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Duffy KA, Sammel MD, Johnson RL, Morrison KE, Bale TL, Epperson CN. Sex differences in stress-induced cortisol response among infants of mothers exposed to childhood adversity. Biol Psychiatry 2024:S0006-3223(24)01350-7. [PMID: 38821195 DOI: 10.1016/j.biopsych.2024.05.015] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Submit a Manuscript] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 12/08/2023] [Revised: 05/13/2024] [Accepted: 05/17/2024] [Indexed: 06/02/2024]
Abstract
BACKGROUND Adverse childhood experiences (ACEs) increase risk for mental illness in women and their children, and dysregulation of the hypothalamic-pituitary-adrenal (HPA) axis may play a role. The impact of ACEs on the HPA axis may be strongest when ACEs occur prepubertally and in those exposed to abuse ACEs. METHODS To test this, we measured salivary cortisol in 96 mother-infant dyads while mothers were separated from their infant experiencing a laboratory stressor. Mothers completed the ACE questionnaire, ACEs occurring prepubertally (pACEs) were measured, and mother-infant dyads were grouped based on maternal pACE history: no pACEs, 1+ pACEs with abuse, or 1+ pACEs but no abuse. RESULTS Mothers with 1+ pACEs exhibited decreases in cortisol (relative to pre-infant stressor), which differed significantly from the cortisol increase mothers with no pACEs experienced, regardless of abuse presence (p=.001) or absence (p=.002). These 1+ pACE groups did not differ from one another (p=.929). Significant sex differences in infant cortisol were observed in infants of mothers with 1+ pACEs (regardless of abuse) but not in infants of mothers with no pACEs. When mothers had 1+ pACEs, males showed decreases in cortisol in response to a stressor whereas females demonstrated increases, and males and females differed significantly when their mothers had 1+ pACEs with (p=0.025) and without (p=0.032) abuse. CONCLUSIONS Regardless of maternal exposure to childhood abuse, in response to a stressor, prepubertal ACEs were associated with lower cortisol response in mothers and sex differences in six-month-old infants, with males showing a lower cortisol response than females.
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Affiliation(s)
- Korrina A Duffy
- Department of Psychiatry, University of Colorado School of Medicine Anschutz, Medical Campus, Aurora, CO, USA
| | - Mary D Sammel
- Department of Psychiatry, University of Colorado School of Medicine Anschutz, Medical Campus, Aurora, CO, USA; Department of Biostatistics and Informatics, University of Colorado School of Public Health - Anschutz Medical Campus, Aurora, CO, USA
| | - Rachel L Johnson
- Department of Biostatistics and Informatics, University of Colorado School of Public Health - Anschutz Medical Campus, Aurora, CO, USA
| | | | - Tracy L Bale
- Department of Psychiatry, University of Colorado School of Medicine Anschutz, Medical Campus, Aurora, CO, USA
| | - C Neill Epperson
- Department of Psychiatry, University of Colorado School of Medicine Anschutz, Medical Campus, Aurora, CO, USA; Department of Family Medicine, University of Colorado School of Medicine - Anschutz Medical Campus, Aurora, CO, USA.
