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Frost A, Scherer E, Chung EO, Gallis JA, Sanborn K, Zhou Y, Hagaman A, LeMasters K, Sikander S, Turner E, Maselko J. Longitudinal pathways between maternal depression, parenting behaviors, and early childhood development: a mediation analysis. MEDRXIV : THE PREPRINT SERVER FOR HEALTH SCIENCES 2024:2024.01.24.24301747. [PMID: 38343808 PMCID: PMC10854292 DOI: 10.1101/2024.01.24.24301747] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 05/16/2024]
Abstract
Maternal depression is a global public health concern with far-reaching impacts on child development, yet our understanding of mechanisms remains incomplete. This study examined whether parenting mediates the association between maternal depression and child outcomes. Participants included 841 rural Pakistani mother-child dyads (50% female). Maternal depression was measured at 12 months postpartum, parenting behaviors (warmth, stimulation, and harsh parenting) were measured at 24 months, and child outcomes (mental health, socioemotional development, and cognitive skills) were measured at 36 months. Maternal depression predicted increased harsh parenting, child mental health difficulties, and child socioemotional concerns; however, there was little evidence for parenting as a mediator between maternal depression and child outcomes. Sex-stratified results are discussed, and findings are situated in context.
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Holdsworth EA, Schell LM, Appleton AA. Maternal-infant interaction quality is associated with child NR3C1 CpG site methylation at 7 years of age. Am J Hum Biol 2023; 35:e23876. [PMID: 36779373 PMCID: PMC10909417 DOI: 10.1002/ajhb.23876] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 05/12/2022] [Revised: 01/04/2023] [Accepted: 01/23/2023] [Indexed: 02/14/2023] Open
Abstract
OBJECTIVE Infancy is both a critical window for hypothalamic-pituitary-adrenal (HPA) axis development, and a sensitive period for social-emotional influences. We hypothesized that the social-emotional quality of maternal-infant interactions are associated with methylation of HPA-axis gene NR3C1 later in childhood. METHODS Using a subsample of 114 mother-infant pairs from the Avon Longitudinal Study of Parents and Children (ALSPAC), linear regression models were created to predict variance in methylation of seven selected CpG sites from NR3C1 in whole blood at age 7 years, including the main predictor variable of the first principal component score of observed maternal-infant interaction quality (derived from the Thorpe Interaction Measure at 12 months of age) and covariates of cell-type proportion, maternal financial difficulties and marital status at 8 months postnatal, child birthweight, and sex. RESULTS CpG site cg27122725 methylation was negatively associated with warmer, more positive maternal interaction with her infant (β = 0.19, p = .02, q = 0.13). In sensitivity analyses, the second highest quartile of maternal behavior (neutral, hesitant behavior) was positively associated with cg12466613 methylation. The other five CpG sites were not significantly associated with maternal-infant interaction quality. CONCLUSIONS Narrow individual variation of maternal interaction with her infant is associated with childhood methylation of two CpG sites on NR3C1 that may be particularly sensitive to environmental influences. Infancy may be a sensitive period for even small influences from the social-emotional environment on the epigenetic determinants of HPA-axis function.
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Affiliation(s)
- Elizabeth A. Holdsworth
- Department of AnthropologyWashington State UniversityPullmanWashingtonUSA
- Department of AnthropologyUniversity at Albany State University of New YorkAlbanyNew YorkUSA
| | - Lawrence M. Schell
- Department of AnthropologyUniversity at Albany State University of New YorkAlbanyNew YorkUSA
- Department of Epidemiology & BiostatisticsUniversity at Albany State University of New YorkRensselaerNew YorkUSA
| | - Allison A. Appleton
- Department of Epidemiology & BiostatisticsUniversity at Albany State University of New YorkRensselaerNew YorkUSA
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Ayyash S, Sunderji A, Gallant HD, Hall A, Davis AD, Pokhvisneva I, Meaney MJ, Silveira PP, Sassi RB, Hall GB. Examining resting-state network connectivity in children exposed to perinatal maternal adversity using anatomically weighted functional connectivity (awFC) analyses; A preliminary report. Front Neurosci 2023; 17:1066373. [PMID: 37008220 PMCID: PMC10060836 DOI: 10.3389/fnins.2023.1066373] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 10/11/2022] [Accepted: 02/16/2023] [Indexed: 03/18/2023] Open
Abstract
IntroductionEnvironmental perturbations during critical periods can have pervasive, organizational effects on neurodevelopment. To date, the literature examining the long-term impact of early life adversity has largely investigated structural and functional imaging data outcomes independently. However, emerging research points to a relationship between functional connectivity and the brain’s underlying structural architecture. For instance, functional connectivity can be mediated by the presence of direct or indirect anatomical pathways. Such evidence warrants the use of structural and functional imaging in tandem to study network maturation. Accordingly, this study examines the impact of poor maternal mental health and socioeconomic context during the perinatal period on network connectivity in middle childhood using an anatomically weighted functional connectivity (awFC) approach. awFC is a statistical model that identifies neural networks by incorporating information from both structural and functional imaging data.MethodsResting-state fMRI and DTI scans were acquired from children aged 7–9 years old.ResultsOur results indicate that maternal adversity during the perinatal period can affect offspring’s resting-state network connectivity during middle childhood. Specifically, in comparison to controls, children of mothers who had poor perinatal maternal mental health and/or low socioeconomic status exhibited greater awFC in the ventral attention network.DiscussionThese group differences were discussed in terms of the role this network plays in attention processing and maturational changes that may accompany the consolidation of a more adult-like functional cortical organization. Furthermore, our results suggest that there is value in using an awFC approach as it may be more sensitive in highlighting connectivity differences in developmental networks associated with higher-order cognitive and emotional processing, as compared to stand-alone FC or SC analyses.
