# Maternal Childhood Trauma and Offspring Hypothalamic–Pituitary–Adrenal Axis Function from Infancy to 6 Years of Age

## TL;DR

This study found no direct link between maternal childhood trauma and children's stress hormone levels, but some indirect effects were observed based on maternal mental health and stress levels during pregnancy.

## Contribution

The study provides new insights into potential moderators of intergenerational trauma effects on children's HPA axis functioning.

## Key findings

- Maternal childhood trauma was not significantly associated with child cortisol reactivity or total cortisol output at 12 months or 6 years.
- Maternal prenatal psychopathology and cortisol slope moderated the relationship between maternal trauma and child cortisol output.
- High prenatal psychopathology or cortisol slope led to a positive association between maternal trauma and child cortisol output.

## Abstract

Childhood trauma experiences can carry over to the next generation, affecting the health and behavior of survivors’ children. However, the mechanisms underlying these intergenerational effects of childhood trauma are not yet clear. One mechanism may be changes in children's hypothalamic–pituitary–adrenal (HPA) axis. This preregistered longitudinal study examined associations between 170 mothers’ childhood trauma experiences (maltreatment, family and peer violence) and their children's cortisol reactivity and total circadian cortisol output at 12 months and 6 years of age. Multilevel regression analyses revealed that maternal childhood trauma was not significantly associated with child cortisol reactivity or total circadian cortisol output, neither at 12 months nor at 6 years of age. Thus, we found no evidence in this community sample that maternal childhood trauma impacts young children's HPA axis functioning. Exploratory analyses revealed moderation effects of maternal prenatal psychopathology and prenatal circadian cortisol slope: in mothers with high prenatal psychopathology or circadian cortisol slope, maternal childhood trauma was positively associated with child total circadian cortisol output, while this association was negative in mothers with low psychopathology or circadian cortisol slope. Future research should replicate these findings in older children and more severely trauma‐exposed populations and further explore moderators of this intergenerational association.