Does gestational vitamin D attenuate the negative effects of prenatal depression on offspring emotional and behavioral problems? Findings in the ECHO cohort
Year: 2026
Type: article
Study design: Observational Study
Abstract: BACKGROUND: Prenatal depression is associated with offspring behavioral problems, but heterogeneity in the strength of this association is not well understood. Maternal vitamin D concentration during pregnancy is important for fetal brain development and may help explain this variability, with potential differences by timing of exposure and maternal race. METHODS: Using data from 1,451 mother-child pairs in the Environmental influences on Child Health Outcomes cohort, linear mixed-effects models examined associations between prenatal depressive symptom severity, gestational 25-hydroxy-vitamin D (25[OH]D) concentrations, and internalizing and externalizing behaviors in preschool-aged children. Analyses were stratified by common 25(OH)D deficiency thresholds, prenatal timing, and race. RESULTS: = 0.21, 95% CI = 0.14, 0.28) behaviors. Gestational 25(OH)D concentration did not moderate depression effect estimates in adjusted models. In stratified analyses, the association between prenatal depressive symptoms and child externalizing behaviors persisted regardless of 25(OH)D threshold levels, but the association with internalizing behaviors attenuated at 25(OH)D < 20 ng/mL. Timing of 25(OH)D measurement (early/late pregnancy) did not modify relationships. Higher gestational 25(OH)D was associated with fewer externalizing problems among offspring of Black mothers only. CONCLUSIONS: Prenatal depressive symptoms showed robust associations with child behavioral problems, largely independent of gestational 25(OH)D. However, attenuated risk for internalizing behaviors with low vitamin D levels warrants investigation of social-environmental factors.
Source: Psychological Medicine
Institutions: University of Pittsburgh, California State University, Dominguez Hills, Johns Hopkins University, University of Delaware, Kaiser Permanente Northern California, University of Illinois Chicago, University of Colorado Anschutz, Emory University, Icahn School of Medicine at Mount Sinai, Northeastern University
Language: English
Field: Medicine
Domain: Health Sciences
Open Access status: hybrid
Estimated APC paid: $3,550
Awards: Childhood Allergy and the NeOnatal Environment (CANOE) ECHO Pediatric Follow-Up and New Enrollment, G117716216, Mediators and Modifiers of Prenatal Environmental Exposures and Child Neurodevelopment: DNA methylation, Prenatal Diet, and Cognitive Stimulation (MEND), ECHO Renewal for the CANOE Study Cohort, G1265279961, Multi-omic approaches to mechanisms of vitamin D, environmental influences, and the microbiome on asthma, G1402355829, A South Carolina ECHO Pregnancy Cohort, G1420069246, G1535368911, G1577859456, Childhood Allergy and the NeOnatal Environment in St Louis (CANOE-STL) and the Impact of Wheezing Illnesses on Neurocognitive Development of Preschool Children, Developmental Impact of NICU Exposures (DINE) phase II, G1809484252, G2308112299, G233453520, G2383750895, G2582047383, Prenatal and Early Childhood Pathways To Health: An Integrated Model of Chemical and Social Exposures, Biological Mechanisms, and Sex-Specific Effects on Neurodevelopment and Respiratory 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OpenAlex ID: W7164934258