Journal
PSYCHOLOGY HEALTH & MEDICINE
Volume 28, Issue 8, Pages 2156-2168Publisher
ROUTLEDGE JOURNALS, TAYLOR & FRANCIS LTD
DOI: 10.1080/13548506.2022.2070226
Keywords
Prenatal maternal stress; autistic-like behaviors; parent-child interaction; preschoolers; mediation
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Studies have found a link between prenatal maternal stress exposure and autistic-like behaviors in offspring. This study explores the potential role of parent-child interactions in mediating this association. The research suggests that early life parent-child interactions may be a potential mediator of the increased risk of autistic-like behaviors associated with prenatal maternal stress exposure.
A range of studies have shown that prenatal maternal stress (PNMS) exposure is associated with offspring autistic-like behaviors, however the potential pathways remain unexplored. This study aimed to evaluate the mediating role of parent-child interactions in early life in the association between PNMS exposure and preschoolers' autistic-like behaviors. Data from 65,928 child-parent dyads were obtained via a primary caregiver-reported questionnaire administered as part of the Longhua Child Cohort Study. To strengthen confidence in the reliability of the results, the analyses were initially conducted on a random selection of 70% of the total sample, and then validated on the remaining 30% of the sample. Analysis of covariance and multiple linear models were employed to estimate the associations between PNMS exposure, parent-child interactions in early life, and children's autistic-like behaviors. The results showed that PNMS exposure was positively associated with the presence of autistic-like behaviors at preschool age. The total indirect effect of the frequency of positive parent-child interactions in early life accounted for 9.69% or 8.99% of the variance of the association. Our findings indicate that parent-child interactions in early life might function as potential mediators of the association between PNMS and the increased risk of offspring autistic-like behaviors.
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