Aim: Examine cross-sectional associations between mid-pregnancy food intake indicators and prenatal depressive symptomatology. Methods: This secondary analysis of the Comparison of Two Screening Strategies for Gestational Diabetes trial (N = 718) examined domains of mid-pregnancy food intake (direct timing, energy timing, meal/snack structure, meal energy distribution, diet quality) derived from 24-hour dietary recalls. Depressive symptoms were measured with the Edinburgh Postnatal Depression Scale (EPDS). Generalized linear models examined associations between food intake indicators, total, and high (EPDS ≥13) depressive symptoms. Results: Mean (SD) EPDS score was [6.3 (4.9)]; 12.4% (n = 89) had high depressive symptoms. Eating frequency (B = 0.08 [0.02, 0.14], p = 0.009), snack frequency (B = 0.06 [0.00, 0.12], p = 0.040), nighttime snacking frequency (B = 0.06 [0.00, 0.11], p = 0.041), and total daily energy intake (B = 0.06 [0.01, 0.12], p = 0.031) were positively associated with total depressive symptoms. Energy intake from breakfast (PR = 1.2 [1.0, 1.3], p = 0.017) was associated with a higher prevalence of high depressive symptoms. Energy intake from dinner (PR = 0.81 [0.69, 0.94], p = 0.007), later timing of the first eating episode (PR = 0.83 [0.70, 0.99], p = 0.034) and first energy quartile (PR = 0.84 [0.70, 1.0], p = 0.048), were associated with a lower prevalence of high depressive symptoms. Conclusion: These findings extend prior chrononutrition-depression literature to the prenatal period, implicating eating frequency, energy intake, and meal energy timing and distribution in depressive symptomatology during pregnancy, warranting further longitudinal investigation. Key Messages: Eating frequency, snacking, nighttime snacking, and longer eating windows were positively associated with increased prevalence of depressive symptomatology within the prenatal period. Each of these results align with previous literature in general adult or postpartum populations and extend to prenatal populations specifically. These results suggest the role of circadian misalignment (potentially via mechanisms including nocturnal cortisol response, serotonin and dopamine dysregulation, systemic inflammation, and delayed melatonin production) in prenatal psychopathology. Importantly, the potential bidirectional nature of food intake and depression cannot be overlooked. Total energy consumed per day, percentage of energy from breakfast and dinner, as well as later timing of initial energy intake and first caloric quartile were positively associated with prenatal depression. Additionally, particular indicators of dietary quality and macronutrient percentages (e.g., percentage of energy obtained from fat), were not significantly associated with prenatal depression. These findings call for future research to explore nuance regarding macronutrient consumption, energy intake percentages, meal timing regularity, and the possible implications of emotionally responsive eating in the relationship between food intake and prenatal depression The current study is exploratory in nature, being the first to explore a robust range of food intake indicators and their relationship to depressive symptomatology in the prenatal period. As prenatal depression is a strong predictor of worsening mental health during postpartum, it is important that future research test a priori hypotheses regarding food intake indicators and prenatal depression longitudinally in order to determine both temporal precedence and validate the associations found within our study. If validated, multiple domains of food intake may potentially provide modifiable behaviors that can protect against depression during the prenatal period.

PurposeWhile research shows associations between recent stressful experiences (RSEs) and perinatal mental illness, potential moderators and relationships to well-being are not yet understood. The current study aimed to examine (1) if sensory processing sensitivity (SPS) moderated the relationship between RSEs and prenatal mental illness and well-being and (2) if results supported a diathesis-stress (i.e., high SPS individuals are more likely to have mental illness when experiencing RSEs) or a differential susceptibility (i.e., high SPS individuals are more likely to have less mental illness/more well-being when experiencing few RSEs) model. MethodsParticipants included 574 pregnant individuals in their first trimester recruited via social media advertisements followed by videocalls who were (1) 18+ years old (2) literate in English (3) US citizens/residents, and (4) planning to continue the pregnancy. Participants self-reported mental illness (depression and anxiety symptoms) and well-being (life satisfaction), RSEs, and SPS. Moderated path analyses and region-of-significance analyses were conducted in Mplus. ResultsA significant interaction was found between RSEs and SPS in the prediction of depression symptoms but not anxiety or life satisfaction. Simple slopes showed that RSEs predicted depression symptoms when SPS was high only. Region-of-significance analyses showed strong support for the diathesis-stress model, identifying SPS as a vulnerability factor for perinatal depression.ConclusionThe present study found that SPS was a vulnerability factor for depression in pregnant individuals. Screening and awareness of SPS could support more precise and effective mental health care based on research showing therapy can be tailored for individuals high on SPS.

The Highly Sensitive Personality (HSP) captures sensitivity towards external and internal stimuli while the Adult Sensory Profile is a clinical tool that gauges sensory history on four quadrants: low registration, sensation seeking, sensory sensitivity, and sensation avoiding. The Sensory Profile could contribute a more nuanced understanding of the HSP’s threshold of sensitivity and behavioral patterns. Accordingly, this study’s objective was to examine the associations between the HSP and Sensory Profile. 565 United States adults (age 18-94) were recruited via Prolific using the representative sample option, stratifying based on Census sex, age, and ethnicity. Participants completed the HSP scale and the Adult Sensory Profile. Correlations, one-way ANOVAs, and descriptive statistics showed that participants who scored high on the HSP total scale scored higher on low registration, sensory sensitivity and sensation avoiding. Different sensory tendencies were identified across HSP facets (low sensory threshold, ease of excitation, aesthetic sensitivity), suggesting that highly sensitive people may display different processing patterns and coping mechanisms depending on their HSP subtype. Using the Adult Sensory Profile along with already recommended screenings for HSP could better inform support for highly sensitive individuals when their sensory processing type is not complimentary to a desired aspect in their life.

