Associations of Prenatal Chemical and Nonchemical Stressors with Early-Adulthood Anxiety and Depressive Symptoms

BACKGROUND: Prenatal exposure to environmental chemicals may increase risk of childhood internalizing problems, but few studies have explored the potential for longer-term consequences of such exposures. OBJECTIVE: We evaluated associations between prenatal organochlorine and metal levels and early adulthood internalizing symptoms, considering whether sociodemographic/nonchemical stressors modified these associations. METHODS: Participants were 209 young adults, born (1993–1998) to mothers residing in or near New Bedford, Massachusetts. As part of the early-adult assessment, self-reported anxiety (7-item Generalized Anxiety Disorder scale) and depressive (8-item Patient Health Questionnaire) symptoms ([Formula: see text]: elevated symptoms) were ascertained. We previously analyzed levels of cord serum organochlorines [hexachlorobenzene, dichlorodiphenyldichloroethylene ([Formula: see text] , [Formula: see text] ′-DDE), polychlorinated biphenyls ([Formula: see text]: sum of congeners 118, 138, 153, 180)] and whole blood lead shortly after participants’ birth, and levels of cord whole blood manganese from archived samples at the time of the adolescent study visit. We used modified Poisson regression models and quantile g-computation, adjusting for sociodemographics, and explored whether biological sex, race/ethnicity (proxy for unmeasured consequences of racism), prenatal social disadvantage (assessed when participants were neonates), and quality of the home environment (assessed during adolescence) modified these associations. RESULTS: Participants were ([Formula: see text]) [Formula: see text] y old, 76% Non-Hispanic White, and 67% female. Prenatal hexachlorobenzene, [Formula: see text] , [Formula: see text] ′-DDE, and lead exposures were moderately associated with increased risk of elevated anxiety symptoms. There were strata-specific associations for prenatal social disadvantage and quality of home environment such that adverse associations of [Formula: see text] , [Formula: see text] ′-DDE and lead and the overall mixture with anxiety and depressive symptoms were largely only evident in those with lower nonchemical stress [e.g., risk ratio and 95% confidence interval (CI) per doubling [Formula: see text] , [Formula: see text] ′-DDE for anxiety: 1.54 (95% CI: 1.20, 1.99) in high-quality home environments and 0.77 (95% CI: 0.51, 1.16) in low-quality home environments]. Associations between prenatal hexachlorobenzene and [Formula: see text] , [Formula: see text] ′-DDE and anxiety symptoms were stronger for underrepresented racial/ethnic group participants vs. Non-Hispanic Whites. We found minimal evidence for sex-specific effects, and no consistent associations with manganese or [Formula: see text]. DISCUSSION: Prenatal organochlorine pesticides and lead exposure possibly increases risk of internalizing problems, particular anxiety symptoms, in young adults. Varying risk was observed by sociodemographic/nonchemical stressor strata, demonstrating the importance of considering interactions between chemical and other stressors. https://doi.org/10.1289/EHP11171