Infants Born to Pregnant Women Near World Trade Center Attack Affected by Post-Traumatic Stress Disorder, Study Says

Main Category: Pediatrics / Children's Health
Article Date: 07 May 2005 - 0:00 PST

email to a friend   printer friendly   view / write opinions

Infants born to pregnant women who were in or near the World Trade Center when it was attacked on Sept. 11, 2001, have biological markers indicating effects of post-traumatic stress disorder, according to a study published online on Tuesday in the... Journal of Clinical Endocrinology & Metabolism, the Washington Times reports. Rachel Yehuda, a professor of psychiatry at the Mount Sinai School of Medicine who specializes in stress disorders, and colleagues studied 38 women who were in or near the World Trade Center and pregnant at the time of the attack. Researchers measured the level of the stress hormone cortisol in the women's saliva to determine if they had signs of PTSD, as indicated by a low cortisol level. The infants born to women with low levels of cortisol had correspondingly low levels of the hormone, indicating that they also were vulnerable to PTSD. Previous studies have shown corresponding low levels of cortisol in Holocaust survivors and their offspring, but researchers had attributed the association to "lifestyle factors," such as growing up with a parent who was depressed or anxious or hearing numerous stories about the Holocaust, according to the Times. However, the infants of the women involved in the Sept. 11 attack were too young to understand or identify with their mother's anxiety, suggesting that "mechanisms for transgenerational transmission of biological effects of trauma may have to do with very early parent-child attachments and possibly even in utero effects," according to Yehuda. The researchers concluded, "The data suggest that the effects of maternal PTSD related to cortisol can be observed very early in the life of the offspring and underscore the relevance of in utero contributors to putative biological risk for PTSD."

Related Studies
The research on PTSD is part of a larger study Mount Sinai Hospital is conducting with Columbia University's Center for Children's Health that is tracking 200 women who were pregnant and near the World Trade Center when it was attacked, the Times reports (Washington Times, 5/5). A study released last year by Columbia University and Beth Israel Medical Center found that pregnant women living near the World Trade Center at the time of the attack delivered smaller and lower birthweight infants and had shorter gestation periods than pregnant women living in other parts of New York City during that time. The researchers concluded that the effects on the infants likely were caused by exposure to toxic substances, their mothers' psychological stress because of the attacks or by a combination of both factors (Kaiser Daily Reproductive Health Report, 9/10/04).

"Reprinted with permission from kaisernetwork.org kaisernetwork.org. You can view the entire Kaiser Daily Reproductive Health Report, search the archives, or sign up for email delivery at www.kaisernetwork.org/dailyreports/repro The Kaiser Daily Reproductive Health Report is published for kaisernetwork.org, a free service of The Henry J. Kaiser Family Foundation . © 2005 Advisory Board Company and Kaiser Family Foundation. All rights reserved.