Background: Poor prenatal sleep health is associated with greater gestational weight gain, but the contributions to longer-term maternal weight retention remain unclear. Purpose: To examine associations between prenatal sleep health across multiple domains and maternal weight retention 2 to 7 years after a first birth. Methods: Participants were from the nuMoM2b-Heart Health Study. Self-reported sleep was assessed during early (6 to 13 6/7 weeks) and mid-pregnancy (22 to 28 6/7 weeks) across six domains: regularity, quality, sleepiness, timing, efficiency, and duration. A multidimensional sleep health (MSH) score reflected the number of domains meeting healthy thresholds. Outcomes included maternal weight retention, total and substantial (>11 lbs.), from pre-pregnancy to 2 to 7 years after a first birth. Associations were estimated using adjusted linear regression for total weight retention and Poisson regression with robust variance for substantial weight retention. Results: The sample included 3,661 individuals with data in early (n = 2,962) and mid-pregnancy (n = 3,210). In early pregnancy, healthy sleep duration was associated with lower total weight retention, whereas healthy sleep regularity was unexpectedly associated with greater retention. In contrast, during mid-pregnancy, a higher MSH score was associated with a lower risk of substantial weight retention (RR = 0.96, 95% CI: 0.93 to 0.99). Healthy sleep duration and quality were the two individual domains associated with lower weight retention (2 to 3 lbs.). Conclusions: In a prospective cohort of pregnant nulliparous individuals, healthy prenatal sleep, particularly during mid-pregnancy, was associated with less maternal weight retention 2 to 7 years after delivery. Future studies should estimate the causal effects of sleep health on long-term maternal weight retention.

Objective: We examined cross-sectional associations between mid-pregnancy food intake indicators and prenatal depressive symptomatology. Methods: This secondary analysis of the Comparison of Two Screening Strategies for Gestational Diabetes (GDM2) trial (N = 716) examined five domains of mid-pregnancy food intake (direct timing, energy timing, meal/snack structure, meal energy distribution, and diet quality) derived from 24 h dietary recalls. Depressive symptoms were measured with the Edinburgh Postnatal Depression Scale (EPDS). Generalized linear models examined associations between food intake indicators and both total and high (EPDS ≥ 13) depressive symptoms. Results: The mean (SD) EPDS score was 6.3 (4.9); a total of 12.4% (n = 89) of subjects had high depressive symptoms. Eating frequency (exp(B) = 1.084 [1.021, 1.151], p = 0.008), snack frequency (exp(B) = 1.063 [1.004, 1.126], p = 0.037), nighttime snacking frequency (exp(B) = 1.060 [1.003, 0.121], p = 0.040), and total daily energy intake (exp(B) = 1.058 [1.002, 1.118], p = 0.044) were positively associated with total depressive symptoms. Energy intake from breakfast (PR = 1.178 [1.029, 1.349], p = 0.017) was associated with higher prevalence of high depressive symptoms. Energy intake from dinner (PR = 0.809 [0.695, 0.943], p = 0.007), a later timing of the first eating episode (PR = 0.830 [0.699, 0.986], p = 0.034) and the first energy quartile (PR = 0.837 [0.702, 0.998], p = 0.048) were associated with lower prevalence of high depressive symptoms. Conclusions: These findings extend the prior chrononutrition–depression literature to the prenatal period, implicating eating frequency, energy intake, and meal energy timing and distribution in depressive symptomatology during pregnancy, and warrant further longitudinal investigation.

Purpose: Nighttime fasting intervals (NFIs; i.e., the longest period between the last eating episode of the day and the first of the next day) are associated with depressive symptoms in non-pregnant populations. However, this chrono-nutrition indicator has rarely been explored in the perinatal period, when individuals experience dramatic physiological and psychological changes. We explored potential associations between NFIs and depressive symptoms during the perinatal period. Methods: This secondary analysis included 232 individuals with pre-pregnancy body mass index (BMI) ≥25 kg/m ² . Participants were assessed during early-pregnancy, mid-pregnancy, and at 6-months postpartum. NFIs and breakfast time were estimated from 24-hour dietary recall interviews, and depressive symptoms were self-reported using the Center for Epidemiologic Studies Depression Scale. NFIs were categorized into three classifications to represent short, middle, and long NFIs. Longitudinal associations were evaluated using mixed effects linear models with interaction terms between NFIs and each timepoint. Results: NFIs remained largely stable at the group level across the three study visits (M [SD] = 12.7 [2.75] hours). Although NFIs were not significantly associated with depressive symptoms, long NFIs showed geometric mean ratio of 0.84 (95% CI: 0.64 to1.11) relative to middle NFIs at mid-pregnancy. Conclusions: NFIs and depression were not associated among this perinatal sample. Future studies should explore circadian eating patterns (e.g., the timing of the last eating episode relative to dim-light melatonin onset), different timepoints (e.g., late pregnancy), and pregnant individuals across the weight spectrum.