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Zeng S, Liu C, Wang Z. The Effect of CRHBP rs10062367 Polymorphism and Parenting Styles on Internalizing Problems in Preschoolers: The Moderating Effect of Sensory Processing Sensitivity. Child Psychiatry Hum Dev 2024; 55:644-654. [PMID: 36114994 DOI: 10.1007/s10578-022-01418-4] [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: 12/22/2021] [Revised: 04/19/2022] [Accepted: 08/17/2022] [Indexed: 11/27/2022]
Abstract
The present study aimed to examine how CRHBP rs10062367 polymorphism interacted with parenting styles and sensory processing sensitivity (SPS) to impact on preschoolers' internalizing problems. A total of 446 preschoolers (Mage = 4.55, SD = 1.07) participated in the study and their saliva were extracted to genotype the CRHBP rs10062367 polymorphism, and their parents were invited to complete a battery of questionnaires to assess parenting styles, preschoolers' SPS, and internalizing problems. Results indicated that high SPS preschoolers with A allele exhibited fewer internalizing problems under the condition of positive parenting while they exhibited more internalizing problems under the condition of negative parenting. The findings provide support for the Differential Susceptibility Model/Biological Sensitivity to Context Theory that A allele of rs10062367 and high SPS might be the "susceptibility markers" of children to environments.
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Affiliation(s)
- Siyao Zeng
- School of Psychology, , Shaanxi Normal University, Shaanxi Provincial Key Research Center of Child Mental and Behavioral Health, Xi'an, China
- School of Psychology, Shaanxi Provincial Key Research Center of Child Mental and Behavioral Health, Shaanxi Normal University, No. 199, South Chang'an Road, 710062, Xi'an, China
| | - Cuizhen Liu
- School of Psychology, , Shaanxi Normal University, Shaanxi Provincial Key Research Center of Child Mental and Behavioral Health, Xi'an, China
- School of Psychology, Shaanxi Provincial Key Research Center of Child Mental and Behavioral Health, Shaanxi Normal University, No. 199, South Chang'an Road, 710062, Xi'an, China
| | - Zhenhong Wang
- School of Psychology, , Shaanxi Normal University, Shaanxi Provincial Key Research Center of Child Mental and Behavioral Health, Xi'an, China.
- School of Psychology, Shaanxi Provincial Key Research Center of Child Mental and Behavioral Health, Shaanxi Normal University, No. 199, South Chang'an Road, 710062, Xi'an, China.
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McLeish J, Ayers S, McCourt C. Community-based perinatal mental health peer support: a realist review. BMC Pregnancy Childbirth 2023; 23:570. [PMID: 37558998 PMCID: PMC10410814 DOI: 10.1186/s12884-023-05843-8] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 03/08/2023] [Accepted: 07/11/2023] [Indexed: 08/11/2023] Open
Abstract
BACKGROUND Peer support has been suggested as an alternative or complement to professional support for mothers with perinatal mental health difficulties. The aim of this realist review was to synthesise the evidence on perinatal mental health peer support programmes outside mental health services, to understand what is it about community-based perinatal mental health peer support that works, for whom, in what circumstances, in what respects, and why. METHODS Applying realist methodology, an initial theoretical model was tested against evidence from empirical studies. 29 empirical studies were included, covering 22 antenatal and postnatal mental health interventions that offered one-to-one or group peer support, in person or by telephone. Data extraction identified the configurations of contexts (C), mechanisms (M) and outcomes (O) relevant to mothers' use of peer support and to the positive and negative effects of using peer support. RESULTS 13 C-M-O configurations explained take-up of peer support. These were based on mothers' perceptions that peer support would offer empathetic understanding and non-judgemental acceptance outside their social circle; their relationships with primary health professionals; their cultural background and perspectives on mental health; their desire for professional support; overcoming practical barriers; the format of the support; and the use of volunteers. A further 13 C-M-O configurations explained positive impact on mothers. These were based on receiving empathetic listening, acceptance, affirmation and normalisation; peers sharing ideas about self-care, coping, and services; peers using therapeutic techniques; the opportunity to give support to others; meaningful social relationships with volunteers and other mothers; and other benefits of attending a group. There were 8 C-M-O configurations explaining negative impact. These were based on lack of validation; self-criticism from downward and upward social comparison; a culture of negativity; peers being judgemental or directive; not feeling heard; peer support as a stressful social relationship; and distress at endings. CONCLUSIONS Peer support works in complex ways that are affected by personal and social contexts. Providers, commissioners and evaluators can use this review to understand and maximise the valuable benefits of peer support, to minimise potential risks, and to devise ways of reaching mothers who do not currently engage with it.
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Affiliation(s)
- Jenny McLeish
- Centre for Maternal and Child Health Research, School of Health Sciences, City, University of London, 1 Myddelton Street, London, EC1R 1UW, UK.
| | - Susan Ayers
- Centre for Maternal and Child Health Research, School of Health Sciences, City, University of London, 1 Myddelton Street, London, EC1R 1UW, UK
| | - Christine McCourt
- Centre for Maternal and Child Health Research, School of Health Sciences, City, University of London, 1 Myddelton Street, London, EC1R 1UW, UK
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Ramos AM, Shewark EA, Reiss D, Leve LD, Natsuaki MN, Shaw DS, Ganiban JM, Neiderhiser JM. Family interactions in toddlerhood influence social competence in preschool age: Accounting for genetic and prenatal influences. Front Psychol 2022; 13:975086. [PMID: 36518964 PMCID: PMC9742492 DOI: 10.3389/fpsyg.2022.975086] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 06/21/2022] [Accepted: 10/17/2022] [Indexed: 12/20/2023] Open
Abstract
Identification of early promotive and risk factors for social competence is important for fostering children's successful social development; particularly given social competence is essential for children's later academic and psychological well-being. While research suggests that the early parent-child relationship, genetics, and prenatal influences are associated with social competence, there is less research considering how these factors may operate together to shape children's social competence in early childhood. Using a genetically informed sample from the Early Growth and Development Study (N = 561), we examined multiple levels of influence (i.e., genetic, prenatal, parenting, and child characteristics) on children's social competence at 4.5 years old. Results from structural equation models showed adoptive mother overreactivity at 18 months was positively associated with child dysregulation at 27 months, which, in turn, was associated with lower levels of social competence at 4.5 years. Also, child reactivity at 18 months was independently associated with higher levels of adoptive mother overreactivity at 27 months, which, in turn, was associated with lower levels of social competence at 4.5 years. Finally, we found an evocative effect on adoptive fathers' overreactivity at 18 months such that prenatal birth mother distress was negatively associated with adoptive fathers' overreactivity at 18 months. Overall, this study found evidence for genetic influences, and bidirectional associations between parent and child in toddlerhood that are related to lower levels of social competence when children were 4.5 years old. We also found that the prenatal environment was associated with parenting, but not with child behavior directly. This study's ability to simultaneously examine multiple domains of influence helps provide a more comprehensive picture of important mechanisms and developmental periods for children's early social competence.
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Affiliation(s)
- Amanda M. Ramos
- Department of Epidemiology, The University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill, Chapel Hill, NC, United States
| | - Elizabeth A. Shewark
- Department of Psychology, Michigan State University, East Lansing, MI, United States
| | - David Reiss
- Child Study Center, Yale University, New Haven, CT, United States
| | - Leslie D. Leve
- Prevention Science Institute, University of Oregon, Eugene, OR, United States
| | - Misaki N. Natsuaki
- Department of Psychology, University of California, Riverside, Riverside, CA, United States
| | - Daniel S. Shaw
- Department of Psychology, University of Pittsburgh, Pittsburgh, PA, United States
| | - Jody M. Ganiban
- Department of Psychological and Brain Sciences, George Washington University, Washington, DC, United States
| | - Jenae M. Neiderhiser
- Department of Psychology, The Pennsylvania State University, University Park, PA, United States
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Lo SL, Riley HO, Sturza J, Vazquez DM, Rosenblum K, Kaciroti N, Lumeng JC, Miller AL. Cortisol in early childhood moderates the association between family routines and observed affective balance in children from low-income backgrounds. Dev Psychobiol 2021; 63:e22204. [PMID: 34813102 DOI: 10.1002/dev.22204] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 10/30/2020] [Revised: 09/01/2021] [Accepted: 09/13/2021] [Indexed: 11/10/2022]
Abstract
The study of emotion regulation often addresses control of negative emotion. Researchers have proposed that affective balance is an indicator of emotion regulation that incorporates the role of positive emotion in the context of negative emotional experiences. Environmental and individual factors, such as family processes and biological stress regulation, are known to shape emotion regulation. The present study investigated whether child diurnal cortisol, an indicator of biological stress regulation, moderated the association between family routines and observed affective balance. Children (N = 222; M age = 4.70 years, SD = 0.60) from low-income households provided saliva samples to measure diurnal cortisol and completed a behavioral task designed to elicit negative emotions. Affective balance was defined as the difference score between the proportion of positive and negative emotional expressions displayed during the task. A higher affective balance score indicated greater positive compared with negative emotional displays. Simple slope analyses indicated that for children with a low morning cortisol intercept, more frequent family routines were associated with more affective balance. This pattern was not observed in children with average or high morning cortisol. Positive family routines may play an important role in shaping affective balance among children with disrupted cortisol levels from low-income backgrounds.
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Affiliation(s)
- Sharon L Lo
- Department of Health Behavior and Health Education, University of Michigan School of Public Health, Ann Arbor, Michigan, USA
| | - Hurley O Riley
- Department of Health Behavior and Health Education, University of Michigan School of Public Health, Ann Arbor, Michigan, USA
| | - Julie Sturza
- Department of Pediatrics, University of Michigan Medical School, Ann Arbor, Michigan, USA
| | - Delia M Vazquez
- Department of Health Behavior and Health Education, University of Michigan School of Public Health, Ann Arbor, Michigan, USA
- Department of Pediatrics, University of Michigan Medical School, Ann Arbor, Michigan, USA
- Department of Psychiatry, University of Michigan Medical School, Ann Arbor, Michigan, USA
| | - Katherine Rosenblum
- Department of Psychiatry, University of Michigan Medical School, Ann Arbor, Michigan, USA
| | - Niko Kaciroti
- Department of Pediatrics, University of Michigan Medical School, Ann Arbor, Michigan, USA
- Department of Biostatistics, University of Michigan School of Public Health, Ann Arbor, Michigan, USA
| | - Julie C Lumeng
- Department of Pediatrics, University of Michigan Medical School, Ann Arbor, Michigan, USA
- Department of Nutritional Sciences, University of Michigan School of Public Health, Ann Arbor, Michigan, USA
| | - Alison L Miller
- Department of Health Behavior and Health Education, University of Michigan School of Public Health, Ann Arbor, Michigan, USA
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Raffagnato A, Angelico C, Fasolato R, Sale E, Gatta M, Miscioscia M. Parental Bonding and Children's Psychopathology: A Transgenerational View Point. CHILDREN (BASEL, SWITZERLAND) 2021; 8:1012. [PMID: 34828725 PMCID: PMC8618782 DOI: 10.3390/children8111012] [Citation(s) in RCA: 2] [Impact Index Per Article: 0.7] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 09/30/2021] [Revised: 10/29/2021] [Accepted: 11/03/2021] [Indexed: 11/16/2022]
Abstract
Literature confirmed parental bonding as one of key factors influencing offspring's psychopathology; the present study aimed to investigate, with a case-control study, the relationship between parental bonding and psychopathology in an Italian adolescent sample. The clinical sample was composed of 64 adolescents from 12 to 18 years old (Mage 15.00; S.D. 1.70) attending a Neuropsychiatric Unit of Veneto; the non-clinical sample was composed of 61 adolescents, from 13 to 18 years old (Mage 14.80; S.D. 1.32) attending middle and high school in the province of Padua and Pesaro (Italy); their parents (mothers and fathers) were also involved. In the study, self-reported tests were administered (Parental Bonding Instrument, Child Behavior Checklist, Youth Self Report). Our study confirmed a correlation between parental bonding and adolescent psychopathology: dysfunctional parenting styles (characterized by low care and high control) were more frequent among cases in contrast to controls. An effect of gender also appeared. In the Italian adolescent clinical sample, parental bonding, especially low parental care, was correlated to the emergence of psychopathology.
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Affiliation(s)
- Alessia Raffagnato
- Child and Adolescent Neuropsychiatric Unit, Department of Women’s and Children’s Health, University Hospital of Padua, 35128 Padua, Italy; (C.A.); (R.F.); (M.G.); (M.M.)
| | - Caterina Angelico
- Child and Adolescent Neuropsychiatric Unit, Department of Women’s and Children’s Health, University Hospital of Padua, 35128 Padua, Italy; (C.A.); (R.F.); (M.G.); (M.M.)
| | - Rachele Fasolato
- Child and Adolescent Neuropsychiatric Unit, Department of Women’s and Children’s Health, University Hospital of Padua, 35128 Padua, Italy; (C.A.); (R.F.); (M.G.); (M.M.)
| | - Eleonora Sale
- Child and Adolescent Neuropsychiatric Unit, ULSS6 Padua, 35143 Padua, Italy;
| | - Michela Gatta
- Child and Adolescent Neuropsychiatric Unit, Department of Women’s and Children’s Health, University Hospital of Padua, 35128 Padua, Italy; (C.A.); (R.F.); (M.G.); (M.M.)
| | - Marina Miscioscia
- Child and Adolescent Neuropsychiatric Unit, Department of Women’s and Children’s Health, University Hospital of Padua, 35128 Padua, Italy; (C.A.); (R.F.); (M.G.); (M.M.)