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Khoury JE, Ahtam B, Ou Y, Jenkins E, Klengel T, Enlow MB, Grant E, Lyons-Ruth K. Linking maternal disrupted interaction and infant limbic volumes: The role of infant cortisol output. Psychoneuroendocrinology 2023; 158:106379. [PMID: 37683305 DOI: 10.1016/j.psyneuen.2023.106379] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Submit a Manuscript] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 03/06/2023] [Revised: 08/22/2023] [Accepted: 08/29/2023] [Indexed: 09/10/2023]
Abstract
Despite a large animal literature documenting the role of low maternal nurturance and elevated glucocorticoid production on offspring limbic development, these pathways have not yet been assessed during human infancy. Informed by animal models, the present study examined whether 1) maternal disrupted interaction is related to infant cortisol levels, 2) infant cortisol levels are associated with infant limbic volumes, and 3) infant cortisol levels mediate associations between maternal disrupted interaction and infant limbic volumes. Participants included 57 mother-infant dyads. Infant saliva was measured at one time point before and two time points after the Still-Face Paradigm (SFP) at age 4 months. Five aspects of maternal disrupted interaction were coded during the SFP reunion episode. Between 4 and 25 months (M age = 11.74 months, SD = 6.12), under natural sleep, infants completed an MRI. Amygdala and hippocampal volumes were calculated via automated segmentation. Results indicated that 1) maternal disrupted interaction, and specifically disoriented interaction, with the infant was associated with higher infant salivary cortisol (AUCg) levels during the SFP, 2) higher infant AUCg was related to enlarged bilateral amygdala and hippocampal volumes, and 3) infant AUCg mediated the relation between maternal disrupted interaction and infant amygdala and hippocampal volumes. Findings are consistent with controlled animal studies and provide evidence of a link between increased cortisol levels and enlarged limbic volumes in human infants. Results further suggest that established interventions to decrease maternal disrupted interaction could impact both infant cortisol levels and infant limbic volumes.
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Affiliation(s)
| | - Banu Ahtam
- Fetal-Neonatal Neuroimaging & Developmental Science Center, Division of Newborn Medicine, Department of Pediatrics, Boston Children's Hospital, Harvard Medical School, United States
| | - Yangming Ou
- Fetal-Neonatal Neuroimaging & Developmental Science Center, Division of Newborn Medicine, Department of Pediatrics, Boston Children's Hospital, Harvard Medical School, United States; Department of Radiology, Boston Children's Hospital, Harvard Medical School, United States
| | | | - Torsten Klengel
- Department of Psychiatry, McLean Hospital, Harvard Medical School, United States
| | - Michelle Bosquet Enlow
- Department of Psychiatry and Behavioral Sciences, Boston Children's Hospital, Department of Psychiatry, Harvard Medical School, United States
| | - Ellen Grant
- Fetal-Neonatal Neuroimaging & Developmental Science Center, Division of Newborn Medicine, Department of Pediatrics, Boston Children's Hospital, Harvard Medical School, United States
| | - Karlen Lyons-Ruth
- Department of Psychiatry, Cambridge Hospital, Harvard Medical School, United States
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Moureau A, Cordemans L, Gregoire C, Benoît P, Delvenne V. A 5 years' experience of a parent-baby day unit: impact on baby's development. Front Psychiatry 2023; 14:1121894. [PMID: 37398587 PMCID: PMC10308312 DOI: 10.3389/fpsyt.2023.1121894] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Submit a Manuscript] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 12/12/2022] [Accepted: 05/12/2023] [Indexed: 07/04/2023] Open
Abstract
Introduction Psychiatric Mother-Baby Units are well established in France, United Kingdom, and Australia, mostly in full-time hospitalization. Inpatient units are considered as best practice for improving outcomes for mothers and babies when the mother is experiencing severe mental illness and many studies have showed the effectiveness of care for the mother or the mother-infant relationship. Only a limited number of studies have focused on the day care setting or on the development of the baby. Our parent-baby day unit is the first day care unit in child psychiatry in Belgium. It offers specialized evaluation and therapeutic interventions focused on the baby and involves parents with mild or moderate psychiatric symptoms. The advantages of day care unit is to reduce the rupture with social and family living. Aims The objective of this study is to evaluate the effectiveness of parent-baby day unit in prevention of babies' developmental problems. First, we present the clinical characteristics of the population treated in the day-unit in comparison to the features presented in the literature review about mother-baby units, which usually receive full-time treatment. Then, we will identify the factors that might contribute to a positive evolution of the baby's development. Materials and methods In this study, we retrospectively