Cortisol, cortisone, and DHEA concentrations in newborns of mothers by maternal refugee history

Abstract

There are currently over 72 million internally displaced refugees worldwide. Understanding the intergenerational impacts of displacement experiences is critical to understanding the lasting, hidden impacts of the effects of displacement stress and is vital to future global health initiatives. Cortisol, cortisone, and dehydroepiandrosterone (DHEA) concentrations in newborns may be particularly informative for documenting potential impacts of intergenerational transmission that build on known biological mechanisms of exposure to maternal stress and functional relevance for offspring neurodevelopment and health. The present study documents, for the first time, the relation of mothers' experience of internal displacement with steroid hormone concentrations in newborns in a study of 93 mother-newborn dyads in a high-conflict region of the Democratic Republic of Congo. Mothers self-reported on lifetime history of forced displacement along with demographic and pregnancy risks. Newborn hair samples were collected within 30 h of birth and newborn demographic information was obtained from medical records. A lifetime history of forced displacement among mothers was associated with higher cortisol, lower DHEA, and a higher cortisol/DHEA ratio among newborns. Sensitivity analysis examining initial age at displacement provided suggestive evidence for refugee experiences during early development as especially salient for the cortisol/DHEA ratio. The results have implications for global public health that extend beyond those immediately impacted by forced migration to potential second-generation impacts.

Keywords: Dehydroepiandrosterone (DHEA); Displacement; Hair cortisol; Hypothalamic–pituitary–adrenal (HPA) axis; Newborn; Refugee.