- Department of Developmental Psychology and Socialization, University of Padua, 35131 Padua, Italy
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Bräuner EV, Koch T, Juul A, Doherty DA, Hart R, Hickey M. Prenatal exposure to maternal stressful life events and earlier age at menarche: the Raine Study. Hum Reprod 2021; 36:1959-1969. [PMID: 33744952 DOI: 10.1093/humrep/deab039] [Citation(s) in RCA: 2] [Impact Index Per Article: 0.7] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 06/18/2020] [Revised: 12/21/2020] [Indexed: 11/13/2022] Open
Abstract
STUDY QUESTION Is there an association between prenatal exposure to stressful life events and age at menarche, and does childhood BMI mediate this association? SUMMARY ANSWER Girls exposed to prenatal stress had a slightly earlier age at menarche, but this association did not show a dose-response effect and was not mediated by childhood offspring BMI. WHAT IS ALREADY KNOWN Prenatal stress may impact on reproductive function in females including age at menarche, but human data are very limited. High childhood BMI is known to be associated with earlier age at menarche. Only one small study has measured the association between maternal stress and age at menarche and reported that childhood BMI mediated the association between maternal stress and earlier age at menarche. However, neither maternal stress nor age at menarche was prospectively recorded and the study was limited to 31 mother-daughter pairs. STUDY DESIGN, SIZE, DURATION The Raine Study is a large prospective population-based pregnancy cohort study (n = 1414 mother-daughter pairs) continuously followed from prenatal life through to adolescence. In the present study, we examined the association between exposure to maternal stressful life events during early, late and total gestation and age at menarche in offspring using 753 mother-daughter pairs with complete case information. PARTICIPANTS/MATERIALS, SETTING, METHODS Mothers prospectively reported stressful life events during pregnancy at 18 and 34 weeks using a standardized 10-point questionnaire. Exact date of menarche was assessed using a purpose-designed questionnaire at 8, 10, 14 and 17 years of age. Complete information on exposure, outcome and confounding variables was obtained from 753 mothers-daughter pairs. Multivariate linear regression complete case analysis was used to examine associations between maternal stressful life event exposure and age at menarche. Potential selection bias was evaluated using multiple imputations (50 datasets). The mediating effects of offspring childhood BMI (ages 5, 8, or 10 years) on these associations were measured in separate sub-analyses. MAIN RESULTS AND ROLE OF CHANCE Most (580/753, 77%) daughters were exposed to at least one prenatal stressful life event. Exposure to maternal stressful life events during the entire pregnancy was associated with a non-linear earlier age at menarche. Exposure to one event and two or more psychological stressful events was associated with a 3.5 and 1.7-month earlier onset of puberty, respectively when compared to the reference group with no exposure maternal stressful life events. The estimates from multiple imputation with 50 datasets were comparable with complete case analysis confirming the existence of an underlying effect. No separate significant effects were observed for exposure during early or late gestation. The association between prenatal stressful events and age at menarche was not mediated by childhood BMI in the offspring. LIMITATIONS, REASONS FOR CAUTION Stressful life events may have affected pregnant women in different ways and self-perceived maternal stress severity may have provided a more precise estimate of gestational psychological stress. The observed non-linear U-shape of the association between maternal psychological stress and age at menarche did not reflect a dose-response. This suggests that the first exposure to prenatal stress exerts a greater effect on fetal reproductive development. A potential mechanism is via dramatic initial activation of the hypothalamic-pituitary-adrenal (HPA) axis following the first stressful life event which is greater than that observed following subsequent exposure to two or more maternal stressful life events. Whilst we adjusted for a priori chosen confounders, we cannot exclude residual confounding or confounding by factors we did not include. Maternal age at menarche was not available so the effects of familial history/genetics could not be assessed. There was a large loss due to the number of girls with no information on date of menarche and missing confounder information implying risk of selection bias and multiple imputation analyses did not fully exclude this risk (similar direction but slightly weaker estimate magnitude). WIDER IMPLICATIONS OF THE FINDINGS Menarche is a sentinel reproductive event and earlier age at menarche carries implications for psychological, social and reproductive health and for long-term risk of common non-communicable diseases. Understanding the factors regulating age at menarche has extensive health implications. This is the first population-based cohort study in humans to demonstrate that prenatal psychological stress might directly modify age at menarche. STUDY FUNDING/COMPETING INTEREST(S) Dr. Bräuner and Trine Koch's salaries were supported by Doctor Sofus Carl Emil Friis and spouse Olga Doris Friis foundation, The Danish Cancer Society (Kræftens Bekæmpelse, RP15468, R204-A12636, Denmark) and The Danish Health Foundation (Helsefonden, F-22181-23, Denmark). Martha Hickey was funded by NHMRC Practitioner Fellowships. The funding bodies played no role in the design, collection, analysis, or interpretation of data; in the writing of the manuscript; or in the decision to submit the manuscript for publication. Dr. Hart has received personal fees in his function as the Medical Director of Fertility Specialists of Western Australia and received educational sponsorship grants from MSD, Merck-Serono and from Ferring Pharmaceuticals. Dr Hart has also received personal fees from Shareholders in Western IVF outside the submitted work. TRIAL REGISTRATION NUMBER NA.
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Affiliation(s)
- E V Bräuner
- Department of Growth and Reproduction, Copenhagen University Hospital - Rigshospitalet, University of Copenhagen, Copenhagen, Denmark.,The International Research and Research Training Centre in Endocrine Disruption of Male Reproduction and Child Health (EDMaRC), Rigshospitalet, University of Copenhagen, Copenhagen, Denmark
| | - T Koch
- Department of Growth and Reproduction, Copenhagen University Hospital - Rigshospitalet, University of Copenhagen, Copenhagen, Denmark.,The International Research and Research Training Centre in Endocrine Disruption of Male Reproduction and Child Health (EDMaRC), Rigshospitalet, University of Copenhagen, Copenhagen, Denmark
| | - A Juul
- Department of Growth and Reproduction, Copenhagen University Hospital - Rigshospitalet, University of Copenhagen, Copenhagen, Denmark.,The International Research and Research Training Centre in Endocrine Disruption of Male Reproduction and Child Health (EDMaRC), Rigshospitalet, University of Copenhagen, Copenhagen, Denmark
| | - D A Doherty
- Division of Obstetrics and Gynaecology, University of Western Australia, Perth, Western Australia, Australia
| | - R Hart
- Division of Obstetrics and Gynaecology, University of Western Australia, Perth, Western Australia, Australia.,Fertility Specialists of Western Australia, Bethesda Hospital, Claremont, Western Australia, Australia
| | - M Hickey
- Department of Obstetrics and Gynaecology, University of Melbourne, Melbourne, Victoria, Australia
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8
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Hou J, Chen Z, Guo F. The Transactional Relationship between Parental and Adolescent Depressive Symptoms: The Mediating Effect of Nurturant-Involved Parenting. INTERNATIONAL JOURNAL OF ENVIRONMENTAL RESEARCH AND PUBLIC HEALTH 2020; 17:E8240. [PMID: 33171873 PMCID: PMC7664705 DOI: 10.3390/ijerph17218240] [Citation(s) in RCA: 4] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 09/15/2020] [Revised: 11/01/2020] [Accepted: 11/05/2020] [Indexed: 12/19/2022]
Abstract
Sameroff's transactional theory emphasizes a bidirectional process between parents and offspring. The present study explored the reciprocal relationships between parental and adolescent depressive symptoms using a cross-lagged model and examined the mediating effect of nurturant-involved parenting on the relationship between them. Data for the present study were collected from a longitudinal study, and a total of 1644 adolescents and their mothers and fathers participated in the present study. The results revealed a reciprocal relationship between maternal and adolescent depressive symptoms, and the child-driven effect was more robust than the mother-driven effect. Adolescent depressive symptoms significantly predicted paternal depressive symptoms, but not vice versa. In addition, adolescent depressive symptoms indirectly predicted maternal and paternal depressive symptoms by deteriorating nurturant-involved parenting. These findings highlight a child-driven effect on parents' psychopathology, which may shed light on the mechanism underlying depression transmission between parents and adolescents.
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Affiliation(s)
- Jinqin Hou
- National Institute of Education Sciences, Beijing 100088, China;
| | - Zhiyan Chen
- CAS Key Laboratory of Mental Health, Institute of Psychology, Beijing 100101, China;
| | - Fei Guo
- CAS Key Laboratory of Mental Health, Institute of Psychology, Beijing 100101, China;
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Apter-Levy Y, Zagoory-Sharon O, Feldman R. Chronic Depression Alters Mothers' DHEA and DEHA-to-Cortisol Ratio: Implications for Maternal Behavior and Child Outcomes. Front Psychiatry 2020; 11:728. [PMID: 32793012 PMCID: PMC7387697 DOI: 10.3389/fpsyt.2020.00728] [Citation(s) in RCA: 7] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.8] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Submit a Manuscript] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 11/21/2019] [Accepted: 07/10/2020] [Indexed: 02/02/2023] Open
Abstract
Maternal depression is a major public health problem that typically occurs in the period surrounding childbirth. The neurobiological mechanisms underlying maternal depression have been the focus of increasing research and studies pointed to the crucial role of the HPA axis in this disorder. However, most studies focused on cortisol expression and regulation while recent attention has shifted to include the sulfate steroids DHEA and DHEA-S. A community cohort of 1,983 women with no comorbid risk was recruited at birth and depression was assessed periodically across the first postpartum year. At 6 years, 156 families were re-visited: 46 mothers were defined as chronically-depressed and 103 controls reported no depression from birth to six years. Mothers and children were diagnosed by structured psychiatric interviews and mother-child interactions were observed. Maternal diurnal cortisol (CT) and dehydroepiandrosterone (DHEA) were assessed. Depressed mothers had lower levels of DHEA (AUCg), flattened DHEA diurnal variability (AUCi), and smaller DHEA-to-CT Ratio. Regression analysis demonstrated that maternal sensitivity during mother-child interaction was independently predicted by maternal depression, DHEA levels, child CT, and child social withdrawal. Results underscore the need for multi-level understanding of the dynamic interplay between maternal psychopathology, mother-child relationship, and pituitary-adrenal-cortex-to-medulla balance in studying the cross generational transfer of psychiatric vulnerability from depressed mothers to their children.
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Affiliation(s)
| | | | - Ruth Feldman
- The Center for Developmental Social Neuroscience, Interdisciplinary Center Herzliya, Herzliya, Israel
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10
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O'Brien JR, Lewis JK, Zalewski M. Maternal emotion dysregulation and physiological concordance in mother‐preschooler dyads. INFANT AND CHILD DEVELOPMENT 2020. [DOI: 10.1002/icd.2184] [Citation(s) in RCA: 2] [Impact Index Per Article: 0.5] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 11/10/2022]
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11
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Leve LD, Neiderhiser JM, Ganiban JM, Natsuaki MN, Shaw DS, Reiss D. The Early Growth and Development Study: A Dual-Family Adoption Study from Birth Through Adolescence. Twin Res Hum Genet 2019; 22:716-727. [PMID: 31526412 PMCID: PMC7056588 DOI: 10.1017/thg.2019.66] [Citation(s) in RCA: 39] [Impact Index Per Article: 7.8] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 12/21/2022]
Abstract
The Early Growth and Development Study (EGDS) is a prospective adoption study of birth parents, adoptive parents and adopted children (n = 561 adoptees). The original sample has been expanded to include siblings of the EGDS adoptees who were reared by the birth mother and assessed beginning at age 7 years (n = 217 biological children), and additional siblings in both the birth and adoptive family homes, recruited when the adoptees were 8-15 years old (n = 823). The overall study aims are to examine how family, peer and contextual processes affect child and adolescent adjustment, and to examine their interplay (mediation, moderation) with genetic influences. Adoptive and birth parents were originally recruited through adoption agencies located throughout the USA following the birth of a child. Assessments are ongoing and occurred in 9 month's intervals until the adoptees turned 3 years of age, and in 1 to 2 year intervals thereafter through age 15. Data collection includes the following primary constructs: child temperament, behavior problems, mental health, peer relations, executive functioning, school performance and health; birth and adoptive parent personality characteristics, mental health, health, context, substance use, parenting and marital relations; and the prenatal environment. Findings highlight the power of the adoption design to detect environmental influences on child development and provide evidence of complex interactions and correlations between genetic, prenatal environmental and postnatal environmental influences on a range of child outcomes. The study sample, procedures and an overview of findings are summarized and ongoing assessment activities are described.