analyze data of patients admitted between 2015 and 2020 in the day unit. Upon admission, the 3 pillars of perinatal care - babies, parents, and dyadic relationships - have systematically been investigated. All the families have received a standard perinatal medico-psycho-social anamnesis, including data on the pregnancy period. In this unit, all the babies are assessed at entry and at discharge using the diagnostic 0 to 5 scale, a clinical withdrawal risk, and a developmental assessment (Bayley). Parental psychopathology is assessed with the DSM5 diagnostic scale and the Edinburgh scale for depression. Parent-child interactions are categorized according to Axis II of the 0 to 5 scale. We have evaluated the improvement of children symptomatology, the child development and the mother-child relation between the entrance (T1) and the discharge (T2) and we have compared two groups of clinical situations: a group of patients with a successful evolution (considering baby's development and the alliance with the parents) and a group of unsuccessful evolution during hospitalization. Statistical analysis We use descriptive statistics to characterize our population. To compare the different groups of our cohort, we use the T-test and non-parametric tests for continue variables. For discrete variables, we used the Chi2 test of Pearson. Discussion The clinical population of the day unit is comparable to the mother-baby units in terms of psychosocial fragility but the psychopathological profile of the parents entering the day unit shows more anxiety disorder and less post-partum psychosis. The babies' development quotient is in the average range at T1 and is maintained at T2. In the day unit, the number of symptoms as well as the relational withdrawal of the babies is reduced between T1 and T2. The quality of parent-child relationship is improved between T1 and T2. The children of the group of pejorative evolution had a lower developmental quotient at the T1 and an overrepresentation of traumatic life events. Conclusion These results indicate that parent-baby day unit lead to positive outcomes in clinical situations with anxio-depressive parents, relational withdrawal of the babies, functional problems of the babies but not when a significant impact on the development of the baby already exists. The results of this study can guide therapeutic approaches for the benefit of care in parent-baby day units, and improve the development of the child and of the dyadic relationships.
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Affiliation(s)
- Audrey Moureau
- Faculty of Medicine, Université Libre de Bruxelles, Brussels, Belgium
- Child and Adolescent Psychiatry Department, Queen Fabiola Children’s University Hospital, Brussels, Belgium
| | - Louise Cordemans
- Child and Adolescent Psychiatry Department, Queen Fabiola Children’s University Hospital, Brussels, Belgium
- Faculty of Psychology, Université Libre de Bruxelles, Brussels, Belgium
| | - Caroline Gregoire
- Child and Adolescent Psychiatry Department, Queen Fabiola Children’s University Hospital, Brussels, Belgium
- Faculty of Psychology, Université Libre de Bruxelles, Brussels, Belgium
| | - Pirmez Benoît
- Faculty of Statistics, Université Catholique de Louvain, Louvain-la-Neuve, Belgium
| | - Veronique Delvenne
- Faculty of Medicine, Université Libre de Bruxelles, Brussels, Belgium
- Child and Adolescent Psychiatry Department, Queen Fabiola Children’s University Hospital, Brussels, Belgium
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Badovinac SD, Chow C, Di Lorenzo-Klas MG, Edgell H, Flora DB, Riddell RRP. Parents' Physiological Reactivity to Child Distress and Associations with Parenting Behaviour: A Systematic Review. Neurosci Biobehav Rev 2023:105229. [PMID: 37196925 DOI: 10.1016/j.neubiorev.2023.105229] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 02/05/2023] [Revised: 05/01/2023] [Accepted: 05/07/2023] [Indexed: 05/19/2023]
Abstract
This systematic review and narrative synthesis characterized parents' physiological stress responses to child distress and how parents' physiological and behavioural responses relate. The review was pre-registered with PROSPERO (#CRD42021252852). In total, 3,607 unique records were identified through Medline, Embase, PsycINFO, and CINAHL. Fifty-five studies reported on parents' physiological stress responses during their young child's (0-3 years) distress and were included in the review. Results were synthesized based on the biological outcome and distress context used and risk of bias was evaluated. Most studies examined cortisol or heart rate variability (HRV). Small to moderate decreases in parents' cortisol levels from baseline to post-stressor were reported across studies. Studies of salivary alpha amylase, electrodermal activity, HRV, and other cardiac outcomes reflected weak or inconsistent physiological responses or a paucity of relevant studies. Among the studies that examined associations between parents' physiological and behavioural responses, stronger associations emerged for insensitive parenting behaviours and during dyadic frustration tasks. Risk of bias was a significant limitation across studies and recommendations for future research are discussed.
