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Background: Maternal adverse childhood experiences (ACEs) are associated with difficulties in parent-child relationships; however, current research has primarily used cross-sectional designs. Parent and child behavior may be differentially affected by ACEs as children develop and caregiving demands change. Furthermore, diminished executive function (EF) is associated with both ACEs and parenting difficulties and may be a mechanism underlying the intergenerational effects of ACEs., Objective: This study examined longitudinal associations between maternal ACEs, maternal EF, and patterns of change in maternal and child emotional availability (EA)., Participants: Mother-child dyads (N = 114) participated in five assessments over a 5-year period., Methods: Maternal ACEs were measured retrospectively at 3 months, maternal EF was assessed at 8 months, and mother-child interactions were videotaped at 18, 36 and 60 months postpartum. Multilevel modelling was used to model growth curves., Results: Maternal EA did not significantly change, while child EA increased from 18 to 60 months postpartum. Maternal ACEs were negatively associated with maternal and child EA at 18 months postpartum; this effect was not significant at 60 months postpartum. In contrast, there was a persistent, positive effect of maternal EF on EA trajectories. Maternal EF did not mediate the association between ACEs and EA. There were also significant within-dyad associations between maternal and child EA., Conclusions: The effects of maternal ACEs on parenting are not necessarily persistent. Findings also support sustained relations between maternal EF and mother-child interactions across early childhood, suggesting the utility of EF as an intervention target., (Copyright © 2020 Elsevier Ltd. All rights reserved.)

This study examined the associations between maternal pre-pregnancy BMI and gestational weight gain (GWG) and children's neuropsychological outcomes at 3 to 5 years of age. A total of 379 women and their children from the Alberta Pregnancy Outcomes and Nutrition (APrON) study participated. Covariate-adjusted robust regressions examined associations between maternal pre-pregnancy BMI, GWG class, interaction terms, and child outcomes. Each unit increase in maternal BMI was linked to a 0.48-point decrement (95% CI: −0.75 to −0.21) in children's Full Scale IQ. Higher pre-pregnancy BMI was related to poorer performance on the other intelligence indexes (B = −0.35 to −0.47, 95% CIs: −0.75, −0.02) and lower performance on measures of language (B = −0.08 to −0.09, 95% CIs: −0.16, −0.02), motor skills (B = −0.08 to −0.11, 95% CIs: −0.18, −0.01), and executive function (B = −0.09 to −0.16, 95% CIs: −0.26, −0.01). GWG below the recommended range was associated with a 4.04-point decrement (95% CI: 7.89, −0.11) in Full Scale IQ, but better performance on a spatial working memory test (B = 0.27, 95% CI: 0.02, 0.52). GWG above the recommended range was associated with lower language (B = −0.79, 95% CI: −1.52, −0.06) and memory scores (B = −0.93, 95% CI: −1.64, −0.22). Interactions were found between pre-pregnancy BMI and GWG on measures of intelligence and executive function. Maternal pre-pregnancy BMI and GWG are related to children's performance in various neuropsychological domains and may interact to predict outcomes. Optimizing maternal health and weight prior to conception and during pregnancy may enhance children's neuropsychological outcomes. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Folate and choline are methyl donor nutrients that may play a role in fetal brain development. Animal studies have reported that prenatal folate and choline supplementation are associated with better cognitive outcomes in offspring and that these nutrients may interact and affect brain development. Human studies that have investigated associations between maternal prenatal folate or choline levels and neurodevelopmental outcomes have reported contradictory findings and no human studies have examined the potential interactive effect of folate and choline on children's neurodevelopment. During the second trimester of pregnancy, maternal red blood cell folate was measured from blood samples and choline intake was estimated using a 24-h dietary recall in 309 women in the APrON cohort. At 3–5 years of age, their children's neurodevelopment was assessed using the Wechsler Preschool and Primary Scales of Intelligence – Fourth EditionCND, NEPSY-II language and memory subtests, four behavioral executive function tasks, and the Movement Assessment Battery for Children – Second Edition. Adjusted regressions revealed no associations between maternal folate and choline levels during pregnancy and most of the child outcomes. On the Dimensional Change Card Sort, an executive function task, there was an interaction effect; at high levels of choline intake (i.e., 1 SD above the mean; 223.03 mg/day), higher maternal folate status was associated with decreased odds of receiving a passing score (β = −0.44; 95%CI −0.81, −0.06). In conclusion, maternal folate status and choline intake during the second trimester of pregnancy were not associated with children's intelligence, language, memory, or motor outcomes at 3–4 years of age; however, their interaction may have an influence children's executive functions. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The authors reflect on the need to strengthen research to probe the link between maternal nutrition and neurodevelopment in children. Also cited are a study which analyzed the link between maternal pregnancy diet quality, home environment, and behavior and executive function in children, and the use of data from the Canadian Maternal-Infant Research on Environmental Chemicals-Child Development (MIREC-CD Plus) research in the new study as of October 2021.

Experiences of childhood maltreatment are associated with a variety of negative outcomes throughout individuals' lives as well as disadvantaged cognitive and socioemotional development among their offspring. The mechanisms through which some children show resilience against the intergenerational transmission of risk, however, are less well understood. The current study focuses on a proximal parental factor that plays a central role in children's early cognitive development – maternal sensitivity – and examines whether it moderates the association between maternal history of childhood maltreatment and child executive function (EF). Data were collected from a community sample of 139 mothers and their infants (51 % female) recruited from urban areas in Ontario, Canada. Maternal maltreatment history was assessed via self-report at child age 3 months. Maternal sensitivity was assessed observationally at child age 8 months, and child executive function was assessed using performance-based measures at child age 3 years. Hypotheses were tested through multiple regression models. In the current sample, maternal maltreatment history was not associated with child EF on average. However, results were consistent with a moderation model, indicating that maternal maltreatment history was associated with lower levels of child EF only when mothers were relatively insensitive. The findings indicate the importance of considering sensitive parenting practices as a protective factor for children's cognitive development in the context of more distal risk factors such as mothers' history of childhood maltreatment. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]