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Affiliation(s)
- Leslie D. Leve
- Prevention Science Institute, University of Oregon, Eugene, Oregon, 97403, USA
| | - Jenae M. Neiderhiser
- Department of Psychology, The Pennsylvania State University, University Park, Pennsylvania, 16802, USA
| | - Jody M. Ganiban
- Center for Family Research, George Washington University, Washington DC, 20037, USA
| | - Misaki N. Natsuaki
- Department of Psychology, University of California, Riverside, California, 92521, USA
| | - Daniel S. Shaw
- Department of Psychology, University of Pittsburgh, Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania, 15260, USA
| | - David Reiss
- Yale Child Study Center, Yale School of Medicine, New Haven, Connecticut, 06519, USA
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Marceau K, Brick LA, Knopik VS, Reijneveld SA. Developmental Pathways from Genetic, Prenatal, Parenting and Emotional/Behavioral Risk to Cortisol Reactivity and Adolescent Substance Use: A TRAILS Study. J Youth Adolesc 2019; 49:17-31. [PMID: 31786769 DOI: 10.1007/s10964-019-01142-8] [Citation(s) in RCA: 7] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.4] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 09/11/2019] [Accepted: 09/27/2019] [Indexed: 12/16/2022]
Abstract
Cortisol reactivity is a frequently studied biomarker of substance use, though infrequently examined in adolescence. However, past research provides evidence that multiple developmental influences, including genetics and both prenatal and postnatal environmental influences, contribute both to cortisol reactivity and adolescent substance use. The aim of this study was to assess the impact of these earlier developmental influences on cortisol reactivity to a social stress challenge and adolescent substance use (smoking, alcohol, and marijuana use frequency assessed at age 16 years), using data from the TRacking Adolescents' Individual Lives Survey (TRAILS; N= 2230 adolescents, 51% female). Developmental pathways included polygenic risk, prenatal stress, warm parenting (age 11), and internalizing and externalizing problems (intercepts and change from 11-16 years). Cortisol reactivity was associated with smoking but not alcohol or marijuana use. Externalizing problems were the stronger predictor of adolescent substance use, but internalizing problems also had an important role. Prenatal stress and middle childhood parenting operated via middle childhood externalizing problems, and parenting also operated via trajectories of growth of externalizing problems in predicting adolescent substance use outcomes. Further, there were protective effects of internalizing problems for alcohol and marijuana use in the context of a more comprehensive model. These developmental influences did not attenuate the association of cortisol reactivity and smoking. These findings suggest a need to understand the broader developmental context regarding the impact of internalizing pathways to substance use, and that it is unlikely that cortisol reactivity and smoking are associated solely because of common developmental influences.
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Affiliation(s)
- Kristine Marceau
- Department of Human Development and Family Studies, Purdue University, 225 Hanley Hall, 1202 West State St., West Lafayette, IN, 47907, USA.
| | - Leslie A Brick
- Department of Psychiatry and Human Behavior, Brown University, Providence, RI, USA
| | - Valerie S Knopik
- Department of Human Development and Family Studies, Purdue University, 225 Hanley Hall, 1202 West State St., West Lafayette, IN, 47907, USA
| | - S A Reijneveld
- Department of Health Sciences, University Medical Center Groningen, University of Groningen, Groningen, The Netherlands
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13
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Reiss D, Nielsen L, Godfrey K, McEwen B, Power C, Seeman T, Suomi S. Midlife reversibility of early-established biobehavioral risk factors: A research agenda. Dev Psychol 2019; 55:2203-2218. [PMID: 31368762 DOI: 10.1037/dev0000780] [Citation(s) in RCA: 5] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 12/14/2022]
Abstract
Epidemiological evidence links exposure to early life adversities-such as childhood maltreatment-with impaired health and well-being in adulthood. Since these effects are usually unrecognized or untreated in childhood, preventive and remediating interventions in adults are needed. Our focus on adulthood prompted three major questions. First, does our increased understanding of mechanisms accounting for the long-term effects of early life adversities help delineate underlying dimensions that underscore key similarities and differences among these adversities? Second, can adults accurately report on adversities they experienced in childhood? Third, can we identify malleable risk processes in adulthood that might be targets for preventive intervention? Supported by the National Institute on Aging, the U.K. Economic and Social and the Biotechnology and Biological Sciences Research Councils, a network of researchers in human and animal development addressed these questions through meetings and literature review. A small number of dimensions may adequately distinguish among a range of co-occurring childhood adversities. Widely used adult ascertainments of childhood adversity are poorly related to prospective ascertainment. Strategies for preventive interventions should be aimed both at adults who were actually exposed to adversity as well as those who recall adversity, but the targeted risk processes may be different. Now is an opportune time to support research on adult interventions based on unfolding research on critical periods of sensitivity to adversity in fetal and child development, on improved understanding of risk mechanisms that may persist across the life span, and on new insights on enhancing neuroplasticity in adults. (PsycINFO Database Record (c) 2019 APA, all rights reserved).
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Affiliation(s)
| | - Lisbeth Nielsen
- Division of Social and Behavioral Research, National Institute on Aging
| | - Keith Godfrey
- MRC Lifecourse Epidemiology Unit, University of Southampton
| | - Bruce McEwen
- Laboratory of Neuroendocrinology, The Rockefeller University
| | - Christine Power
- Great Ormond Street Institute of Child Health, University College London
| | - Teresa Seeman
- Division of Geriatrics, David Geffen School of Medicine, University of California, Los Angeles
| | - Stephen Suomi
- Laboratory of Comparative Ethology, Eunice Kennedy Shriver National Institute of Child Health and Human Development
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14
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Send TS, Bardtke S, Gilles M, Wolf IAC, Sütterlin MW, Wudy SA, Wang R, Laucht M, Witt SH, Rietschel M, Streit F, Deuschle M. Prenatal maternal stress is associated with lower cortisol and cortisone levels in the first morning urine of 45-month-old children. Psychoneuroendocrinology 2019; 103:219-224. [PMID: 30711899 DOI: 10.1016/j.psyneuen.2019.01.017] [Citation(s) in RCA: 13] [Impact Index Per Article: 2.6] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Submit a Manuscript] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 08/22/2018] [Revised: 01/11/2019] [Accepted: 01/16/2019] [Indexed: 01/20/2023]
Abstract
Prenatal stress (PS) has been related to altered hypothalamic-pituitary-adrenal (HPA) axis activity later in life. So far, studies in children assessing HPA axis functioning have focused on salivary cortisol, reflecting daytime activity. The present work is part of a prospective study and aims to extend knowledge about the association between PS and HPA axis regulation in children. To do so, we investigated cortisol, cortisone, and the ratio cortisone/(cortisone + cortisol) in the first morning urine of 45-month-old children in relation to several measures of maternal stress during pregnancy. Urinary cortisol and cortisone were measured by online turbulent flow chromatography coupled with high performance liquid chromatography-tandem mass spectrometry. PS was defined as: perceived stress for aim 1 (Perceived Stress Scale; n = 280); presence of self-reported (n = 371) and expert-rated psychopathology for aim 2 (Mini International Neuropsychiatric Interview; n = 281); continuous measures of anxiety and depression for exploratory aim 3 (State-Trait Anxiety Inventory and Edinburgh Postnatal Depression Scale; n = 280). Aim 1: Perceived maternal PS showed negative associations with cortisol and cortisone levels. Aim 2: The presence of expert-rated maternal psychopathology was associated with reduced morning cortisone. Aim 3: Continuous measures of anxiety and depression showed negative associations with cortisol and cortisone levels. After correcting for multiple testing, perceived maternal PS (aim 1) and prenatal level of anxiety (aim 3) were significant predictors of children's urinary cortisol and cortisone in the morning (and, in the case of cortisone, also prenatal level of depression). The ratio cortisone/(cortisone + cortisol) as a global marker for the balance between the enzymes metabolizing cortisol to cortisone and vice versa (11β-hydroxysteroid dehydrogenases type 1 and 2; 11β-HSD1 and 2) was not associated with any measure of maternal PS (aims 1-3). The present study provides insight into possible programming effects of PS on nocturnal HPA axis activity and a proxy of 11β-HSD in a large sample. The results suggest that the nocturnal rate of cortisol production is lower in children exposed to PS, but do not support the hypothesis of divergent 11β-HSD activity.
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Affiliation(s)
- T S Send
- Department of Psychiatry and Psychotherapy, Central Institute of Mental Health, Medical Faculty Mannheim, University of Heidelberg, Germany; Department of Clinical Psychology and Psychotherapy, University of Koblenz-Landau, Landau, Germany.
| | - S Bardtke
- Department of Psychiatry and Psychotherapy, Central Institute of Mental Health, Medical Faculty Mannheim, University of Heidelberg, Germany
| | - M Gilles
- Department of Psychiatry and Psychotherapy, Central Institute of Mental Health, Medical Faculty Mannheim, University of Heidelberg, Germany
| | - I A C Wolf
- Department of Psychiatry and Psychotherapy, Central Institute of Mental Health, Medical Faculty Mannheim, University of Heidelberg, Germany
| | - M W Sütterlin
- Department of Gynecology and Obstetrics, University Medical Center Mannheim, University of Heidelberg, Germany
| | - S A Wudy
- Steroid Research and Mass Spectrometry Unit, Laboratory for Translational Hormone Analytics, Division of Pediatric Endocrinology and Diabetology, Center of Child and Adolescent Medicine, Justus Liebig University, Giessen, Germany
| | - R Wang
- Steroid Research and Mass Spectrometry Unit, Laboratory for Translational Hormone Analytics, Division of Pediatric Endocrinology and Diabetology, Center of Child and Adolescent Medicine, Justus Liebig University, Giessen, Germany
| | - M Laucht
- Department of Child and Adolescent Psychiatry and Psychotherapy, Central Institute of Mental Health, Medical Faculty Mannheim, University of Heidelberg, Germany and Department of Psychology, University of Potsdam, Germany
| | - S H Witt
- Department of Genetic Epidemiology in Psychiatry, Central Institute of Mental Health, Medical Faculty Mannheim, University of Heidelberg, Mannheim, Germany
| | - M Rietschel
- Department of Genetic Epidemiology in Psychiatry, Central Institute of Mental Health, Medical Faculty Mannheim, University of Heidelberg, Mannheim, Germany
| | - F Streit
- Department of Genetic Epidemiology in Psychiatry, Central Institute of Mental Health, Medical Faculty Mannheim, University of Heidelberg, Mannheim, Germany
| | - M Deuschle
- Department of Psychiatry and Psychotherapy, Central Institute of Mental Health, Medical Faculty Mannheim, University of Heidelberg, Germany
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15
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Marceau K, Abel EA, Duncan RJ, Moore PJ, Leve LD, Reiss D, Shaw DS, Natsuaki M, Neiderhiser JM, Ganiban JM. Longitudinal Associations of Sleep Duration, Morning and Evening Cortisol, and BMI During Childhood. Obesity (Silver Spring) 2019; 27:645-652. [PMID: 30816633 PMCID: PMC6462140 DOI: 10.1002/oby.22420] [Citation(s) in RCA: 6] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.2] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Submit a Manuscript] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 06/30/2018] [Accepted: 12/19/2018] [Indexed: 12/15/2022]
Abstract
OBJECTIVE This study aimed to examine associations between sleep duration, BMI, and cortisol levels across childhood. METHODS Participants included 361 children adopted domestically in the United States. Random-intercept cross-lagged panel models tested for between-person and bidirectional within-person associations of sleep duration, BMI, and morning and evening cortisol at age 4.5 to 9 years. RESULTS Sleep duration and BMI were stable during childhood, inversely associated at the between-person level, and unrelated to morning or evening cortisol. BMI at age 6 years predicted longer sleep duration and lower evening cortisol at age 7 years, and lower morning cortisol at age 7 years predicted higher BMI at age 9 years within individuals. CONCLUSIONS The association between sleep and BMI is more likely a stable between-person phenomenon rather than a unidirectional association that develops within individuals over time.
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Affiliation(s)
- Kristine Marceau
- Department of Human Development and Family Studies, Purdue
University, West Lafayette, IN, USA
| | - Emily A. Abel
- Department of Human Development and Family Studies, Purdue
University, West Lafayette, IN, USA
| | - Robert J. Duncan
- Department of Human Development and Family Studies, Purdue
University, West Lafayette, IN, USA
| | - Phillip J. Moore
- Department of Psychology, George Washington University,
Washington DC, USA
| | - Leslie D. Leve
- Department of Counseling Psychology and Human Services,
University of Oregon, Eugene, OR, USA
| | - David Reiss
- Child Study Center, Yale University, New Haven, CT,
USA
| | - Daniel S. Shaw
- Department of Psychology, University of Pittsburgh,
Pittsburgh, PA, USA
| | - Misaki Natsuaki
- Department of Psychology, University of California,
Riverside, Riverside, CA, USA
| | | | - Jody M. Ganiban
- Department of Psychology, George Washington University,
Washington DC, USA
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16
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Lawler JM, Bocknek EL, McGinnis EW, Martinez-Torteya C, Rosenblum KL, Muzik M. Maternal Postpartum Depression Increases Vulnerability for Toddler Behavior Problems through Infant Cortisol Reactivity. INFANCY 2019; 24:249-274. [PMID: 32677203 DOI: 10.1111/infa.12271] [Citation(s) in RCA: 10] [Impact Index Per Article: 2.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 10/04/2017] [Revised: 09/10/2018] [Accepted: 09/15/2018] [Indexed: 01/01/2023]
Abstract
The current study examined the role of hypothalamic-pituitary-adrenal reactivity (a physiological indicator of stress) in early infancy as a mediator of the relationship between maternal postpartum depression and toddler behavior problems. Participants were 137 at-risk mothers and their children participating in a longitudinal study of intergenerational transmission of risk. Mothers' depression was measured five times during the infants' first 18 months. Infant cortisol was collected during a social stressor (the still-face paradigm) when infants were 6 months old, and mothers reported on toddlers' internalizing and externalizing symptoms at 18 months. Among this sample of high-risk mother-infant dyads, early postpartum depression predicted atypical infant cortisol reactivity at 6 months, which mediated the effect of maternal depression on increased toddler behavior problems. Clinical implications are discussed.