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Affiliation(s)
| | - Cheryl Chow
- Department of Psychology, York University, Toronto, Canada
| | | | - Heather Edgell
- School of Kinesiology & Health Science, York University, Toronto, Canada
| | - David B Flora
- Department of Psychology, York University, Toronto, Canada
| | - Rebecca R Pillai Riddell
- Department of Psychology, York University, Toronto, Canada; Department of Psychiatry, University of Toronto, Toronto, Canada; Department of Psychiatry, The Hospital for Sick Children, Toronto, Canada.
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Maternal Childhood Maltreatment Is Associated With Lower Infant Gray Matter Volume and Amygdala Volume During the First Two Years of Life. BIOLOGICAL PSYCHIATRY GLOBAL OPEN SCIENCE 2022; 2:440-449. [PMID: 36324649 PMCID: PMC9616256 DOI: 10.1016/j.bpsgos.2021.09.005] [Citation(s) in RCA: 1] [Impact Index Per Article: 0.5] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 06/07/2021] [Revised: 08/24/2021] [Accepted: 09/17/2021] [Indexed: 01/11/2023] Open
Abstract
Background Childhood maltreatment affects approximately 25% of the world's population. Importantly, the children of mothers who have been maltreated are at increased risk of behavioral problems. Thus, one important priority is to identify child neurobiological processes associated with maternal childhood maltreatment (MCM) that might contribute to such intergenerational transmission. This study assessed the impact of MCM on infant gray and white matter volumes and infant amygdala and hippocampal volumes during the first 2 years of life. Methods Fifty-seven mothers with 4-month-old infants were assessed for MCM, using both the brief Adverse Childhood Experiences screening questionnaire and the more detailed Maltreatment and Abuse Chronology of Exposure scale. A total of 58% had experienced childhood maltreatment. Between 4 and 24 months (age in months: mean = 12.28, SD = 5.99), under natural sleep, infants completed a magnetic resonance imaging scan using a 3T Siemens scanner. Total brain volume, gray matter volume, white matter volume, and amygdala and hippocampal volumes were extracted via automated segmentation. Results MCM on the Adverse Childhood Experiences and Maltreatment and Abuse Chronology of Exposure scales were associated with lower infant total brain volume and gray matter volume, with no moderation by infant age. However, infant age moderated the association between MCM and right amygdala volume, such that MCM was associated with lower volume at older ages. Conclusions MCM is associated with alterations in infant brain volumes, calling for further identification of the prenatal and postnatal mechanisms contributing to such intergenerational transmission. Furthermore, the brief Adverse Childhood Experiences questionnaire predicted these alterations, suggesting the potential utility of early screening for infant risk.
