Effects of a Major Climatic Event -Superstorm Sandy- on Pregnancy Outcomes and Te

描述（由申请人提供）：主要气候事件，如飓风，由于全球变暖的后果似乎正在增加。这类事件可能与心理压力增加有关。2012年10月29日，超级风暴桑迪袭击了美国大西洋中部地区，特别是纽约/新泽西地区。孕妇被认为是弱势群体，越来越多的证据表明，急性心理社会压力源可能与不良妊娠结局有关，如出生体重下降和妊娠期缩短。此外，母亲暴露于压力事件可能与新生儿白细胞端粒长度（LTL）的减少有关。利用目前正在招募的出生队列，我们提出了一项研究，以检查暴露于超级风暴桑迪与妊娠结局和新生儿LTL之间的关系。这项研究改进了以前对自然灾害和人为灾害的研究，因为我们将能够分析暴露于特定的三个月和受孕前的三个月；我们有地方控制，即在未受影响的地区招募一群人，使用完全相同的措施；我们有关于母亲感受到的压力、抑郁、焦虑、社会支持和复原力的基线信息，我们有足够的样本量来实现这些目标。这项研究的结果有可能告诉应急人员和临床医生如何在重大自然灾害后最好地支持和潜在地减轻孕妇心理压力的影响。研究结果还将为探究产前暴露于压力事件是否与儿童的认知和行为问题有关的研究奠定基础。

DESCRIPTION (provided by applicant): Major climatic events, such as hurricanes, appear to be increasing due to the consequences of global warming. Such events are likely associated with increased psychological stress. On October 29, 2012 Superstorm Sandy, a major hurricane, devastated the mid-Atlantic region of the United States, particularly the New York City/New Jersey area. Pregnant women are considered a vulnerable population and there is increasing evidence that acute psychosocial stressors may be associated with adverse pregnancy outcomes, such as decreases in birth weight and decreases in gestational length. Further, maternal exposure to stressful events may be associated with decreases in leukocyte telomere length (LTL) in the newborn. Capitalizing on a birth cohort currently being recruited, we propose a study to examine associations between exposure to Superstorm Sandy and pregnancy outcomes and newborn LTL. This study improves on previous studies of natural and manmade disasters because we will be able to parse exposure to specific trimesters and to the three months prior to conception; we have place controls, i.e. a cohort being recruited in an unaffected area using exactly the same measures; we have baseline information on maternal perceived stress, depression, anxiety, social support and resilience, and we have an adequate sample size to address the aims. Results from this study have the potential to inform emergency responders and clinicians how best to support and potentially mitigate the effects of psychological stress among pregnant women after a major natural disaster. Results will also set the stage for studies to inquire whether prenatal exposure to stressful events is associated with cognitive and behavioral problems in children.