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Affiliation(s)
| | | | | | | | | | - Maria Muzik
- Department of Psychiatry, University of Michigan
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17
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McLeish J, Redshaw M. "Being the best person that they can be and the best mum": a qualitative study of community volunteer doula support for disadvantaged mothers before and after birth in England. BMC Pregnancy Childbirth 2019; 19:21. [PMID: 30630445 PMCID: PMC6327467 DOI: 10.1186/s12884-018-2170-x] [Citation(s) in RCA: 14] [Impact Index Per Article: 2.8] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 01/13/2018] [Accepted: 12/28/2018] [Indexed: 01/24/2023] Open
Abstract
BACKGROUND Disadvantaged pregnant women and new mothers are at increased risk of psychosocial stress, anxiety and depression. As well as affecting birth outcomes and child development, poor maternal emotional wellbeing can inhibit the development of parenting self-efficacy and successful adjustment to the maternal role. Social support is a protective factor against antenatal and postnatal depression, anxiety and stress, and improves mothers' confidence in infant care. Community doula programmes have been developed to meet the social support and information needs of disadvantaged women. In these programmes trained volunteer doulas support mothers during pregnancy, at birth and for a short period postnatally. METHODS This was a descriptive qualitative study, informed by phenomenological social psychology, exploring mothers' and doulas' experiences of antenatal and postnatal community doula support. Semi-structured qualitative interviews were undertaken with 13 disadvantaged mothers and 19 doulas at three community volunteer doula projects in England. Interviews were audio-recorded and transcripts were analysed using inductive thematic analysis. RESULTS The overarching theme emerging from the analysis was "Supporting the mother to succeed and flourish". There were five subthemes: "Overcoming stress, anxiety and unhappiness", "Becoming knowledgeable and skilful", "Developing self-esteem and self-efficacy", "Using services effectively", and "Becoming locally connected". Doulas believed that their community role was at least as important as their role at births. Their support was highly valued by vulnerable mothers and helped to improve their parenting confidence and skills. CONCLUSIONS Volunteer doula support before and after birth can have a positive impact on maternal emotional wellbeing, by reducing anxiety, unhappiness and stress, and increasing self-esteem and self-efficacy. Doulas help mothers feel more knowledgeable and skilful, support them to make effective use of maternity services, and enable them to build social ties in their community. To facilitate the best service for vulnerable mothers at the end of doula support, doula projects should consider formalising their relationship with other community organisations that can offer ongoing one-to-one or group support. They might also alleviate some of the potential distress caused by the ending of the doula relationship by increasing the flexibility of the ending, or by organising or permitting informal low level contact.
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Affiliation(s)
- Jenny McLeish
- Policy Research Unit in Maternal Health and Care, National Perinatal Epidemiology Unit, University of Oxford, Old Road Campus, Headington, Oxford, OX3 7LF UK
| | - Maggie Redshaw
- Policy Research Unit in Maternal Health and Care, National Perinatal Epidemiology Unit, University of Oxford, Old Road Campus, Headington, Oxford, OX3 7LF UK
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18
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Bleker LS, de Rooij SR, Roseboom TJ. Malnutrition and depression in pregnancy and associations with child behaviour and cognitive function: a review of recent evidence on unique and joint effects 1. Can J Physiol Pharmacol 2019; 97:158-173. [PMID: 30624959 DOI: 10.1139/cjpp-2018-0381] [Citation(s) in RCA: 7] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.4] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 12/31/2022]
Abstract
Accumulating studies suggest that prenatal experiences can shape a child's neurodevelopment. Malnutrition and depression occur in pregnancy relatively often and may affect child neurodevelopment independently as well as synergistically. We aimed to provide an overview of recent studies that have examined malnutrition and (or) depression in pregnancy and associations with child behavioural problems and cognitive function. We conducted a literature search in PubMed, using the following main search terms: "depression", "nutrition", "BMI", "pregnancy", "offspring", "cognition", and "behaviour". We included studies in human populations published from 2013 onwards. The literature search yielded 1531 articles, of which 55 were included in the current review. We presented the evidence on the associations between prenatal markers of nutritional status and (or) depression and child behaviour and (or) cognitive function. We additionally discussed interventions and mechanisms. Both malnutrition and depression in pregnancy are associated with increased externalizing behavioural problems and attentional deficits, and to some extent with poorer cognitive function in the child, but the evidence is not conclusive. Studies on synergistic effects of both factors on child behaviour and cognitive function are still scarce, and more research is needed. Potential shared mechanisms include the hypothalamic-pituitary-adrenal axis, the immune system, epigenetics, and oxidative stress.
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Affiliation(s)
- Laura S Bleker
- a Department of Obstetrics and Gynecology, Academic Medical Centre, Amsterdam UMC, Meibergdreef 9, 1105 AZ Amsterdam, the Netherlands.,b Department of Clinical Epidemiology, Biostatistics and Bioinformatics, Academic Medical Centre, Amsterdam UMC, Meibergdreef 9, 1105 AZ Amsterdam, the Netherlands
| | - Susanne R de Rooij
- b Department of Clinical Epidemiology, Biostatistics and Bioinformatics, Academic Medical Centre, Amsterdam UMC, Meibergdreef 9, 1105 AZ Amsterdam, the Netherlands
| | - Tessa J Roseboom
- a Department of Obstetrics and Gynecology, Academic Medical Centre, Amsterdam UMC, Meibergdreef 9, 1105 AZ Amsterdam, the Netherlands.,b Department of Clinical Epidemiology, Biostatistics and Bioinformatics, Academic Medical Centre, Amsterdam UMC, Meibergdreef 9, 1105 AZ Amsterdam, the Netherlands
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19
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Hails KA, Shaw DS, Leve LD, Ganiban JM, Reiss D, Natsuaki MN, Neiderhiser JM. Interaction between adoptive mothers' and fathers' depressive symptoms in risk for children's emerging problem behavior. SOCIAL DEVELOPMENT 2018; 28:725-742. [PMID: 31579353 DOI: 10.1111/sode.12352] [Citation(s) in RCA: 11] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.8] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 11/30/2022]
Abstract
The effect of parental depression on children's adjustment has been well documented, with exposure during early childhood particularly detrimental. Most studies that examine links between parental depression and child behavior are confounded methodologically because they focus on parents raising children who are genetically related to them. Another limitation of most prior research is a tendency to focus only on the effects of maternal depression while ignoring the influence of fathers' depression. The purpose of this study was to examine whether infants' exposure to both parents' depressive symptoms, and inherited risk from birth mother internalizing symptoms, was related to school age children's externalizing and internalizing problems. Study data come from a longitudinal adoption study of 561 adoptive parents, biological mothers, and adopted children. Adoptive fathers' depressive symptoms during infancy contributed independent variance to the prediction of children's internalizing symptoms and also moderated associations between adoptive mothers' depressive symptoms and child externalizing symptoms.
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Affiliation(s)
- Katherine A Hails
- Department of Psychology, University of Pittsburgh, Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania
| | - Daniel S Shaw
- Department of Psychology, University of Pittsburgh, Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania
| | - Leslie D Leve
- Prevention Science Institute, University of Oregon, Eugene, Oregon
| | - Jody M Ganiban
- Department of Psychology, The George Washington University, Washington, DC
| | | | - Misaki N Natsuaki
- Department of Psychology, University of California, Riverside, California
| | - Jenae M Neiderhiser
- Department of Psychology, Penn State University, University Park, Pennsylvania
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20
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Liskola K, Raaska H, Lapinleimu H, Elovainio M. Parental depressive symptoms as a risk factor for child depressive symptoms; testing the social mediators in internationally adopted children. Eur Child Adolesc Psychiatry 2018; 27:1585-1593. [PMID: 29651645 DOI: 10.1007/s00787-018-1154-8] [Citation(s) in RCA: 7] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.2] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Submit a Manuscript] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 09/18/2017] [Accepted: 04/05/2018] [Indexed: 11/28/2022]
Abstract
Parental depressive symptoms have shown to be associated with offspring depression but much of the research has been focused on maternal depression. The aim of our study was to investigate the extent to which depressive symptoms of both parents associate with offspring depressive symptoms and whether social factors mediate these associations using data from adopted children with no shared genetic background. Data were derived from the Finnish Adoption survey study (a subsample of adopted children aged between 9 and 12 years, n = 548). Parental depressive symptoms were measured using short version of the General Health Questionnaire and Children's Depression Inventory (CDI) was used to measure depressive symptoms in adoptees. Paternal depressive symptoms were related to the total CDI (B = 0.33, p = 0.05) and two dimensions of offspring depressive symptoms: negative mood (B = 0.10, p = 0.03) and interpersonal problems (B = 0.06, p = 0.009). These associations remained significant even when adjusted for child's age and gender, age at adoption, type of placement before adoption, continent of birth and adoptive family's SES. No associations were found between maternal and any dimensions of offspring depressive symptoms. No information about the mental health of biological parents was available. We interpret the results as demonstrating that intergenerational transmission of depressive symptoms is not solely related to shared genes. Also, the results highlight the association of paternal depression with offspring depressive symptoms.
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Affiliation(s)
- Krista Liskola
- Helsinki University Hospital, University of Helsinki, P.O. Box 590, 00029, Helsinki, Finland.
| | - Hanna Raaska
- Helsinki University Hospital, University of Helsinki, P.O. Box 590, 00029, Helsinki, Finland
| | | | - Marko Elovainio
- Department of Behavioral Sciences, University of Helsinki, Helsinki, Finland.,National Institute for Health and Welfare, Helsinki, Finland
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21
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Abstract
Two sets of evidence reviewed herein, one indicating that prenatal stress is associated with elevated behavioral and physiological dysregulation and the other that such phenotypic functioning is itself associated with heightened susceptibility to positive and negative environmental influences postnatally, raises the intriguing hypothesis first advanced by Pluess and Belsky (2011) that prenatal stress fosters, promotes, or "programs" postnatal developmental plasticity. Here we review further evidence consistent with this proposition, including new experimental research systematically manipulating both prenatal stress and postnatal rearing. Collectively this work would seem to explain why prenatal stress has so consistently been linked to problematic development: stresses encountered prenatally are likely to continue postnatally, thereby adversely affecting the development of children programmed (by prenatal stress) to be especially susceptible to environmental effects. Less investigated are the potential benefits prenatal stress may promote, due to increased plasticity, when the postnatal environment proves to be favorable. Future directions of research pertaining to potential mechanisms instantiating postnatal plasticity and moderators of such prenatal-programming effects are outlined.
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22
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Hartman S, Belsky J. Prenatal stress and enhanced developmental plasticity. J Neural Transm (Vienna) 2018; 125:1759-1779. [PMID: 30206701 DOI: 10.1007/s00702-018-1926-9] [Citation(s) in RCA: 10] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.7] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 03/07/2018] [Accepted: 09/07/2018] [Indexed: 01/18/2023]
Abstract
Two separate lines of inquiry indicate (a) that prenatal stress is associated with heightened behavioral and physiological reactivity, and (b) that these postnatal phenotypes are associated with increased susceptibility to both positive and negative developmental experiences and environmental exposures. This research considered together raises the intriguing hypothesis first advanced by Pluess and Belsky (Dev Psychopathol 23:29-38, 2011) that prenatal-stress fosters, promotes or "programs" postnatal developmental plasticity. In this paper, we review further evidence consistent with this proposition, including a novel animal study which experimentally manipulated both prenatal stress and postnatal rearing. Directions for future work focused on mechanisms mediating the plasticity-inducing effects of prenatal stress and the moderators of such effects are outlined.
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Affiliation(s)
- Sarah Hartman
- Department of Human Development and Family Studies, University of California, One Shields Avenue, 3321 Hart Hall, Davis, CA, 95616, USA.
| | - Jay Belsky
- Department of Human Development and Family Studies, University of California, One Shields Avenue, 3321 Hart Hall, Davis, CA, 95616, USA
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23
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Conradt E, Adkins DE, Crowell SE, Raby KL, Diamond L, Ellis B. Incorporating epigenetic mechanisms to advance fetal programming theories. Dev Psychopathol 2018; 30:807-824. [PMID: 30068415 PMCID: PMC6079515 DOI: 10.1017/s0954579418000469] [Citation(s) in RCA: 34] [Impact Index Per Article: 5.7] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 12/21/2022]
Abstract
Decades of fetal programming research indicates that we may be able to map the origins of many physical, psychological, and medical variations and morbidities before the birth of the child. While great strides have been made in identifying associations between prenatal insults, such as undernutrition or psychosocial stress, and negative developmental outcomes, far less is known about how adaptive responses to adversity regulate the developing phenotype to match stressful conditions. As the application of epigenetic methods to human behavior has exploded in the last decade, research has begun to shed light on the role of epigenetic mechanisms in explaining how prenatal conditions shape later susceptibilities to mental and physical health problems. In this review, we describe and attempt to integrate two dominant fetal programming models: the cumulative stress model (a disease-focused approach) and the match-mismatch model (an evolutionary-developmental approach). In conjunction with biological sensitivity to context theory, we employ these two models to generate new hypotheses regarding epigenetic mechanisms through which prenatal and postnatal experiences program child stress reactivity and, in turn, promote development of adaptive versus maladaptive phenotypic outcomes. We conclude by outlining priority questions and future directions for the fetal programming field.