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Naeem N, Zanca RM, Weinstein S, Urquieta A, Sosa A, Yu B, Sullivan RM. The Neurobiology of Infant Attachment-Trauma and Disruption of Parent-Infant Interactions. Front Behav Neurosci 2022; 16:882464. [PMID: 35935109 PMCID: PMC9352889 DOI: 10.3389/fnbeh.2022.882464] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 02/23/2022] [Accepted: 06/13/2022] [Indexed: 12/24/2022] Open
Abstract
Current clinical literature and supporting animal literature have shown that repeated and profound early-life adversity, especially when experienced within the caregiver-infant dyad, disrupts the trajectory of brain development to induce later-life expression of maladaptive behavior and pathology. What is less well understood is the immediate impact of repeated adversity during early life with the caregiver, especially since attachment to the caregiver occurs regardless of the quality of care the infant received including experiences of trauma. The focus of the present manuscript is to review the current literature on infant trauma within attachment, with an emphasis on animal research to define mechanisms and translate developmental child research. Across species, the effects of repeated trauma with the attachment figure, are subtle in early life, but the presence of acute stress can uncover some pathology, as was highlighted by Bowlby and Ainsworth in the 1950s. Through rodent neurobehavioral literature we discuss the important role of repeated elevations in stress hormone corticosterone (CORT) in infancy, especially if paired with the mother (not when pups are alone) as targeting the amygdala and causal in infant pathology. We also show that following induced alterations, at baseline infants appear stable, although acute stress hormone elevation uncovers pathology in brain circuits important in emotion, social behavior, and fear. We suggest that a comprehensive understanding of the role of stress hormones during infant typical development and elevated CORT disruption of this typical development will provide insight into age-specific identification of trauma effects, as well as a better understanding of early markers of later-life pathology.
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Affiliation(s)
- Nimra Naeem
- Department of Psychology, Center for Neuroscience, New York University, New York, NY, United States,Emotional Brain Institute, The Nathan S. Kline Institute for Psychiatric Research, Orangeburg, NY, United States,Child and Adolescent Psychiatry, New York University Langone School of Medicine, New York, NY, United States,*Correspondence: Nimra Naeem,
| | - Roseanna M. Zanca
- Emotional Brain Institute, The Nathan S. Kline Institute for Psychiatric Research, Orangeburg, NY, United States,Child and Adolescent Psychiatry, New York University Langone School of Medicine, New York, NY, United States
| | - Sylvie Weinstein
- Department of Psychology, Center for Neuroscience, New York University, New York, NY, United States,Child and Adolescent Psychiatry, New York University Langone School of Medicine, New York, NY, United States
| | - Alejandra Urquieta
- Department of Psychology, Center for Neuroscience, New York University, New York, NY, United States,Child and Adolescent Psychiatry, New York University Langone School of Medicine, New York, NY, United States
| | - Anna Sosa
- Department of Psychology, Center for Neuroscience, New York University, New York, NY, United States,Child and Adolescent Psychiatry, New York University Langone School of Medicine, New York, NY, United States
| | - Boyi Yu
- Department of Psychology, Center for Neuroscience, New York University, New York, NY, United States,Child and Adolescent Psychiatry, New York University Langone School of Medicine, New York, NY, United States
| | - Regina M. Sullivan
- Department of Psychology, Center for Neuroscience, New York University, New York, NY, United States,Emotional Brain Institute, The Nathan S. Kline Institute for Psychiatric Research, Orangeburg, NY, United States,Child and Adolescent Psychiatry, New York University Langone School of Medicine, New York, NY, United States,Regina M. Sullivan,
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Moog NK, Heim CM, Entringer S, Simhan HN, Wadhwa PD, Buss C. Transmission of the adverse consequences of childhood maltreatment across generations: Focus on gestational biology. Pharmacol Biochem Behav 2022; 215:173372. [DOI: 10.1016/j.pbb.2022.173372] [Citation(s) in RCA: 1] [Impact Index Per Article: 0.5] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Submit a Manuscript] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 09/09/2021] [Revised: 02/04/2022] [Accepted: 02/28/2022] [Indexed: 12/25/2022]
