, and infants were assessed for infant salivary cortisol output during the Still-Face Paradigm at infant age 4 mo

SUBMITTER: Chasson M 

PROVIDER: S-EPMC12571947 | biostudies-literature | 2025 Nov

REPOSITORIES: biostudies-literature