Notes on Early Life Experiences and Intergenerational Health
Intergenerational Nature of Health and Wellbeing
Key idea: Health and wellbeing (H&W) and development have a generational impact. The H&W and development of one generation influence the H&W of the next, and early life experiences are linked to health and wellbeing and development in adulthood.
Core takeaway for exams: Understand and explain health and wellbeing as an intergenerational concept, not just as an individual outcome.
Key knowledge & skills
Knowledge: The impact of early life experiences on future health and development; the intergenerational nature of health and wellbeing.
Skills: Explain health and wellbeing as an intergenerational concept.
The intergenerational nature of H&W
H&W and development have a generational impact: the health and development of one generation influence the health and development of the next.
Early life experiences are linked to adult health and wellbeing and development.
Prenatal stress, cortisol, and health outcomes
In early pregnancy, cortisol has dual roles:
Suppresses the mother’s immune system to protect the fetus from rejection.
Helps regulate blood flow between the placenta and the fetus.
Cortisol is released under stress; high maternal stress leads to consistently higher cortisol levels.
Consequences of high prenatal cortisol/stress:
Greater risk of premature birth.
Offspring with higher sensitivity to stress in early childhood (e.g., increased anxiety such as fear of going to school).
Increased likelihood that children born to stressed mothers become nicotine addicts as adults.
Children of mothers who smoke during pregnancy show higher rates of obesity and poorer cardiovascular health decades later.
These associations illustrate the intergenerational concept: maternal stress during pregnancy can influence health and wellbeing across generations.
Figure 9.38: Intergenerational pathway of smoking
Summary of the figure: Maternal smoking affects multiple generations:
Generation 1: A mother who smokes during pregnancy may experience health effects from smoking.
Generation 2: The smoking causes changes that affect the health and wellbeing of the female fetus (the daughter).
Generation 3: The smoking causes changes to the quality of the ova in the female fetus (the granddaughter).
Implication: Behavioural and environmental factors (like smoking) can produce biological and epigenetic changes that propagate across generations.
First 1000 days and nutrition
View and note the video on how nutrition in the first 1000 days can influence health and wellbeing later in life: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ZlcVxFWbGdA
Takeaway: Nutrition in the prenatal period and early infancy has lasting effects on development and later health.
Concept: The first 1000 days is a critical window for growth, brain development, and setting trajectories for future health.
Early life experiences: prenatal and infancy environment
An individual’s early life experiences are linked to health and wellbeing, especially during the prenatal and childhood environment in the first 1000 days after conception.
Prenatal and infancy environments include:
Genetic and epigenetic transmissions from parents and grandparents.
Factors that occur during pregnancy.
Conditions or experiences during infancy.
Reversibility: It is possible to reverse some risk-factor impacts or negative experiences, but reversal becomes more difficult after the first 1000 days.
Neurodevelopment in the first 1000 days: Nerve cells form connections via electrical signaling that are strengthened through regular use, in a process called grow-close-and-use, here termed serve and return:
A child initiates interaction with facial expressions, gestures, babbling, or words (serve).
An adult provides a responsive return with similar gestures, sounds, or emotions (return).
Practical implication: Early interactions (serve and return) strengthen neural connections and support healthy brain development.
Early relationships and attachment
A secure attachment forms a foundation for a sense of security, safety, and good coping skills.
Attachments influence:
The ability to maintain emotional balance.
Enjoyment of one’s self.
Ability to rebound from disappointment and misfortune.
Success or failure of future relationships.
Prenatal stress consequences:
May lead to premature birth.
May cause higher anxiety in the child after birth.
Supportive adult relationships help children cope with daily challenges and manage stress.
Prolonged stress (e.g., poverty, family violence) without adequate adult support can disrupt brain development in childhood.
Outcomes of disrupted development include:
Poor literacy and communication skills.
Mental health problems later in life.
Abusive relationships in childhood can lead to:
Speech problems, anxiety, sleep difficulties, aggressive behavior.
In the long term, potential for the child to become abusive, having learned to solve problems with violence.
Early environment, learning opportunities, and development
Parental focus on nutrition and safety may come with insufficient resources to provide stimulating experiences.
Infants rarely spoken to or exposed to new toys/environments may fail to develop neural connections that support later learning.
Optimal development requires:
Adequate play space.
A variety of play materials.
Stimulating experiences to reduce fear and anxiety, and to foster joy, self-esteem, empathy, and sharing.
Safety and consistency are crucial:
If a child’s safety needs are not met consistently, they may have more difficulty interpreting and interacting with people and objects in their environment.
Environmental stability supports development: A secure, stable home with quiet sleeping areas promotes optimal development.