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24
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Koss KJ, Gunnar MR. Annual Research Review: Early adversity, the hypothalamic-pituitary-adrenocortical axis, and child psychopathology. J Child Psychol Psychiatry 2018; 59:327-346. [PMID: 28714126 PMCID: PMC5771995 DOI: 10.1111/jcpp.12784] [Citation(s) in RCA: 243] [Impact Index Per Article: 40.5] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Submit a Manuscript] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Accepted: 06/05/2017] [Indexed: 12/13/2022]
Abstract
BACKGROUND Research on early adversity, stress biology, and child development has grown exponentially in recent years. FINDINGS We review the current evidence for the hypothalamic-pituitary-adrenocortical (HPA) axis as a stress-mediating mechanism between various forms of childhood adversity and psychopathology. We begin with a review of the neurobiology of the axis and evidence for relations between early adversity-HPA axis activity and HPA axis activity-psychopathology, as well as discuss the role of regulatory mechanisms and sensitive periods in development. CONCLUSIONS We call attention to critical gaps in the literature to highlight next steps in this research including focus on developmental timing, sex differences, stress buffering, and epigenetic regulation. A better understanding of individual differences in the adversity-HPA axis-psychopathology associations will require continued work addressing how multiple biological and behavioral systems work in concert to shape development.
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Affiliation(s)
- Kalsea J. Koss
- Center for Research on Child Wellbeing, Office of Population Research, Department of Molecular Biology, Princeton, Princeton University, NJ, USA
| | - Megan R. Gunnar
- Center for Research on Child Wellbeing, Office of Population Research, Department of Molecular Biology, Princeton, Princeton University, NJ, USA
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25
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Howland MA, Sandman CA, Glynn LM. Developmental origins of the human hypothalamic-pituitary-adrenal axis. Expert Rev Endocrinol Metab 2017; 12:321-339. [PMID: 30058893 PMCID: PMC6334849 DOI: 10.1080/17446651.2017.1356222] [Citation(s) in RCA: 78] [Impact Index Per Article: 11.1] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Submit a Manuscript] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 02/08/2023]
Abstract
INTRODUCTION The developmental origins of disease or fetal programming model predicts that intrauterine exposures have life long consequences for physical and psychological health. Prenatal programming of the fetal hypothalamic-pituitary-adrenal (HPA) axis is proposed as a primary mechanism by which early experiences are linked to later disease risk. Areas covered: This review describes the development of the fetal HPA axis, which is determined by an intricately timed cascade of endocrine events during gestation and is regulated by an integrated maternal-placental-fetal steroidogenic unit. Mechanisms by which stress-induced elevations in hormones of maternal, fetal, or placental origin influence the structure and function of the emerging fetal HPA axis are discussed. Recent prospective studies documenting persisting associations between prenatal stress exposures and altered postnatal HPA axis function are summarized, with effects observed beginning in infancy into adulthood. Expert commentary: The results of these studies are synthesized, and potential moderating factors are discussed. Promising areas of further research highlighted include epigenetic mechanisms and interactions between pre and postnatal influences.
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Affiliation(s)
- Mariann A. Howland
- Department of Psychiatry and Human Behavior, University of California, Irvine, CA
| | - Curt A. Sandman
- Department of Psychiatry and Human Behavior, University of California, Irvine, CA
| | - Laura M. Glynn
- Department of Psychiatry and Human Behavior, University of California, Irvine, CA
- Department of Psychology, Chapman University, Orange, CA, USA
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26
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Merwin SM, Leppert KA, Smith VC, Dougherty LR. Parental depression and parent and child stress physiology: Moderation by parental hostility. Dev Psychobiol 2017; 59:997-1009. [DOI: 10.1002/dev.21556] [Citation(s) in RCA: 7] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 04/24/2017] [Accepted: 07/17/2017] [Indexed: 01/30/2023]
Affiliation(s)
| | | | - Victoria C. Smith
- Department of Psychology; University of Maryland; College Park Maryland
| | - Lea R. Dougherty
- Department of Psychology; University of Maryland; College Park Maryland
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27
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Stroud LR, Papandonatos GD, Parade SH, Salisbury AL, Phipps MG, Lester B, Padbury JF, Marsit CJ. Prenatal Major Depressive Disorder, Placenta Glucocorticoid and Serotonergic Signaling, and Infant Cortisol Response. Psychosom Med 2017; 78:979-990. [PMID: 27763986 PMCID: PMC6541396 DOI: 10.1097/psy.0000000000000410] [Citation(s) in RCA: 53] [Impact Index Per Article: 7.6] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Submit a Manuscript] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 12/14/2022]
Abstract
OBJECTIVES Extending prior studies of prenatal adversity and depressive symptoms, we tested associations between maternal prenatal major depressive disorder (MDD) and infant cortisol regulation. Based on prior findings by our group, we also tested placenta glucocorticoid (HSD11B2 methylation) and serotonin (SLC6A4 gene expression) signaling as moderators of links between prenatal MDD and infant cortisol. METHODS Participants were 153 mother-infant pairs from a low-income, diverse sample (M [SD] age = 26 [6] years). Repeated structured diagnostic interviews were used to identify mothers with (a) prenatal MDD, (b) preconception-only MDD, and (c) controls. Placenta samples were assayed for HSD11B2 methylation and SLC6A4 gene expression. Infant salivary cortisol response to a neurobehavioral examination was assessed at 1 month. RESULTS Daughters of prenatal MDD mothers had 51% higher baseline (ratio = 1.51; 95% confidence interval [CI] = 1.01-2.27; p = .045) and 64% higher stress responsive cortisol (ratio = 1.64; 95% CI = 1.05-2.56; p = .03) than daughters of controls and 75% higher stress-responsive cortisol (ratio = 1.75; 95% CI = 1.04-2.94; p = .04) than daughters of preconception-only MDD mothers. HSD11B2 methylation moderated links between prenatal MDD and baseline cortisol (p = .02), with 1% methylation decreases associated with 9% increased baseline cortisol in infants of prenatal MDD mothers (ratio = 1.09; 95% CI = 1.01-1.16). SLC6A4 expression moderated links between prenatal MDD and cortisol response among boys alone (p = .007), with 10-fold increases in expression associated with threefold increases in stress-responsive cortisol (ratio = 2.87; 95% CI = 1.39-5.93) in sons of control mothers. CONCLUSIONS Results highlight specificity of associations between prenatal versus preconception MDD and cortisol regulation and the importance and complexity of placenta glucocorticoid and serotonergic pathways underlying the intergenerational transmission of risk from maternal adversity.
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Affiliation(s)
- Laura R. Stroud
- Department of Psychiatry and Human Behavior, Warren Alpert Medical School, Brown University
- Centers for Behavioral and Preventive Medicine, The Miriam Hospital
| | | | - Stephanie H. Parade
- Department of Psychiatry and Human Behavior, Warren Alpert Medical School, Brown University
- Bradley/Hasbro Children’s Research Center, Department of Psychology
| | - Amy L. Salisbury
- Department of Psychiatry and Human Behavior, Warren Alpert Medical School, Brown University
- Department of Pediatrics, Warren Alpert Medical School, Brown University
- Women & Infants’ Hospital of Rhode Island
| | - Maureen G. Phipps
- Women & Infants’ Hospital of Rhode Island
- Department of Obstetrics and Gynecology, Warren Alpert Medical School, Brown University
| | - Barry Lester
- Department of Psychiatry and Human Behavior, Warren Alpert Medical School, Brown University
- Department of Pediatrics, Warren Alpert Medical School, Brown University
- Women & Infants’ Hospital of Rhode Island
| | - James F. Padbury
- Department of Pediatrics, Warren Alpert Medical School, Brown University
- Women & Infants’ Hospital of Rhode Island
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Attachment security mediates the longitudinal association between child-parent psychotherapy and peer relations for toddlers of depressed mothers. Dev Psychopathol 2017; 29:587-600. [PMID: 28401848 DOI: 10.1017/s0954579417000207] [Citation(s) in RCA: 26] [Impact Index Per Article: 3.7] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 11/06/2022]
Abstract
Numerous investigations have demonstrated that child-parent psychotherapy (CPP) promotes secure attachment between mothers and offspring. However, the role of postintervention attachment security as it relates to long-term child outcomes has never been evaluated. The present study therefore examined postintervention attachment status as a mediator of the association between CPP for depressed mothers and their offspring and subsequent peer relations among offspring. Depressed mothers and their toddlers were randomized to receive CPP (n = 45) or to a control group (n = 55). A prior investigation with this sample indicated that offspring who received CPP attained significantly higher rates of secure attachment postintervention, whereas insecure attachment continued to predominate for offspring in the control group. The present study examined follow-up data of teachers' reports on participants' competence with classroom peers when they were approximately 9 years old. Findings indicated that children who received CPP were more likely to evidence secure attachments at postintervention, which in turn was associated with more positive peer relationships at age 9.
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29
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Wen DJ, Poh JS, Ni SN, Chong YS, Chen H, Kwek K, Shek LP, Gluckman PD, Fortier MV, Meaney MJ, Qiu A. Influences of prenatal and postnatal maternal depression on amygdala volume and microstructure in young children. Transl Psychiatry 2017; 7:e1103. [PMID: 28440816 PMCID: PMC5416711 DOI: 10.1038/tp.2017.74] [Citation(s) in RCA: 125] [Impact Index Per Article: 17.9] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Submit a Manuscript] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 08/23/2016] [Revised: 02/22/2017] [Accepted: 02/23/2017] [Indexed: 02/07/2023] Open
Abstract
Maternal depressive symptoms influence neurodevelopment in the offspring. Such effects may appear to be gender-dependent. The present study examined contributions of prenatal and postnatal maternal depressive symptoms to the volume and microstructure of the amygdala in 4.5-year-old boys and girls. Prenatal maternal depressive symptoms were measured using the Edinburgh Postnatal Depression Scale (EPDS) at 26 weeks of gestation. Postnatal maternal depression was assessed at 3 months using the EPDS and at 1, 2, 3 and 4.5 years using the Beck's Depression Inventory-II. Structural magnetic resonance imaging and diffusion tensor imaging were performed with 4.5-year-old children to extract the volume and fractional anisotropy (FA) values of the amygdala. Our results showed that greater prenatal maternal depressive symptoms were associated with larger right amygdala volume in girls, but not in boys. Increased postnatal maternal depressive symptoms were associated with higher right amygdala FA in the overall sample and girls, but not in boys. These results support the role of variation in right amygdala structure in transmission of maternal depression to the offspring, particularly to girls. The differential effects of prenatal and postnatal maternal depressive symptoms on the volume and FA of the right amygdala suggest the importance of the timing of exposure to maternal depressive symptoms in brain development of girls. This further underscores the need for intervention targeting both prenatal and postnatal maternal depression to girls in preventing adverse child outcomes.
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Affiliation(s)
- D J Wen
- Department of Biomedical Engineering, Clinical Imaging Research Center, National University of Singapore, Singapore, Singapore
| | - J S Poh
- Singapore Institute for Clinical Sciences, Singapore, Singapore
| | - S N Ni
- Department of Biomedical Engineering, Clinical Imaging Research Center, National University of Singapore, Singapore, Singapore
| | - Y-S Chong
- Singapore Institute for Clinical Sciences, Singapore, Singapore
- Department of Obstetrics and Gynaecology, Yong Loo Lin School of Medicine, National University of Singapore, National University Health System, Singapore, Singapore
| | - H Chen
- KK Women's and Children's Hospital, Singapore, Singapore
| | - K Kwek
- KK Women's and Children's Hospital, Singapore, Singapore
| | - L P Shek
- Department of Pediatrics, Khoo Teck Puat – National University Children's Medical Institute, National University of Singapore, Singapore, Singapore
| | - P D Gluckman
- Singapore Institute for Clinical Sciences, Singapore, Singapore
| | - M V Fortier
- Department of Diagnostic and Interventional Imaging, KK Women's and Children's Hospital, Singapore, Singapore
| | - M J Meaney
- Singapore Institute for Clinical Sciences, Singapore, Singapore
- Ludmer Centre for Neuroinformatics and Mental Health, Douglas Mental Health University Institute, McGill University, Montreal, QC, Canada
- Sackler Program for Epigenetics and Psychobiology at McGill University, Montreal, QC, Canada
| | - A Qiu
- Department of Biomedical Engineering, Clinical Imaging Research Center, National University of Singapore, Singapore, Singapore
- Singapore Institute for Clinical Sciences, Singapore, Singapore
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30
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Laurent H. Early calibration of the HPA axis by maternal psychopathology. Psychoneuroendocrinology 2017; 78:177-184. [PMID: 28212519 DOI: 10.1016/j.psyneuen.2017.01.034] [Citation(s) in RCA: 18] [Impact Index Per Article: 2.6] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Submit a Manuscript] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 11/16/2016] [Revised: 12/29/2016] [Accepted: 01/30/2017] [Indexed: 11/28/2022]
Abstract
Given the central role of stress-responsive neurophysiology in mental and physical health, it is important to understand how particular patterns of stress responsivity may become entrained by the early caregiving environment. In this study we investigated links between maternal depression and anxiety symptom profiles and within-infant development of hypothalamic-pituitary-adrenal (HPA) axis responses from 6 to 18 months of life. Associations with infant cognitive and social-emotional development were also tested to gauge the adjustment implications of HPA response trajectories. Mothers from a low-income community sample reported their symptoms at 3, 6, 12, and 18 months postnatal, and infants engaged in interpersonal stress tasks at 6, 12, and 18 months. Four saliva samples were taken at each time to assess cortisol responses, and a developmental screener at 18 months provided an index of infant adjustment. Multilevel modeling results revealed an association between maternal symptoms and infant HPA axis sensitization-i.e., a higher cortisol reactivity slope that increased over time. In particular, early (3-month) depression symptoms among mothers who had crossed a diagnostic threshold for major depressive disorder predicted this pattern of response, which in turn related to poorer infant developmental outcomes. Results are considered in terms of adaptive calibration of stress response systems, which may come at a cost to individual psychosocial functioning.
