Table 4.
Associations between maternal stress and human milk cortisol and IgA over time (week 1 to week 5).
| Associations with HM cortisol (log-transformed) | ||
|---|---|---|
| Independent variable | Week 1 | Week 5 |
| Maternal Salivary Cortisol (log-transformed) | r = 0.75 | r = 0.49 |
| p < 0.001* | p = 0.06 | |
| PSS:NICU1 sub-score, stress associated with parental role | r = − 0.44 | r = 0.22 |
| p = 0.047* | p = 0.44 | |
| PROMIS3: clarity of thought | r = 0.54 | r = −0.06 |
| p = 0.01* | p = 0.83 | |
| Maternal anxiety (STAI2) | r = −0.40 | r = 0.18 |
| p = 0.007* | p = 0.52 | |
| Change in HM Cortisol vs. Change in Maternal Anxiety (STAI2) | r = 0.58 | |
| p = 0.03* | ||
| Associations with HM IgA | ||
| Independent variable | Week 1 | Week 5 |
| PSS: NICU1 score, overall stress with hospitalization | r = 0.35 | r = 0.79 |
| p = 0.18 | p ≤ 0.001* | |
| Change in PSS:NICU1 score, overall stress with hospitalization vs. Change in HM IgA | r = 0.70 | |
| p = 0.02 | ||
HM, human milk. *Statistically significant. **Higher score = worse outcomes associated with higher mortality rates. 1Parental Stressor Scale: Neonatal Intensive Care Unit. 2State–Trait Anxiety Inventory. 3Patient-Reported Outcomes Measurement Information System. 4Score for Neonatal Acute Physiology.