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Affiliation(s)
- Sondos Ayyash
- School of Biomedical Engineering, McMaster University, Hamilton, ON, Canada
- Department of Psychology, Neuroscience & Behaviour, McMaster University, Hamilton, ON, Canada
| | - Aleeza Sunderji
- Department of Psychology, Neuroscience & Behaviour, McMaster University, Hamilton, ON, Canada
| | - Heather D. Gallant
- Department of Psychology, Neuroscience & Behaviour, McMaster University, Hamilton, ON, Canada
| | - Alexander Hall
- Department of Psychology, Neuroscience & Behaviour, McMaster University, Hamilton, ON, Canada
| | - Andrew D. Davis
- Department of Psychiatry and Behavioural Neurosciences, McMaster University, Hamilton, ON, Canada
| | - Irina Pokhvisneva
- Ludmer Centre for Neuroinformatics and Mental Health, Douglas Mental Health University Institute, McGill University, Montreal, QC, Canada
| | - Michael J. Meaney
- Ludmer Centre for Neuroinformatics and Mental Health, Douglas Mental Health University Institute, McGill University, Montreal, QC, Canada
- Faculty of Medicine and Health Sciences, Department of Psychiatry, McGill University, Montreal, QC, Canada
- Translational Neuroscience Program, Agency for Science, Technology and Research (A*STAR), Singapore Yong Loo Lin School of Medicine, Singapore Institute for Clinical Sciences and Brain – Body Initiative, National University of Singapore, Singapore, Singapore
| | - Patricia Pelufo Silveira
- Ludmer Centre for Neuroinformatics and Mental Health, Douglas Mental Health University Institute, McGill University, Montreal, QC, Canada
- Faculty of Medicine and Health Sciences, Department of Psychiatry, McGill University, Montreal, QC, Canada
| | - Roberto B. Sassi
- Department of Psychiatry, The University of British Columbia, Vancouver, BC, Canada
| | - Geoffrey B. Hall
- School of Biomedical Engineering, McMaster University, Hamilton, ON, Canada
- Department of Psychology, Neuroscience & Behaviour, McMaster University, Hamilton, ON, Canada
- Department of Psychiatry and Behavioural Neurosciences, McMaster University, Hamilton, ON, Canada
- *Correspondence: Geoffrey B. Hall,
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Jiang Q, Dill SE, Sylvia S, Singh MK, She X, Wang E, Medina A, Rozelle S. Parenting centers and caregiver mental health: Evidence from a large-scale randomized controlled trial in China. Child Dev 2022; 93:1559-1573. [PMID: 35481708 DOI: 10.1111/cdev.13782] [Citation(s) in RCA: 1] [Impact Index Per Article: 0.5] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 11/29/2022]
Abstract
This study conducts an exploratory analysis of the impacts of a center-based early childhood development intervention on the mental health of caregivers, using data from a cluster-randomized controlled trial of 1664 caregivers (Mage = 36.87 years old) of 6- to 24-month-old children in 100 villages in rural China. Caregivers and children in 50 villages received individual parenting training, group activities and open play space in village parenting centers. The results show no significant overall change in caregiver-reported mental health symptoms after 1 year of intervention. Subgroup analyses reveal heterogeneous effects by caregiver socioeconomic status and identity (mother vs. grandmother). Findings suggest that early childhood development interventions without targeted mental health components may not provide sufficient support to improve caregiver mental health.