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Affiliation(s)
- Heidemarie Laurent
- University of Oregon, Dept. of Psychology, 1227 University of Oregon, Eugene, OR 97403, United States; University of Illinois, Dept. of Psychology, 603 E. Daniel St., Champaign, IL 61820, United States.
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Pratt M, Apter-Levi Y, Vakart A, Kanat-Maymon Y, Zagoory-Sharon O, Feldman R. Mother-child adrenocortical synchrony; Moderation by dyadic relational behavior. Horm Behav 2017; 89:167-175. [PMID: 28131596 DOI: 10.1016/j.yhbeh.2017.01.003] [Citation(s) in RCA: 47] [Impact Index Per Article: 6.7] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Submit a Manuscript] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 04/13/2016] [Revised: 11/11/2016] [Accepted: 01/24/2017] [Indexed: 01/21/2023]
Abstract
Mother-child adrenocortical synchrony, the coupling of cortisol (CT) secretion in mother and child, has been associated with shared parent-child experiences and maladaptive familial contexts. Yet, few studies tested adrenocortical synchrony in diurnal CT patterns. Guided by the bio-behavioral synchrony model, we examined whether mother-child relational behavior and maternal psychopathology may moderate the degree of concordance between mother and child's diurnal CT. Ninety-seven mothers and their six-year old children participated in two groups; mothers diagnosed with major depression disorder (N=28) and non-depressed controls (N=69). Mother-child interactions were observed and coded for dyadic reciprocity and dyadic tension and diurnal cortisol was collected from mother and child over two consecutive weekend days. Concordance between maternal and child's diurnal CT was found, significant above and beyond time of measurement. Maternal depression, while associated with attenuated child diurnal CT variability, was unrelated to adrenocortical synchrony. Higher child diurnal CT production predicted a stronger linkage between maternal and child's diurnal CT, suggesting that greater child physiological stress is associated with increased susceptibility to the influences of maternal stress physiology. Mother-child reciprocity was related to lower adrenocortical synchrony. Findings suggest that higher adrenocortical synchrony is associated with greater physiological stress and less adaptive dyadic relational patterns. Results raise the possibility that diurnal adrenocortical synchrony taps a unique aspect of HPA-axis functioning whose role in the cross-generational transfer of stress physiology requires further research.
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Affiliation(s)
- Maayan Pratt
- Department of Psychology and the Gonda Brain Sciences Center, Bar-Ilan University, Ramat-Gan, Israel
| | - Yael Apter-Levi
- Department of Psychology and the Gonda Brain Sciences Center, Bar-Ilan University, Ramat-Gan, Israel
| | - Adam Vakart
- Department of Psychology and the Gonda Brain Sciences Center, Bar-Ilan University, Ramat-Gan, Israel
| | - Yaniv Kanat-Maymon
- Department of Psychology, Interdisciplinary Center Herzliya, Herzliya, Israel
| | - Orna Zagoory-Sharon
- Department of Psychology and the Gonda Brain Sciences Center, Bar-Ilan University, Ramat-Gan, Israel
| | - Ruth Feldman
- Department of Psychology and the Gonda Brain Sciences Center, Bar-Ilan University, Ramat-Gan, Israel; Yale University, Child Study Center, United States.
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McLeish J, Redshaw M. Mothers' accounts of the impact on emotional wellbeing of organised peer support in pregnancy and early parenthood: a qualitative study. BMC Pregnancy Childbirth 2017; 17:28. [PMID: 28086827 PMCID: PMC5237175 DOI: 10.1186/s12884-017-1220-0] [Citation(s) in RCA: 125] [Impact Index Per Article: 17.9] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 03/24/2016] [Accepted: 01/04/2017] [Indexed: 11/10/2022] Open
Abstract
BACKGROUND The transition to parenthood is a potentially vulnerable time for mothers' mental health and approximately 9-21% of women experience depression and/or anxiety at this time. Many more experience sub-clinical symptoms of depression and anxiety, as well as stress, low self-esteem and a loss of confidence. Women's emotional wellbeing is more at risk if they have little social support, a low income, are single parents or have a poor relationship with their partner. Peer support can comprise emotional, affirmational, informational and practical support; evidence of its impact on emotional wellbeing during pregnancy and afterwards is mixed. METHODS This was a descriptive qualitative study, informed by phenomenological social psychology, exploring women's experiences of the impact of organised peer support on their emotional wellbeing during pregnancy and in early parenthood. Semi-structured qualitative interviews were undertaken with women who had received peer support provided by ten projects in different parts of England, including both projects offering 'mental health' peer support and others offering more broadly-based peer support. The majority of participants were disadvantaged Black and ethnic minority women, including recent migrants. Interviews were audio-recorded and transcripts were analysed using inductive thematic analysis. RESULTS 47 mothers were interviewed. Two key themes emerged: (1) 'mothers' self-identified emotional needs', containing the subthemes 'emotional distress', 'stressful circumstances', 'lack of social support', and 'unwilling to be open with professionals'; and (2) 'how peer support affects mothers', containing the subthemes 'social connection', 'being heard', 'building confidence', 'empowerment', 'feeling valued', 'reducing stress through practical support' and 'the significance of "mental health" peer experiences'. Women described how peer support contributed to reducing their low mood and anxiety by overcoming feelings of isolation, disempowerment and stress, and increasing feelings of self-esteem, self-efficacy and parenting competence. CONCLUSION One-to-one peer support during pregnancy and after birth can have a number of interrelated positive impacts on the emotional wellbeing of mothers. Peer support is a promising and valued intervention, and may have particular salience for ethnic minority women, those who are recent migrants and women experiencing multiple disadvantages.
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Affiliation(s)
- Jenny McLeish
- Policy Research Unit in Maternal Health and Care, National Perinatal Epidemiology Unit, Nuffield, Department of Population Health, University of Oxford, Old Road Campus, Headington, Oxford, OX3 7LF UK
| | - Maggie Redshaw
- Policy Research Unit in Maternal Health and Care, National Perinatal Epidemiology Unit, Nuffield, Department of Population Health, University of Oxford, Old Road Campus, Headington, Oxford, OX3 7LF UK
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Laurent H, Vergara-Lopez C, Stroud LR. Differential relations between youth internalizing/externalizing problems and cortisol responses to performance vs. interpersonal stress. Stress 2016; 19:492-8. [PMID: 27470923 PMCID: PMC5131919 DOI: 10.1080/10253890.2016.1218843] [Citation(s) in RCA: 4] [Impact Index Per Article: 0.5] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Submit a Manuscript] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 01/21/2023] Open
Abstract
Efforts to define hypothalamic-pituitary-adrenal (HPA) axis profiles conferring risk for psychopathology have yielded inconclusive results, perhaps in part due to limited assessment of the stress response. In particular, research has typically focused on HPA responses to performance tasks, while neglecting the interpersonal stressors that become salient during adolescence. In this study we investigated links between psychosocial adjustment - youth internalizing and externalizing problems, as well as competence - and HPA responses to both performance and interpersonal stressors in a normative sample of children and adolescents. Participants (n = 59) completed a set of performance (public speaking, mental arithmetic, mirror tracing) and/or interpersonal (peer rejection) tasks and gave nine saliva samples, which were assayed for cortisol. Hierarchical linear models of cortisol response trajectories in relation to child behavior checklist (CBCL) scores revealed stressor- and sex-specific associations. Whereas internalizing problems related to earlier peaking, less dynamic cortisol responses to interpersonal stress (across males and females), externalizing problems related to lower, earlier peaking and less dynamic cortisol responses to performance stress for males only, and competence-related to later peaking cortisol responses to interpersonal stress for females only. Implications for understanding contextual stress profiles underlying different forms of psychopathology are discussed.
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Affiliation(s)
- Heidemarie Laurent
- University of Oregon Dept. of Psychology
- Corresponding Author at University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign Psychology Dept., 603 E. Daniel St., Champaign, IL 61820, 217-300-4734,
| | - Chrystal Vergara-Lopez
- Centers for Behavioral and Preventive Medicine, The Miriam Hospital, Department of Psychiatry and Human Behavior, Alpert Medical School, Brown University
| | - Laura R. Stroud
- Centers for Behavioral and Preventive Medicine, The Miriam Hospital, Department of Psychiatry and Human Behavior, Alpert Medical School, Brown University
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34
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Sexually dimorphic and interactive effects of prenatal maternal cortisol and psychological distress on infant cortisol reactivity. Dev Psychopathol 2016; 29:805-818. [PMID: 27426858 DOI: 10.1017/s0954579416000493] [Citation(s) in RCA: 25] [Impact Index Per Article: 3.1] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 01/06/2023]
Abstract
In utero exposure to maternal psychological distress is a risk factor for developmental psychopathology, and these effects are believed to partially occur via dysregulation of the maternal and fetal hypothalamus-adrenal-pituitary axes. Nevertheless, only a few human studies have directly assessed the effects of prenatal cortisol exposure on infant cortisol reactivity, and none have investigated sex differences or potential interactions between prenatal cortisol and psychological distress. Here we report on a prospective longitudinal investigation (N = 236) of in utero exposure to maternal cortisol and distress in a relatively high socioeconomic status and low-risk population to determine whether these exposures interact in their effects on infant (M age = 3.0 months, range = 2.3-5.0 months, 51.9% male) cortisol reactivity and whether there are sex differences in these effects. Results revealed both sexually dimorphic and interactive effects of prenatal cortisol and distress, even after controlling for postnatal distress. In general, blunted reactivity in females was associated with exposure to high maternal distress and flattened patterns of diurnal maternal cortisol, whereas blunted reactivity in males was associated with exposure to steeper morning increases and daytime decreases in maternal cortisol. The findings suggest that sex differences in the effects of prenatal cortisol and distress on infant cortisol reactivity are a plausible mechanism by which maternal experiences during pregnancy contribute to sex differences in the development of psychopathology.
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35
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Apter-Levi Y, Pratt M, Vakart A, Feldman M, Zagoory-Sharon O, Feldman R. Maternal depression across the first years of life compromises child psychosocial adjustment; relations to child HPA-axis functioning. Psychoneuroendocrinology 2016; 64:47-56. [PMID: 26610204 DOI: 10.1016/j.psyneuen.2015.11.006] [Citation(s) in RCA: 54] [Impact Index Per Article: 6.8] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Submit a Manuscript] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 06/16/2015] [Revised: 11/05/2015] [Accepted: 11/07/2015] [Indexed: 11/25/2022]
Abstract
Maternal depression across the first years of life negatively impacts children's development. One pathway of vulnerability may involve functioning of the hypothalamic-pituitary-adrenal (HPA) axis. We utilize a community cohort of 1983 women with no comorbid risk repeatedly assessed for depression from birth to six years to form two groups; chronically depressed (N=40) and non-depressed (N=91) women. At six years, mother and child underwent psychiatric diagnosis, child salivary cortisol (CT) was assessed three times during a home-visit, mother-child interaction was videotaped, and child empathy was coded from behavioral paradigms. Latent Growth curve Model using Structural Equation Modeling (SEM) estimated the links between maternal depression and mother's negative parenting and three child outcomes; psychopathology, social withdrawal, and empathy as related to child CT baseline and variability. Depressed mothers displayed more negative parenting and their children showed more Axis-I psychopathology and social withdrawal. SEM analysis revealed that maternal depression was associated with reduced CT variability, which predicted higher child psychopathology and social withdrawal. Whereas all children exhibited similar initial levels of CT, children of controls reduced CT levels over time while children of depressed mothers maintained high, non-flexible levels. Mother negativity was related to lower initial CT levels, which predicted decreased empathy. Findings suggest that chronic maternal depression may compromise children's social-emotional adjustment by diminishing HPA-system flexibility as well as limiting the mother's capacity to provide attuned and predictable caregiving.
