Across Continents and Demographics, Unpredictable Maternal Signals are Associated with Children's Cognitive Function

Authors

Elyssia Poggi Davis, University of Denver
Riikka Korja, University of Turku
Linnea Karlsson, University of Turku
Laura Glynn, Chapman UniversityFollow
Curt A. Sandman, University of California, Irvine
Brian Vegetabile, University of California, Irvine
Eeva-Leena Kataja, University of Turku
Saara Nolvi, University of Turku
Eija Sinervä, University of Turku
Juho Pelto, University of Turku
Hasse Karlsson, University of Turku
Hal S. Stern, University of Turku
Tallie Z. Baram, University of California, Irvine

Document Type

Article

Publication Date

7-27-2019

Abstract

Background

Early life experiences have persisting influence on brain function throughout life. Maternal signals constitute a primary source of early life experiences, and their quantity and quality during sensitive developmental periods exert enduring effects on cognitive function and emotional and social behaviors. Here we examined if, in addition to established qualitative dimensions of maternal behavior during her interactions with her infant and child, patterns of maternal signals may contribute to the maturation of children's executive functions. We focused primarily on effortful control, a potent predictor of mental health outcomes later in life.

Methods

In two independent prospective cohorts in Turku, Finland (N = 135), and Irvine, CA, USA (N = 192) that differed significantly in race/ethnicity and sociodemographic parameters, we assessed whether infant exposure to unpredictable patterns of maternal-derived sensory signals portended poor effortful control.

Outcomes

In both the Irvine and Turku cohorts, unpredictable sequences of maternal behavior during infancy were associated with worse effortful control at one year of age. Longitudinal analyses demonstrated that this association persisted for as long as each cohort was assessed-until two years of age in the Turku cohort and to 9.5 years in the Irvine cohort. The relation of unpredictable maternal signals during infancy and the measures of executive function persisted after adjusting for covariates.

Interpretations

The consistency of our findings across two cohorts from different demographic backgrounds substantiated the finding that patterns, and specifically unpredictable sequences, of maternal behaviors may influence the development of executive functions which may be associated with vulnerability to subsequent psychopathology.

Comments

This article was originally published in EBioMedicine, volume 46, in 2019. DOI: 10.1016/j.ebiom.2019.07.025

Recommended Citation

Davis, E. P., Korja, R., Karlsson, L. et al. (2019). Across continents and demographics, unpredictable maternal signals are associated with children's cognitive function. EBioMedicine, 46, 256-263. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.ebiom.2019.07.025

Copyright

The authors

Creative Commons License

This work is licensed under a Creative Commons Attribution-Noncommercial-No Derivative Works 4.0 License.