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Khoury JE, Tanaka M, Kimber M, MacMillan HL, Afifi TO, Boyle M, Duncan L, Joshi D, Georgiades K, Gonzalez A. Examining the unique contributions of parental and youth maltreatment in association with youth mental health problems. CHILD ABUSE & NEGLECT 2022; 124:105451. [PMID: 34991012 DOI: 10.1016/j.chiabu.2021.105451] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 06/07/2021] [Revised: 12/08/2021] [Accepted: 12/15/2021] [Indexed: 06/14/2023]
Abstract
BACKGROUND Extensive research seeks to understand the intergenerational impact of child maltreatment. However, it remains unclear how parent's history of child maltreatment (PCM) is associated with child mental health, after accounting for children's experiences of maltreatment and other proximal risk factors. OBJECTIVE This study examines the associations between PCM and youth internalizing and externalizing problems, while accounting for youth experiences of maltreatment (YM), and parent mental health and positive parenting. PARTICIPANTS AND SETTING Youth aged 14 to 17 years (N = 2266) participated in the 2014 Ontario Child Heath Study. METHODS Parents and youth reported their experiences of child maltreatment. Parent-report and self-reports of youth internalizing and externalizing problems were also collected. Number of subtypes of maltreatment and specific subtypes of maltreatment were examined. Parents reported their own mental health problems and positive parenting practices. RESULTS Regarding number of maltreatment subtypes, initially PCM was associated with parent-reported, but not self-reported, youth internalizing and externalizing problems. After accounting for YM, parent mental health problems and positive parenting, only YM remained significant. Regarding specific subtypes of maltreatment, both parent and youth emotional abuse were related to parent- and youth-reported internalizing and externalizing problems, after controlling for other maltreatment subtypes. However, the effects of parent emotional abuse became nonsignificant after accounting for YM and proximal risk factors. CONCLUSIONS Findings indicate: 1) the unique associations between specific PCM and YM subtypes and youth mental health problems; 2) the role of proximal risk factors in explaining the association between PCM and youth mental health; and 3) the importance of multiple informants of youth mental health problems.
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Affiliation(s)
- Jennifer E Khoury
- Department of Psychology, Mount Saint Vincent University, Halifax, NS B3M 2J6, Canada
| | - Masako Tanaka
- Department of Psychiatry and Behavioural Neurosciences, McMaster University, Hamilton, ON L8S 4K1, Canada; Offord Centre for Child Studies, McMaster University, Hamilton, ON L8S 4K1, Canada
| | - Melissa Kimber
- Department of Psychiatry and Behavioural Neurosciences, McMaster University, Hamilton, ON L8S 4K1, Canada; Offord Centre for Child Studies, McMaster University, Hamilton, ON L8S 4K1, Canada
| | - Harriet L MacMillan
- Department of Psychiatry and Behavioural Neurosciences, McMaster University, Hamilton, ON L8S 4K1, Canada; Offord Centre for Child Studies, McMaster University, Hamilton, ON L8S 4K1, Canada
| | - Tracie O Afifi
- University of Manitoba, Department of Community Health Sciences at the University of Manitoba, Winnipeg, MB R3E 0W3, Canada
| | - Michael Boyle
- Department of Psychiatry and Behavioural Neurosciences, McMaster University, Hamilton, ON L8S 4K1, Canada; Offord Centre for Child Studies, McMaster University, Hamilton, ON L8S 4K1, Canada
| | - Laura Duncan
- Department of Psychiatry and Behavioural Neurosciences, McMaster University, Hamilton, ON L8S 4K1, Canada; Offord Centre for Child Studies, McMaster University, Hamilton, ON L8S 4K1, Canada
| | - Divya Joshi
- Department of Health Research Methods, Evidence, and Impact, McMaster University, Hamilton, ON L8S 4K1, Canada
| | - Katholiki Georgiades
- Department of Psychiatry and Behavioural Neurosciences, McMaster University, Hamilton, ON L8S 4K1, Canada; Offord Centre for Child Studies, McMaster University, Hamilton, ON L8S 4K1, Canada
| | - Andrea Gonzalez
- Department of Psychiatry and Behavioural Neurosciences, McMaster University, Hamilton, ON L8S 4K1, Canada; Offord Centre for Child Studies, McMaster University, Hamilton, ON L8S 4K1, Canada.
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