Peer-reviewed article

Intergenerational Effects of Maternal Stressful Life Events Before Pregnancy on Offspring Growth: A Lifecourse Approach from a Prospective Cohort.

Park H · 18 Sept 2026

Abstract

Background Guided by the lifecourse perspective and the developmental origins of health and disease paradigm, this study investigated the intergenerational impact of maternal preconception stressful life events (PSLEs) on offspring growth trajectories. Methods Data were drawn from the Early Childhood Longitudinal Study, Birth Cohort, a nationally representative prospective cohort of approximately 8,500 mother-child pairs born in 2001 and followed through kindergarten entry. Maternal exposure to PSLEs (eg, bereavement, divorce, or fertility problems) was operationalized as the primary exposure. Outcomes included BMI percentile trajectories and categorical weight status from 9 to 60 months. Mixed-effects and survival models were employed to estimate the effects of PSLEs on offspring growth, stratified by sex and race/ethnicity. These analyses accounted for baseline confounders and the potential mediating role of being born small-for-gestational-age. Results Maternal PSLEs were significantly associated with lower BMI percentiles (b = -4.09; 95% CI: -7.03, -1.16) and a 35% reduction in the odds of being overweight or obese (AOR = 0.65; 95% CI: 0.44, 0.95) exclusively among Non-Hispanic (NH) White male infants. However, no associations were observed across all female strata and within NH Black, Hispanic, and other minority male populations. Conclusion The findings suggest a need for future research across diverse populations to elucidate these unique intergenerational effects within lifecourse perspectives.