Maternal Immune Activity During Pregnancy and Socioeconomic Disparities in Children's Self-Regulation.

This study examined whether concentrations of five cytokines assayed from prenatal serum were associated with socioeconomic status (SES) and racial disparities in their offspring's self-regulation abilities. Participants included 1,628 women in the Collaborative Perinatal Project (CPP). Seven behavioral items conceptually related to self-regulation were rated by CPP psychologists when children were 4 years old. Concentrations of interleukin (IL)-1β, IL-6, IL-8, tumor necrosis factor (TNF)-α, and IL-10 were assessed. Covariates included child sex and mother's age, psychiatric disorders, and medical conditions during pregnancy. There were significant SES differences in child self-regulation, with higher SES children scoring higher on self-regulation (β = .18, 95% CI [.11, .25]), but no racial differences. The concentration of IL-8 in maternal serum was associated with higher child self-regulation, β = .09, 95% CI [.02, .16]. In mediation analyses, variation in maternal IL-8 contributed to the association between family SES and child self-regulation (β = .02, 95% CI [.003, .030]), explaining about one-tenth of the SES disparities. This study suggests pregnancy as an early sensitive period and maternal immune activity as an important context for child development. PMID: 32919039 [PubMed - as supplied by publisher]
Source: Brain, Behavior, and Immunity - Category: Neurology Authors: Tags: Brain Behav Immun Source Type: research