# Association of prenatal alcohol exposure and prenatal depressive symptoms with offspring hair cortisol in childhood and adolescence

## TL;DR

This study explores how alcohol exposure and maternal depression during pregnancy affect children's stress hormone levels from childhood to adolescence.

## Contribution

The study provides new evidence on the long-term effects of prenatal alcohol exposure on children's HPA axis development.

## Key findings

- Children with higher prenatal alcohol exposure had lower hair cortisol concentrations in childhood.
- The effect of prenatal alcohol exposure on cortisol levels diminished by early adolescence.
- Prenatal depressive symptoms did not significantly affect offspring hair cortisol concentrations.

## Abstract

Prenatal alcohol exposure (PAE) and maternal depressive symptoms are associated with hypothalamic-pituitary-adrenal (HPA) axis alterations in the offspring. The present study investigated long-term associations of both risk factors on the offspring’s hair cortisol concentration (HCC) in childhood and adolescence.

The HCC of n = 94 children was assessed at primary school age (T1, M = 7.7 years, SD = 0.81) and in early adolescence (T2, M = 13.3 years, SD = 0.30). PAE was operationalized by maternal self-report and the meconium alcohol metabolite ethyl glucuronide (EtG), applying two cut-off values, EtG ≥ 10 ng/g (EtG10+: n = 18) and EtG ≥ 154 ng/g (EtG154+: n = 9). The Edinburgh Postnatal Depression Scale (EPDS) was used to screen for prenatal maternal depressive symptoms (EPDS ≥ 10: n = 24). The clinical relevance of the results was assessed by correlating the HCC with children’s emotional and behavioral problems as measured by the Strengths and Difficulties Questionnaire (SDQ).

The EtG10+ and the EtG154+ group showed lower HCC at T1 than the respective control groups, with a significant difference observed for the EtG154 risk group (p = .032). This difference was attenuated at T2. Children and adolescents whose mothers reported prenatal depressive symptoms did not show any significant differences in HCC at any time.

The present study provides further evidence of long-term effects of alcohol consumption during pregnancy on the HPA axis development of the child, as manifested in distinct trajectories of HCC from primary school age to early adolescence.

Not applicable.