Associations of Prenatal Chemical and Nonchemical Stressors with Early-Adulthood Anxiety and Depressive Symptoms

Details

• Personal Author:
  Bosquet Enlow M ; Coull BA ; Korrick SA ; Rokoff LB
• Description:
  BACKGROUND: Prenatal exposure to environmental chemicals may increase risk of childhood internalizing problems, but few studies have explored the potential for longer-term consequences of such exposures. OBJECTIVE: We evaluated associations between prenatal organochlorine and metal levels and early adulthood internalizing symptoms, considering whether sociodemographic/nonchemical stressors modified these associations. METHODS: Participants were 209 young adults, born (1993-1998) to mothers residing in or near New Bedford, Massachusetts. As part of the early-adult assessment, self-reported anxiety (7-item Generalized Anxiety Disorder scale) and depressive (8-item Patient Health Questionnaire) symptoms (≥=10: elevated symptoms) were ascertained. We previously analyzed levels of cord serum organochlorines [hexachlorobenzene, dichlorodiphenyldichloroethylene (p,p'-DDE), polychlorinated biphenyls, polychlorinated biphenyls (SPCB4: sum of congeners 118, 138, 153, 180)] and whole blood lead shortly after participants' birth, and levels of cord whole blood manganese from archived samples at the time of the adolescent study visit. We used modified Poisson regression models and quantile g-computation, adjusting for socio demographics, and explored whether biological sex, race/ethnicity (proxy for unmeasured consequences of racism), prenatal social disadvantage (assessed when participants were neonates), and quality of the home environment (assessed during adolescence) modified these associations. RESULTS: Participants were (mean +/- standard deviation) 22:1+/-1:5 y old, 76% Non-Hispanic White, and 67% female. Prenatal hexachlorobenzene, p,p'-DDE, and lead exposures were moderately associated with increased risk of elevated anxiety symptoms. There were strata-specific associations for prenatal social disadvantage and quality of home environment such that adverse associations ofp,p0-DDE and lead and the overall mixture with anxiety and depressive symptoms were largely only evident in those with lower nonchemical stress [e.g., risk ratio and 95% confidence interval (CI) per doubling p, p'-DDE foranxiety:1.54 (95%CI: 1.20, 1.99) in high-quality home environments and 0.77 (95% CI: 0.51, 1.16) in low-quality home environments]. Associations between prenatal hexachlorobenzene and p,p'-DDE and anxiety symptoms were stronger for underrepresented racial/ethnic group participants vs. Non-Hispanic Whites. We found minimal evidence for sex-specific effects, and no consistent associations with manganese or SPCB4. DISCUSSION: Prenatal organochlorine pesticides and lead exposure possibly increases risk of internalizing problems, particular anxiety symptoms, in young adults. Varying risk was observed by sociodemographic/nonchemical stressor strata, demonstrating the importance of considering interactions between chemical and other stressors. [Description provided by NIOSH]
• Subjects:
  Environmental Exposure Mental Health Metals Nervous System Occupational Health Polychlorinated Biphenyls Pregnancy Safety Surveys And Questionnaires
• Keywords:
  Chemicals Environmental Exposure Mental Health Metal Compounds Organochlorine Compounds PCBs Polychlorinated Biphenyls Prenatal Exposure Questionnaires Stress
• ISSN:
  0091-6765
• Document Type:
  Text
• Funding:
  Grant
• Genre:
  Journal Article
• Place as Subject:
  Massachusetts ; OSHA Region 1
• CIO:
  National Institute for Occupational Safety and Health (NIOSH)
• Topic:
  Workplace Safety & Health
• Location:
  North America
• Volume:
  131
• Issue:
  2
• NIOSHTIC Number:
  nn:20067028
• Citation:
  Environ Health Perspect 2023 Feb; 131(2):27004
• Contact Point Address:
  Lisa B. Rokoff, Department of Environmental Health, Harvard T.H. Chan School of Public Health, 665 Huntington Ave.,SPH-1 Room 1406, Boston, MA 02115
• Email:
  lrokoff@mail.harvard.edu
• Federal Fiscal Year:
  2023
• Performing Organization:
  Harvard School of Public Health
• Peer Reviewed:
  True
• Start Date:
  20050701
• Source Full Name:
  Environmental Health Perspectives
• End Date:
  20280630
• Collection(s):
  National Institute for Occupational Safety and Health
• Main Document Checksum:
  urn:sha-512:9606f0e9e7c571cac8f2766a152fcface284fb3084354d71f2fa3ade0bf8c9d316a6ebacde3a55e22ee4881d19afc1c7f6e86926b00cb50f0388002f80d488b3
• Download URL:
  https://stacks.cdc.gov/view/cdc/231253/cdc_231253_DS1.pdf
• File Type:
  [PDF - 1.14 MB ]