Differential impact of prenatal PTSD symptoms and preconception trauma exposure on placental NR3C1 and FKBP5 methylation

Figures & data

Table 1. Participant characteristics.

	Overall (N = 198)	Trauma groups			p
		No trauma (−T; n = 133)	Trauma without PTSD symptoms (T − S; n = 23)	Trauma with PTSD symptoms (T + S; n = 42)
Maternal characteristics
Age (mean, SD)	25.4 (5.0)	25.3 (5.1)	26.4 (4.8)	25.4 (4.9)	0.602
Ethnicity (% Hispanic)	39.3%	37.4%	26.1%	52.4%	0.087
Race (% non-White)	60.6%	63.2%	39.1%	64.3%	0.080
% American Indian/Alaskan Native	3.0	1.5	13.0	2.4	–
% Asian	3.0	2.3	4.3	4.8	–
% Black/African American	19.7	24.1	4.3	14.3	–
% White	39.4	36.8	60.9	35.7	–
% More than one race	8.1	7.5	8.7	9.5	–
% Unknown/not reported	26.8	27.8	8.7	33.3	–
Education (% high school or less)	53%	55.6%	30.4%	57.1%	0.068
Hollingshead SES index (% low SES)	57.2%	59.2%	45.5%	57.1%	0.482
Gravida (mean, SD)	2.5 (1.6)	2.3 (1.5)	2.6 (1.7)	3.2 (1.8)	0.006*
Parity (mean, SD)	0.90 (1.09)	0.78 (.99)	0.83 (.89)	1.33 (1.39)	0.015*
Infant characteristics
Sex (% female)	49.5 %	50.4%	36.4%	53.7%	0.398
GA in weeks (mean, SD)	39.4 (1.4)	39.4 (1.4)	39.6 (.85)	39.3 (1.6)	0.685
Birth weight in grams (mean, SD)	3351.56 (494.8)	3342.2 (490.3)	3362.6 (393.2)	3374.9 (565.2)	0.931
Small for gestational age (% yes)	5.9%	4.0%	4.5%	12.5%	0.133
Any tobacco exposure (% exposed)	49.5%	41.4%	60.9%	69.0%	0.004*

Note. *p < 0.05, significant differences between trauma groups based on chi-square and ANOVA analyses.

Table 2. Estimated means for differences between trauma groups: raw and adjusted model comparisons.

	Raw models				Adjusted models
	Means			p	Means			p
	No trauma (−T)	Trauma without PTSD symptoms (T − S)	Trauma with PTSD symptoms (T + S)		No trauma (−T)	Trauma without PTSD symptoms (T − S)	Trauma with PTSD symptoms (T + S)
NR3C1
Overall	1.50	1.43	2.04	0.003*	0.37	0.35	0.40	0.009*
CpG1	0.37	0.35	0.50	0.450	0.33	0.46	0.34	0.652
CpG2	0.33	0.46	0.30	0.576	0.78	0.64	0.81	0.809
CpG3	0.78	0.64	0.99	0.379	0.19	0.35	0.21	0.753
CpG4	0.19	0.35	0.19	0.256	0.68	0.17	0.16	0.108
CpG5	0.68	0.17	0.16	0.012*	0.63	0.71	0.76	0.003*
CpG6	0.63	0.71	1.21	0.003*	3.48	3.64	3.60	0.004*
CpG7	3.48	3.64	3.96	0.103	1.40	1.31	1.56	0.268
CpG8	1.40	1.31	2.20	<0.001*	2.85	2.58	3.12	0.011*
CpG9	2.85	2.58	4.30	0.002*	2.47	2.35	2.61	0.012*
CpG10	2.47	2.35	3.21	0.010*	1.66	1.70	1.88	0.088
CpG11	1.66	1.70	2.68	0.005*	2.86	2.53	3.00	0.057
CpG12	2.86	2.53	3.71	0.014*	1.85	1.81	2.11	0.080
CpG13	1.85	1.81	3.13	<0.001*	1.50	1.43	1.61	0.006*
FKBP5
Overall	87.69	86.35	87.78	0.224	4.47	4.46	4.47	0.176
CpG1	83.48	83.74	84.02	0.572	4.43	4.42	4.43	0.849
CpG2	91.90	88.95	91.53	0.056	4.52	4.48	4.52	0.072

Note. *p < 0.05, Adjusted models show log-transformed means and group comparisons adjusted for gravida and multiple comparisons.

Figure 1. Mean (SEM) of % NR3C1 Methylation, overall and at each CpG site. Note. *p < 0.05; **p < 0.01; ***p < 0.005. Raw mean (SEM) scores are depicted here prior to logarithmic transformations. Significant between group differences are depicted based on pairwise comparisons controlling for gravida and adjusted for multiple comparisons with Bonferroni correction.

Figure 2. Mean (SEM) of % FKBP5 Methylation, overall and at each CpG site. Note. *p < 0.05, **p < 0.01, ***p < 0.005. Raw mean (SEM) scores are depicted here prior to logarithmic transformations. Significant between group differences are depicted based on pairwise comparisons controlling for gravida and adjusted for multiple comparisons with Bonferroni correction.