Intergenerational Transmission of Parental Early Life Stress

Early life stress (ELS) has well-established consequences for health and disease risk of the exposed individual. Emerging evidence now suggests that the sequelae of ELS may be transmitted across generations, thereby extending the long-term reach of early adverse experiences. In this chapter, the literature on intergenerational effects of ELS transmitted via the maternal line is summarized, several transmission pathways are discussed, and an overview of the available evidence supporting each pathway is provided. A special focus is placed on the intrauterine period of life as an early time window during which transmission may occur and on changes in gestational biology as a mechanism of transmission. Furthermore, empirical evidence for the intergenerational transmission of ELS effects along the paternal line is also reviewed. The summary of the current state of knowledge provided in this chapter supports the concept that events that occurred during a parent’s childhood may influence the developmental trajectories of the offspring through multiple pathways, which are likely to interact. Further research is needed to disentangle the specific effects of individual physiological and psychological sequelae of ELS that alter disease susceptibility in future generations.