Table 2.
Effects of prenatal Sandy stress (PNSS) on child hair steroid hormones and standardized behavior scores.
| PNSS(−) | PNSS(+) | Significance | ||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
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| Stress Hormones | Mean and SD | Mean and SD | p-value | Adj. p | ||
| Cortisol, pg/mg | 76.49 | 7.11 | 111.11 | 10.85 | 0.006 | 0.001 |
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| Cortisone, pg/mg | 62.18 | 4.27 | 70.67 | 6.03 | 0.24 | 0.19 |
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| Testosterone, pg/mg | 1.53 | 0.87 | 1.29 | 0.78 | 0.86 | 0.84 |
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| Progesterone, pg/mg | 12.81 | 3.34 | 4.91 | 1.63 | 0.085 | 0.13 |
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| DHEA, pg/mg | 20.25 | 2.16 | 13.11 | 1.67 | 0.02 | 0.24 |
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| Cortisol:DHEA | 6.87 | 0.94 | 13.81 | 2.56 | 0.003 | 0.01 |
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| Neurobehavioral Profile | Mean and SD | Mean and SD | p-value | Adj. p | ||
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| Hyperactivity | 49.23 | 9.2 | 49.92 | 10.51 | 0.29 | 0.34 |
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| Aggression | 46.45 | 8.687 | 48.89 | 10 | 0.03 | 0.04 |
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| Anxiety | 49.85 | 9.67 | 54.19 | 13.03 | 0.008 | 0.002 |
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| Depression | 49.1 | 11.08 | 49.97 | 11.31 | 0.62 | 0.53 |
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| Somatization | 48.64 | 8.62 | 50.81 | 8.89 | 0.19 | 0.24 |
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| Atypicality | 51.8 | 10.22 | 49.72 | 9.08 | 0.24 | 0.53 |
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| Withdrawal | 49.2 | 9.08 | 49.64 | 8.18 | 0.90 | 0.40 |
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| Attention problem | 50.99 | 9.63 | 50.03 | 8.57 | 0.60 | 0.74 |
PNSS(+) = pregnant during Superstorm Sandy; PNSS(−) = pregnant before and after Superstorm Sandy. Stress hormones; N = 144 for PNSS(−), N = 85 for PNSS(+). Behavioral scores; N = 223 for PNSS(−), N = 99 for PNSS(+). Values are adjusted mean with potential confounders, including maternal age, marital status, education attainment, prenatal substance use (alcohol, cigarette, cannabis smoking), prenatal maternal anxiety trait, prenatal maternal depression, child sex and race, and severity of Superstorm Sandy exposure. Samples with undetectable values were excluded from analysis. DHEA = dehydroepiandrosterone. Clinical behavioral problems were standardized based on sex and age with the score of 50 being a mean and 10 being a standard division. Significant p values and adjusted (adj.) p values are represented in bold.