Using genetic designs to identify likely causal environmental contributions to psychopathology

The future of intergenerational transmission research: A prospective, three-generation approach

Dr. Dante Cicchetti's pioneering theory and research on developmental psychopathology have been fundamental to the proliferation of research on intergenerational transmission over the last 40 years. In part due to this foundation, much has been learned about continuities and discontinuities in child maltreatment, attachment, parenting, and psychopathology across generations. Looking towards the future, we propose that this field stands to benefit from a prospective, three-generation approach. Specifically, following established prospective, longitudinal cohorts of children over their transition to parenting the next generation will afford the opportunity to investigate the developmental origins of intergenerational transmission. This approach also can address key outstanding questions and methodological limitations in the extant literature related to the confounding of retrospective and prospective measures; examination of mediators and moderators; and investigation of the roles of biology, environment, and their interplay. After considering these advantages, we offer several considerations and recommendations for future research, many of which are broadly applicable to the study of two or more generations. We hope that this discussion will inspire the leveraging of existing prospective cohorts to carry forward Dr. Cicchetti's remarkable contributions, with the ultimate aim to inform the development of preventions and interventions that disrupt deleterious intergenerational cycles.

Something old, something new - can adding genomic data to family studies advance our understanding of the impact of nature and nurture on mental health? Commentary on McAdams et al. (2023)

In their annual research review, McAdams, Cheesman, and Ahmadzadeh (2023) provide a thorough overview of how the use of novel genetically informative approaches can increase our knowledge about the intergenerational transmission of psychopathology. Many JCPP readers will already be familiar with genetically sensitive family-based designs, such as twin and adoption studies, as well as with newer molecular-genetic approaches, such as polygenic-score studies. McAdams et al.'s (2023) review discusses the innovative combination of family-based and molecular-genetic methods, and what this combination can reveal about developmental psychopathology.