Intergenerational impact of maternal trauma history on preschoolers' behavioral health outcomes: Assessing links with caregiving sensitivity and DNA methylation

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PROJECT SUMMARY Background: This study seeks to better understand maternal trauma history as a driver of behavior health problems in 4-year-old children. We will examine the impact of maternal trauma across four time periods 1) maternal experience of pre-pregnancy abuse in childhood (when mothers < 18 years), 2) maternal experience of pre-pregnancy of abuse in adulthood, 3) maternal experience of abuse during pregnancy, and 4) maternal report of postnatal abuse (after childbirth to time of assessment) on their children’s behavioral problems (internalizing and externalizing behaviors). Using a lifecourse theory approach within an intergenerational context, we will test three models to determine whether the effect of maternal trauma 1) depends on the timing of exposure (Sensitive Period model); or 2) is strongest when it is most proximal to the child outcome examined (Recency model); or 3) increases with the number of exposures (Accumulation model). A primary study aim is to investigate how “experience gets under the skin” by examining associations between maternal trauma history with children’s salivary DNA methylation (DNAm) profiles. Finally, we will test whether the effects of maternal trauma history on child health outcomes are mediated by children’s salivary DNAm profiles and maternal caregiving sensitivity. Study Design: Building on an existing prospective longitudinal cohort of Peruvian women, recruited in the first trimester of pregnancy, established as part of a prior NICHD-funded grant (n = 4,472 live births), the study has well-characterized data on maternal trauma history, maternal lifetime psychopathology, and extensive data on birth outcomes. This sample has a high prevalence of childhood maltreatment, intimate partner violence, and other traumas (88% report at least one trauma and 30% report 3 or more traumas), and psychopathology (e.g., 33% PTSD, 26% depression, and 33% generalized anxiety). We will collect follow-up data on a subset of mother-child dyads (n=1,700). Implications: By examining modifiable risk (maternal trauma history) and protective factors (maternal caregiving sensitivity), particularly in sensitive periods of development, and by determining whether and how these factors impact biological systems, this study can inform future research and interventions to address the significant intergenerational public health burden of trauma.