Maternal stressful life events during pregnancy and atopic dermatitis in children aged approximately 4-6 years
Short Summary: This study looked at how stressful life events (SLEs) experienced by mothers during pregnancy are associated with atopic dermatitis in their children. The study followed 426 mother-child pairs from pregnancy to middle childhood and found that there was no significant association between SLEs and atopic dermatitis in children. The study suggests that larger studies with more diverse experiences of SLEs may provide more information on this area of research.
Scientific 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.
Authors: Senter CC, Bush NR, Loftus CT, Szpiro AA, Fitzpatrick AL, Carroll KN, LeWinn KZ, Mason WA, Sathyanarayana S, Akingbade OA, Karr CJ.