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Affiliation(s)
- Qi Jiang
- Freeman Spogli Institute for International Studies, Stanford University, Stanford, California, USA
| | - Sarah-Eve Dill
- Freeman Spogli Institute for International Studies, Stanford University, Stanford, California, USA
| | - Sean Sylvia
- Gillings school of Global Public Health, University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill, Chapel Hill, North Carolina, USA
| | - Manpreet K Singh
- School of Medicine, Stanford University, Stanford, California, USA.,Stanford Pediatric Mood Disorders Program, Stanford University, Stanford, California, USA
| | - Xinshu She
- School of Medicine, Stanford University, Stanford, California, USA
| | - Eric Wang
- Freeman Spogli Institute for International Studies, Stanford University, Stanford, California, USA
| | - Alexis Medina
- Freeman Spogli Institute for International Studies, Stanford University, Stanford, California, USA
| | - Scott Rozelle
- Freeman Spogli Institute for International Studies, Stanford University, Stanford, California, USA
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Rees SJ, Mohsin M, Klein L, Steel Z, Tol W, Dadds M, Eapen V, da Costa Z, Savio E, Tam N, Silove D. The impact of maternal depressive symptoms and traumatic events on early childhood mental health in conflict-affected Timor-Leste. BJPsych Open 2022; 8:e51. [PMID: 35197139 PMCID: PMC8935917 DOI: 10.1192/bjo.2022.20] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Submit a Manuscript] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 11/23/2022] Open
Abstract
BACKGROUND Longitudinal studies are needed to examine the association between maternal depression, trauma and childhood mental health in conflict-affected settings. AIMS To examine maternal depressive symptoms, trauma-related adversities and child mental health by using a longitudinal path model in conflict-affected Timor-Leste. METHOD Women were recruited in pregnancy. At wave 1, 1672 of 1740 eligible women were interviewed (96% response rate). The final sample comprised 1118 women with complete data at all three time points. Women were followed up when the index child was aged 18 months (wave 2) and 36 months (wave 3). Measures included the Edinburgh Postnatal Depression Scale, lifetime traumatic events and the Child Behaviour Checklist. A longitudinal path analysis examined associations cross-sectionally and in a cross-lagged manner across time. RESULTS Maternal depressive symptom score was associated with child mental health (cross-sectional association at wave 2, β = 0.35, P < 0.001; cross-sectional association at wave 3, β = 0.33, P < 0.001). The maternal depressive symptom score at wave 1 was associated with child mental health at wave 2 (β = 0.12, P < 0.001), and the maternal depressive symptom score at wave 2 showed an indirect association with child mental health at wave 3 (indirect standardised coefficient 0.23, P < 0.001). There was a time-lagged relationship between child mental health at wave 2 and maternal depression at wave 3 (β = 0.08, P = 0.02). CONCLUSIONS Maternal depressive symptoms are longitudinally associated with child mental health, and traumatic events play a role. Maternal depression symptoms are also affected by child mental health. Findings suggest the need for skilled assessment for depression, trauma-informed maternity care and parenting support in a post-conflict country such as Timor-Leste.
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Affiliation(s)
- Susan J Rees
- School of Psychiatry, Faculty of Medicine, University of New South Wales, Australia
| | - Mohammed Mohsin
- School of Psychiatry, Faculty of Medicine, University of New South Wales, Australia; and Mental Health Research Unit, Liverpool Hospital, New South Wales Health, Australia
| | - Louis Klein
- School of Psychiatry, Faculty of Medicine, University of New South Wales, Australia; and Mental Health Research Unit, Liverpool Hospital, New South Wales Health, Australia
| | - Zachary Steel
- School of Psychiatry, Faculty of Medicine, University of New South Wales, Australia
| | - Wietse Tol
- Department of Mental Health, Centre for Global Health, Johns Hopkins University, USA
| | - Mark Dadds
- School of Psychology, Faculty of Science, University of Sydney, Australia
| | - Valsamma Eapen
- School of Psychiatry, Faculty of Medicine, University of New South Wales, Australia; and Academic Mental Health Unit, Liverpool Hospital, New South Wales Health, Australia
| | - Zelia da Costa
- School of Psychiatry, Faculty of Medicine, University of New South Wales, Australia
| | - Elisa Savio
- School of Psychiatry, Faculty of Medicine, University of New South Wales, Australia
| | - Natalino Tam
- School of Psychiatry, Faculty of Medicine, University of New South Wales, Australia
| | - Derrick Silove
- Brain Sciences, University of New South Wales, Australia
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