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Affiliation(s)
- Yael Apter-Levi
- Department of Psychology, Bar-Ilan University, Ramat-Gan 5290002, Israel
| | - Maayan Pratt
- Department of Psychology, Bar-Ilan University, Ramat-Gan 5290002, Israel
| | - Adam Vakart
- Department of Psychology, Bar-Ilan University, Ramat-Gan 5290002, Israel
| | - Michal Feldman
- Department of Psychology, Bar-Ilan University, Ramat-Gan 5290002, Israel
| | - Orna Zagoory-Sharon
- The Gonda Brain Sciences Center, Bar-Ilan University, Ramat-Gan 5290002, Israel
| | - Ruth Feldman
- Department of Psychology, Bar-Ilan University, Ramat-Gan 5290002, Israel; The Gonda Brain Sciences Center, Bar-Ilan University, Ramat-Gan 5290002, Israel.
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Bowers ME, Yehuda R. Intergenerational Transmission of Stress in Humans. Neuropsychopharmacology 2016; 41:232-44. [PMID: 26279078 PMCID: PMC4677138 DOI: 10.1038/npp.2015.247] [Citation(s) in RCA: 242] [Impact Index Per Article: 30.3] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Submit a Manuscript] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 05/01/2015] [Revised: 07/19/2015] [Accepted: 07/20/2015] [Indexed: 01/03/2023]
Abstract
The hypothesis that offspring are affected by parental trauma or stress exposure, first noted anecdotally, is now supported empirically by data from Holocaust survivor offspring cohorts and other populations. These findings have been extended to less extreme forms of stress, where differential physical, behavioral, and cognitive outcomes are observed in affected offspring. Parental stress-mediated effects in offspring could be explained by genetics or social learning theory. Alternatively, biological variations stemming from stress exposure in parents could more directly have an impact on offspring, a concept we refer to here as 'intergenerational transmission', via changes to gametes and the gestational uterine environment. We further extend this definition to include the transmission of stress to offspring via early postnatal care, as animal studies demonstrate the importance of early maternal care of pups in affecting offsprings' long-term behavioral changes. Here, we review clinical observations in offspring, noting that offspring of stress- or trauma-exposed parents may be at greater risk for physical, behavioral, and cognitive problems, as well as psychopathology. Furthermore, we review findings concerning offspring biological correlates of parental stress, in particular, offspring neuroendocrine, epigenetic, and neuroanatomical changes, in an attempt to determine the extent of parental stress effects. Although understanding the etiology of effects in offspring is currently impeded by methodological constraints, and limitations in our knowledge, we summarize current information and conclude by presenting hypotheses that have been prompted by recent studies in the field.
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Affiliation(s)
- Mallory E Bowers
- Department of Psychiatry, Icahn School of Medicine at Mount Sinai, NY, NY, USA
| | - Rachel Yehuda
- Department of Psychiatry, Icahn School of Medicine at Mount Sinai, NY, NY, USA,Mental Health Care Center, James J. Peters Veterans Affairs Medical Center, Bronx, NY, USA,Department of Neuroscience, Icahn School of Medicine at Mount, NY, NY, USA,Department of Psychiatry, Icahn School of Medicine at Mount Sinai, James J. Peters Veterans Affairs Medical Center, 526 OOMH PTSD 116/A, JJP VAMC, 130 W Kingsbridge Road, Bronx, NY 10468, USA, Tel: +718 741 4000, ext. 6964, Fax: +718 741 4703, E-mail:
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Natsuaki MN, Shaw DS, Neiderhiser JM, Ganiban JM, Harold GT, Reiss D, Leve LD. Raised by depressed parents: is it an environmental risk? Clin Child Fam Psychol Rev 2015; 17:357-67. [PMID: 24817170 DOI: 10.1007/s10567-014-0169-z] [Citation(s) in RCA: 79] [Impact Index Per Article: 8.8] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 01/10/2023]
Abstract
The mechanisms explaining how parental depression compromises healthy child development are complex and multifaceted, with genetic and environmental pathways intertwined. Reexamination of whether and how maternal and paternal depression serve as environmental risk factors is important because such an investigation can be helpful to identify modifiable mechanisms that are accessible to interventions. We review studies that have employed designs that isolate the effects of the environment from genetic influences, including adoption studies and children of twins studies. Findings indicate that maternal depression is an environmental risk factor for the emotional, behavioral, and neurobiological development of children. Although more studies are needed, preliminary findings suggest that paternal depression appears to be a weaker environmental risk as compared to maternal depression, at least during infancy and toddlerhood. Implications for theory and future research are discussed.
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Affiliation(s)
- Misaki N Natsuaki
- Department of Psychology, University of California, Riverside, 900 University Avenue, Riverside, CA, 92521, USA,
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McAdams TA, Rijsdijk FV, Neiderhiser JM, Narusyte J, Shaw DS, Natsuaki MN, Spotts EL, Ganiban JM, Reiss D, Leve LD, Lichtenstein P, Eley TC. The relationship between parental depressive symptoms and offspring psychopathology: evidence from a children-of-twins study and an adoption study. Psychol Med 2015; 45:2583-2594. [PMID: 25994116 PMCID: PMC4523449 DOI: 10.1017/s0033291715000501] [Citation(s) in RCA: 75] [Impact Index Per Article: 8.3] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Submit a Manuscript] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 06/18/2014] [Revised: 02/25/2015] [Accepted: 02/26/2015] [Indexed: 11/24/2022]
Abstract
BACKGROUND Parental depressive symptoms are associated with emotional and behavioural problems in offspring. However, genetically informative studies are needed to distinguish potential causal effects from genetic confounds, and longitudinal studies are required to distinguish parent-to-child effects from child-to-parent effects. METHOD We conducted cross-sectional analyses on a sample of Swedish twins and their adolescent offspring (n = 876 twin families), and longitudinal analyses on a US sample of children adopted at birth, their adoptive parents, and their birth mothers (n = 361 adoptive families). Depressive symptoms were measured in parents, and externalizing and internalizing problems measured in offspring. Structural equation models were fitted to the data. RESULTS Results of model fitting suggest that associations between parental depressive symptoms and offspring internalizing and externalizing problems remain after accounting for genes shared between parent and child. Genetic transmission was not evident in the twin study but was evident in the adoption study. In the longitudinal adoption study child-to-parent effects were evident. CONCLUSIONS We interpret the results as demonstrating that associations between parental depressive symptoms and offspring emotional and behavioural problems are not solely attributable to shared genes, and that bidirectional effects may be present in intergenerational associations.
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Affiliation(s)
- T. A. McAdams
- MRC Social, Genetic and Developmental Psychiatry
Centre, Institute of Psychiatry, Psychology and
Neuroscience, King's College London,
London, UK
| | - F. V. Rijsdijk
- MRC Social, Genetic and Developmental Psychiatry
Centre, Institute of Psychiatry, Psychology and
Neuroscience, King's College London,
London, UK
| | | | - J. Narusyte
- Department of Clinical Neusroscience,
Karolinska Institutet, Stockholm,
Sweden
| | - D. S. Shaw
- Department of Psychology,
University of Pittsburgh, USA
| | - M. N. Natsuaki
- Department of Psychology,
University of California Riverside, USA
| | - E. L. Spotts
- Office of Behavioral and Social Science
Research, NIH, Bethesda,
MD, USA
| | - J. M. Ganiban
- Department of Psychology,
George Washington University,
Washington, DC, USA
| | - David Reiss
- Child Study Center, Yale
University, New Haven, CT,
USA
| | - L. D. Leve
- Department of Counseling Psychology and Human
Services, University of Oregon, and Oregon Social Learning
Center, Eugene, Oregon,
USA
| | - P. Lichtenstein
- Department of Medical Epidemiology and
Biostatistics, Karolinksa Institute,
Stockholm, Sweden
| | - T. C. Eley
- MRC Social, Genetic and Developmental Psychiatry
Centre, Institute of Psychiatry, Psychology and
Neuroscience, King's College London,
London, UK
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Bridgett DJ, Burt NM, Edwards ES, Deater-Deckard K. Intergenerational transmission of self-regulation: A multidisciplinary review and integrative conceptual framework. Psychol Bull 2015; 141:602-654. [PMID: 25938878 PMCID: PMC4422221 DOI: 10.1037/a0038662] [Citation(s) in RCA: 310] [Impact Index Per Article: 34.4] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 11/08/2022]
Abstract
This review examines mechanisms contributing to the intergenerational transmission of self-regulation. To provide an integrated account of how self-regulation is transmitted across generations, we draw from over 75 years of accumulated evidence, spanning case studies to experimental approaches, in literatures covering developmental, social, and clinical psychology, and criminology, physiology, genetics, and human and animal neuroscience (among others). First, we present a taxonomy of what self-regulation is and then examine how it develops--overviews that guide the main foci of the review. Next, studies supporting an association between parent and child self-regulation are reviewed. Subsequently, literature that considers potential social mechanisms of transmission, specifically parenting behavior, interparental (i.e., marital) relationship behaviors, and broader rearing influences (e.g., household chaos) is considered. Finally, evidence that prenatal programming may be the starting point of the intergenerational transmission of self-regulation is covered, along with key findings from the behavioral and molecular genetics literatures. To integrate these literatures, we introduce the self-regulation intergenerational transmission model, a framework that brings together prenatal, social/contextual, and neurobiological mechanisms (spanning endocrine, neural, and genetic levels, including gene-environment interplay and epigenetic processes) to explain the intergenerational transmission of self-regulation. This model also incorporates potential transactional processes between generations (e.g., children's self-regulation and parent-child interaction dynamics that may affect parents' self-regulation) that further influence intergenerational processes. In pointing the way forward, we note key future directions and ways to address limitations in existing work throughout the review and in closing. We also conclude by noting several implications for intervention work.
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Affiliation(s)
| | - Nicole M Burt
- Department of Psychology, Northern Illinois University
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40
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Roben CKP, Moore GA, Cole PM, Molenaar P, Leve LD, Shaw DS, Reiss D, Neiderhiser JM. Transactional Patterns of Maternal Depressive Symptoms and Mother-Child Mutual Negativity in an Adoption Sample. INFANT AND CHILD DEVELOPMENT 2015; 24:322-342. [PMID: 26170764 PMCID: PMC4498674 DOI: 10.1002/icd.1906] [Citation(s) in RCA: 7] [Impact Index Per Article: 0.8] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 11/06/2022]
Abstract
Transactional models of analysis can examine both moment-to-moment interactions within a dyad and dyadic patterns of influence across time. This study used data from a prospective adoption study to test a transactional model of parental depressive symptoms and mutual negativity between mother and child over time, utilizing contingency analysis of second-by-second behavioral data. To consider both genetic and environmental influences on mutual negativity, depressive symptoms were examined in both adoptive and birth mothers. Adoptive mother depressive symptoms at 9 months increased the likelihood that, at 18 months, children reacted negatively to their mothers' negative behavior, which in turn predicted higher levels of adoptive mother depressive symptoms at 27 months, suggesting that over time, mothers' depressive symptoms influence and are influenced by moment-to-moment mutual negativity with their toddlers. Birth mother depressive symptoms moderated the association between mutual negativity at 18 months and adoptive mother depressive symptoms at 27 months, suggesting a child-driven contribution to maternal depressive symptoms that can be measured by a genetic sensitivity.
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Affiliation(s)
| | | | | | | | | | | | - David Reiss
- Yale Child Study Center, Yale University School of Medicine, Yale University, New Haven, CT, USA
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41
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Babb JA, Deligiannidis KM, Murgatroyd CA, Nephew BC. Peripartum depression and anxiety as an integrative cross domain target for psychiatric preventative measures. Behav Brain Res 2015; 276:32-44. [PMID: 24709228 PMCID: PMC4185260 DOI: 10.1016/j.bbr.2014.03.039] [Citation(s) in RCA: 18] [Impact Index Per Article: 2.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 02/12/2014] [Revised: 03/21/2014] [Accepted: 03/24/2014] [Indexed: 11/20/2022]
Abstract
Exposure to high levels of early life stress has been identified as a potent risk factor for neurodevelopmental delays in infants, behavioral problems and autism in children, but also for several psychiatric illnesses in adulthood, such as depression, anxiety, autism, and posttraumatic stress disorder. Despite having robust adverse effects on both mother and infant, the pathophysiology of peripartum depression and anxiety are poorly understood. The objective of this review is to highlight the advantages of using an integrated approach addressing several behavioral domains in both animal and clinical studies of peripartum depression and anxiety. It is postulated that a greater focus on integrated cross domain studies will lead to advances in treatments and preventative measures for several disorders associated with peripartum depression and anxiety.
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Affiliation(s)
- Jessica A Babb
- Department of Biomedical Sciences, Tufts University Cummings School of Veterinary Medicine, North Grafton, MA 01536, USA.
| | - Kristina M Deligiannidis
- Departments of Psychiatry and Obstetrics & Gynecology, University of Massachusetts Medical School, Worcester, MA 01605, USA.
| | | | - Benjamin C Nephew
- Department of Biomedical Sciences, Tufts University Cummings School of Veterinary Medicine, North Grafton, MA 01536, USA.
