Browsing by Author "Mantere, Selena"

Goals: Earlier studies have shown that a low concentration of prenatal vitamin D is associated with child's psychological well-being. The connection between prenatal vitamin D level and, for example, eating disorders and neurocognitive development has been shown to exist. Child's temperament has shown to predict later mental health. It is commonly believed that temperament has roots in fetal period. However, there is no earlier research on the connection between prenatal vitamin D level and child's temperament. The goal of this study is to examine whether or not such a connection exists. Methods. This research is part of a Helsinki University Children's Vitamin D Intervention Study (VIDI). The material for VIDI has been gathered between January 2013 and June 2014 in Kätilöopisto Maternity Hospital in Helsinki. Current study includes participants with information on prenatal vitamin D levels and on maternal rated temperament at the age of one year (Revised Infant Behavior Questionnaire (IBQ-R)) (n=839). The connection between prenatal vitamin D level and the superfactors of the temperament dimensions were examined with regression analysis with confounding variables (child's gender, mother's maternal smoking habits, mother's education, marital status, age and BMI before pregnancy). The superfactors are Surgency/Extraversion, Negative Affectivity and Regulatory/Orienting. Prenatal vitamin D level was treated as a continuous and a dichotomous variable. Vitamin D levels were measured in early and late points of pregnancy, and categories low and high were created accordingly. Cut-points for categories were ≤ 73.70 nmol/L in the early point and ≤ 59.70 nmol/L in the latter point. Also, the association between the change in prenatal vitamin D level-or it staying low during pregnancy-with the superfactors of child's temperament was examined. Results and conclusions. Vitamin D level (25(OH)D) in the early-pregnancy was associated with child's negative emotionality: a higher vitamin D level predicted a lower negative emotionality score at the age of one year when examined as a continuous variable. The connection remained statistically significant after controlling for confounding variables. Vitamin D level in early pregnancy was not associated with any other superfactors of temperament. Moreover, early-pregnancy vitamin D categories were not associated with any temperament superfactors. Prenatal vitamin D level in late pregnancy was not related to temperament superfactors, measured either as a continuous or as dichotomous variable. Also, the change in prenatal vitamin D level, or it remaining in the low category in both measuring points, had no statistically significant associations with the superfactors of child's temperament. The results are in line with the earlier findings that vitamin D level-especially in early pregnancy-is associated with the child's psychological development. The functional mechanism of vitamin D level in early pregnancy is believed to be based especially on the sensitivity periods of the prenatal development of a brain. It is possible that a low prenatal vitamin D level modifies temperament through the development of the brain-which affects disorders of psychological development. In this case, temperament can account for at least a part of the connections that have already been found between prenatal vitamin D level and psychological development. This gives important knowledge of the origin of psychological disorders.