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42
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Marceau K, Laurent HK, Neiderhiser JM, Reiss D, Shaw DS, Natsuaki MN, Fisher PA, Leve LD. Combined Influences of Genes, Prenatal Environment, Cortisol, and Parenting on the Development of Children's Internalizing Versus Externalizing Problems. Behav Genet 2014; 45:268-82. [PMID: 25355319 DOI: 10.1007/s10519-014-9689-z] [Citation(s) in RCA: 24] [Impact Index Per Article: 2.4] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 02/14/2014] [Accepted: 10/14/2014] [Indexed: 01/08/2023]
Abstract
Research suggests that genetic, prenatal, endocrine, and parenting influences across development individually contribute to internalizing and externalizing problems in children. The present study tests the combined contributions of genetic risk for psychopathology, prenatal environments (maternal drug use and internalizing symptoms), child cortisol at age 4.5 years, and overreactive parenting influences across childhood on 6-year-old children's internalizing and externalizing problems. We used data from an adoption design that included 361 domestically adopted children and their biological and adopted parents prospectively followed from birth. Only parenting influences contributed (independently) to externalizing problems. However, genetic influences were indirectly associated with internalizing problems (through increased prenatal risk and subsequent morning cortisol), and parenting factors were both directly and indirectly associated with internalizing problems (through morning cortisol). Results suggest that prenatal maternal drug use/symptoms and children's morning cortisol levels are mechanisms of genetic and environmental influences on internalizing problems, but not externalizing problems, in childhood.
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Affiliation(s)
- Kristine Marceau
- Center for Alcohol and Addiction Studies, Brown University, 121 S. Main St., Providence, RI, 02903, USA,
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43
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Haller J, Harold G, Sandi C, Neumann ID. Effects of adverse early-life events on aggression and anti-social behaviours in animals and humans. J Neuroendocrinol 2014; 26:724-38. [PMID: 25059307 DOI: 10.1111/jne.12182] [Citation(s) in RCA: 101] [Impact Index Per Article: 10.1] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Submit a Manuscript] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 01/30/2014] [Revised: 07/21/2014] [Accepted: 07/21/2014] [Indexed: 12/12/2022]
Abstract
We review the impact of early adversities on the development of violence and antisocial behaviour in humans, and present three aetiological animal models of escalated rodent aggression, each disentangling the consequences of one particular adverse early-life factor. A review of the human data, as well as those obtained with the animal models of repeated maternal separation, post-weaning social isolation and peripubertal stress, clearly shows that adverse developmental conditions strongly affect aggressive behaviour displayed in adulthood, the emotional responses to social challenges and the neuronal mechanisms activated by conflict. Although similarities between models are evident, important differences were also noted, demonstrating that the behavioural, emotional and neuronal consequences of early adversities are to a large extent dependent on aetiological factors. These findings support recent theories on human aggression, which suggest that particular developmental trajectories lead to specific forms of aggressive behaviour and brain dysfunctions. However, dissecting the roles of particular aetiological factors in humans is difficult because these occur in various combinations; in addition, the neuroscientific tools employed in humans still lack the depth of analysis of those used in animal research. We suggest that the analytical approach of the rodent models presented here may be successfully used to complement human findings and to develop integrative models of the complex relationship between early adversity, brain development and aggressive behaviour.
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Affiliation(s)
- J Haller
- Institute of Experimental Medicine, Budapest, Hungary
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Marceau K, Ruttle PL, Shirtcliff EA, Essex MJ, Susman EJ. Developmental and contextual considerations for adrenal and gonadal hormone functioning during adolescence: Implications for adolescent mental health. Dev Psychobiol 2014; 57:742-68. [PMID: 24729154 DOI: 10.1002/dev.21214] [Citation(s) in RCA: 76] [Impact Index Per Article: 7.6] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 06/14/2013] [Accepted: 03/03/2014] [Indexed: 12/13/2022]
Abstract
Substantial research has implicated the hypothalamic-pituitary-adrenal (HPA) and hypothalamic-pituitary-gonadal (HPG) axes independently in adolescent mental health problems, though this literature remains largely inconclusive. Given the cross-talk between the HPA and HPG axes and their increased activation in adolescence, a dual-axis approach that examines both axes simultaneously is proposed to predict the emergence and persistence of adolescent mental health problems. After briefly orienting readers to HPA and HPG axis functioning, we review the literature examining associations between hormone levels and changes with behavior during adolescence. Then, we provide a review of the literature supporting examination of both axes simultaneously and present the limited research that has taken a dual-axis approach. We propose future directions including consideration of between-person and within-person approaches to address questions of correlated changes in HPA and HPG hormones. Potential moderators are considered to increase understanding of the nuanced hormone-behavior associations during key developmental transitions.
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Affiliation(s)
- Kristine Marceau
- The Pennsylvania State University, University Park, PA. .,Brown University, Center for Alcohol and Addiction Studies, Providence, RI. .,Department of Psychiatry, Rhode Island Hospital, Providence, RI.
| | - Paula L Ruttle
- Department of Psychiatry, School of Medicine and Public Health, University of Wisconsin, Madison, WI
| | - Elizabeth A Shirtcliff
- Iowa State University, Department of Human Development and Family Studies, New Orleans, LA
| | - Marilyn J Essex
- Department of Psychiatry, School of Medicine and Public Health, University of Wisconsin, Madison, WI
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Laurent HK, Neiderhiser JM, Natsuaki MN, Shaw DS, Fisher PA, Reiss D, Leve LD. Stress system development from age 4.5 to 6: family environment predictors and adjustment implications of HPA activity stability versus change. Dev Psychobiol 2014; 56:340-54. [PMID: 23400689 PMCID: PMC3883974 DOI: 10.1002/dev.21103] [Citation(s) in RCA: 41] [Impact Index Per Article: 4.1] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 08/23/2012] [Accepted: 01/08/2013] [Indexed: 11/07/2022]
Abstract
This study addressed early calibration of stress systems by testing links between adversity exposures, developmental stability of hypothalamic-pituitary-adrenal (HPA) axis activity, and behavior problems in a sample of adopted children. Families (n=200) were assessed when the child was 9, 18, and 27 months, 4.5 and 6 years to collect adversity information-parent psychopathology, stress, financial need, and home chaos. Morning and evening cortisol samples at the final two assessments indexed child HPA activity, and parent-reported internalizing and externalizing at the final assessment represented child behavior outcomes. Increases in cumulative adversity from 4.5 to 6 related to higher child morning cortisol, whereas age six cumulative adversities related to lower, unstable child evening cortisol. Examination of specific adversity dimensions revealed associations between (1) increasing home chaos and stable morning cortisol, which in turn related to internalizing problems; and (2) high parental stress and psychopathology and lower, unstable evening cortisol, which in turn related to externalizing problems.
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Affiliation(s)
- Heidemarie K Laurent
- Department of Psychology, University of Wyoming, 3415 1000 E, University Avenue, Laramie, WY 82071.
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Thayer ZM, Kuzawa CW. Early origins of health disparities: material deprivation predicts maternal evening cortisol in pregnancy and offspring cortisol reactivity in the first few weeks of life. Am J Hum Biol 2014; 26:723-30. [PMID: 24599586 DOI: 10.1002/ajhb.22532] [Citation(s) in RCA: 39] [Impact Index Per Article: 3.9] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 11/21/2013] [Revised: 02/06/2014] [Accepted: 02/08/2014] [Indexed: 12/20/2022] Open
Abstract
OBJECTIVES Maternal hypothalamic pituitary adrenal-axis function regulates production of the stress hormone cortisol, which during pregnancy can cross the placenta and have lasting impacts on fetal growth and development. This article provides a preliminary test of the hypothesis that a woman's socioeconomic status (SES) predicts her cortisol during pregnancy and her offspring's cortisol during the early postnatal period among an ethnically diverse sample in Auckland, New Zealand to evaluate whether differences in cortisol contribute to the intergenerational inheritance of health disparities within this population. METHODS Maternal saliva samples were collected at waking and prior to sleep on 2 days in late pregnancy (34-36 weeks gestation; N = 55), and a subset of offspring saliva was collected before (N = 48) and 20 min after a standard vaccination at 6 weeks of age (N = 19). SES was quantified using a locally validated index of material deprivation, the NZ Deprivation Index for individuals (NZiDep). RESULTS We found that, after controlling for ethnicity and other covariates, women with higher NZiDep scores had significantly higher evening but similar morning cortisol, consistent with a pattern of chronic strain. Infants of women reporting greater material deprivation had elevated cortisol response to vaccination. CONCLUSIONS These findings suggest that maternal SES experience impacts maternal cortisol in pregnancy and offspring cortisol reactivity soon after birth, with potential long-term effects on offspring biology and health. Additional research is needed to clarify how biological and behavioral factors in both the prenatal and postnatal period facilitate this relationship.
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Affiliation(s)
- Zaneta M Thayer
- Department of Anthropology, University of Colorado Denver, Denver, Colorado, 80202
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Laurent HK. Clarifying the Contours of Emotion Regulation: Insights From Parent-Child Stress Research. CHILD DEVELOPMENT PERSPECTIVES 2014. [DOI: 10.1111/cdep.12058] [Citation(s) in RCA: 14] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.4] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 11/30/2022]
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Reiss D, Leve LD, Neiderhiser JM. How genes and the social environment moderate each other. Am J Public Health 2013; 103 Suppl 1:S111-21. [PMID: 23927504 DOI: 10.2105/ajph.2013.301408] [Citation(s) in RCA: 63] [Impact Index Per Article: 5.7] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 11/04/2022]
Abstract
Recent research has suggested that the social environment can moderate the expression of genetic influences on health and that genetic influences can shape an individual's sensitivity to the social environment. Evidence supports 4 major mechanisms: genes can influence an individual's response to environmental stress, genes may enhance an individual's sensitivity to both favorable and adverse environments, inherited characteristics may better fit with some environments than with others, and inherited capabilities may only become manifest in challenging or responsive environments. Further progress depends on better recognition of patterns of gene-environment interaction, improved methods of assessing the environment and its impact on genetic mechanisms, the use of appropriately designed laboratory studies, identification of heritable differences in an individual before environmental moderation occurs, and clarification of the timing of the impact of social and genetic moderation.
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Affiliation(s)
- David Reiss
- David Reiss is with the Child Study Center, Yale School of Medicine, New Haven, CT. Leslie D. Leve is with the University of Oregon, Department of Counseling Psychology and Human Services, and the Oregon Social Learning Center, Eugene. Jenae M. Neiderhiser is with the Department of Psychology, The Pennsylvania State University, University Park
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49
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Monk C, Georgieff MK, Osterholm EA. Research review: maternal prenatal distress and poor nutrition - mutually influencing risk factors affecting infant neurocognitive development. J Child Psychol Psychiatry 2013; 54:115-30. [PMID: 23039359 PMCID: PMC3547137 DOI: 10.1111/jcpp.12000] [Citation(s) in RCA: 146] [Impact Index Per Article: 13.3] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Submit a Manuscript] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 12/20/2022]
Abstract
BACKGROUND Accumulating data from animal and human studies indicate that the prenatal environment plays a significant role in shaping children's neurocognitive development. Clinical, epidemiologic, and basic science research suggests that two experiences relatively common in pregnancy - an unhealthy maternal diet and psychosocial distress - significantly affect children's future neurodevelopment. These prenatal experiences exert their influence in the context of one another and yet, almost uniformly, are studied independently. SCOPE AND METHOD OF REVIEW In this review, we suggest that studying neurocognitive development in children in relation to both prenatal exposures is ecologically most relevant, and methodologically most sound. To support this approach, we selectively review two research topics that demonstrate the need for dual exposure studies, including exemplar findings on (a) the associations between pregnant women's inadequate maternal intake of key nutrients - protein, fat, iron, zinc, and choline - as well as distress in relation to overlapping effects on children's neurocognitive development; and (b) cross-talk between the biology of stress and nutrition that can amplify each experience for the mother and fetus,. We also consider obstacles to this kind of study design, such as questions of statistical methods for 'disentangling' the exposure effects, and aim to provide some answers. CONCLUSION Studies that specifically include both exposures in their design can begin to determine the relative and/or synergistic impact of these prenatal experiences on developmental trajectories - and thereby contribute most fully to the understanding of the early origins of health and disease.
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Affiliation(s)
- Catherine Monk
- Psychiatry and Obstetrics & Gynecology, Columbia University, New York, NY 10032, USA.
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50
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Leve LD, Neiderhiser JM, Shaw DS, Ganiban J, Natsuaki MN, Reiss D. The Early Growth and Development Study: a prospective adoption study from birth through middle childhood. Twin Res Hum Genet 2013; 16:412-23. [PMID: 23218244 PMCID: PMC3572752 DOI: 10.1017/thg.2012.126] [Citation(s) in RCA: 74] [Impact Index Per Article: 6.7] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 11/06/2022]
Abstract
The Early Growth and Development Study is a prospective adoption study of birth parents, adoptive parents, and adopted children recruited in two cohorts (N = 561 triads). The primary study aims are to examine how family, peer, and contextual processes affect children's adjustment, and to examine their interplay (mediation, moderation) with genetic influences. Participants were recruited through adoption agencies located throughout the United States following the birth of a child. Assessments are ongoing, in 9-month intervals until the child reaches 3 years of age and in 1-year intervals thereafter through age 9. Data collection includes the following primary constructs: child temperament, social behavior, school performance, mental health, and health; birth and adoptive parent personality characteristics, mental health, competence, stress, health, context, substance use, parenting, and marital relations; and pregnancy use of drugs and maternal stress during pregnancy. DNA and salivary cortisol samples have also been collected. Analyses have indicated evidence for genotype-environment interactions during early childhood. Study procedures, sample representativeness (including tests of potential confounds in the adoption design), and an overview of findings to date are summarized, and future plans are described.
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