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Tchalova K, Lydon JE, Atkinson L, Fleming AS, Kennedy J, Lecompte V, Meaney MJ, Moss E, O'Donnell KA, O'Donnell KJ, Silveira PP, Sokolowski MB, Steiner M, Bartz JA. Variation in the mu-opioid receptor gene (OPRM1) moderates the influence of maternal sensitivity on child attachment. Transl Psychiatry 2024; 14:181. [PMID: 38580654 PMCID: PMC10997775 DOI: 10.1038/s41398-024-02888-x] [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: 10/25/2022] [Revised: 03/15/2024] [Accepted: 03/20/2024] [Indexed: 04/07/2024] Open
Abstract
The endogenous opioid system is thought to play an important role in mother-infant attachment. In infant rhesus macaques, variation in the μ-opioid receptor gene (OPRM1) is related to differences in attachment behavior that emerges following repeated separation from the mother; specifically, infants carrying at least one copy of the minor G allele of the OPRM1 C77G polymorphism show heightened and more persistent separation distress, as well as a pattern of increased contact-seeking behavior directed towards the mother during reunions (at the expense of affiliation with other group members). Research in adult humans has also linked the minor G allele of the analogous OPRM1 A118G polymorphism with greater interpersonal sensitivity. Adopting an interactionist approach, we examined whether OPRM1 A118G genotype and maternal (in)sensitivity are associated with child attachment style, predicting that children carrying the G allele may be more likely to develop an ambivalent attachment pattern in response to less sensitive maternal care. The sample consisted of 191 mothers participating with their children (n = 223) in the Maternal Adversity, Vulnerability and Neurodevelopment (MAVAN) project, a community-based, birth cohort study of Canadian mothers and their children assessed longitudinally across the child's development. Maternal sensitivity was coded from at-home mother-child interactions videotaped when the child was 18 months of age. Child attachment was assessed at 36 months using the Strange Situation paradigm. As predicted, G allele carriers, but not AA homozygotes, showed increasing odds of being classified as ambivalently attached with decreasing levels of maternal sensitivity. Paralleling earlier non-human animal research, this work provides support for the theory that endogenous opioids contribute to the expression of attachment behaviors in humans.
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Affiliation(s)
- K Tchalova
- Department of Psychology, McGill University, Montréal, QC, Canada
| | - J E Lydon
- Department of Psychology, McGill University, Montréal, QC, Canada
| | - L Atkinson
- Department of Psychology, Toronto Metropolitan University, Toronto, ON, Canada
| | - A S Fleming
- Department of Psychology, University of Toronto Mississauga, Toronto, ON, Canada
| | - J Kennedy
- Department of Psychiatry, University of Toronto, Toronto, ON, Canada
| | - V Lecompte
- L'Université du Québec à Montréal, Montréal, QC, Canada
| | - M J Meaney
- Department of Psychology, McGill University, Montréal, QC, Canada
- Douglas Research Centre, Montréal, QC, Canada
- Singapore Institute for Clinical Sciences, A*STAR, Singapore, Singapore
| | - E Moss
- L'Université du Québec à Montréal, Montréal, QC, Canada
| | - K A O'Donnell
- Yale School of Medicine, Yale University, New Haven, CT, USA
| | - K J O'Donnell
- Department of Psychology, Simon Fraser University, Burnaby, BC, Canada
| | - P P Silveira
- Department of Psychiatry, McGill University, Montréal, QC, Canada
| | - M B Sokolowski
- Department of Ecology and Evolutionary Biology, University of Toronto, Toronto, ON, Canada
| | - M Steiner
- Department of Psychiatry and Behavioural Neurosciences, McMaster University, Hamilton, ON, Canada
| | - J A Bartz
- Department of Psychology, McGill University, Montréal, QC, Canada.
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Leblanc É, Dégeilh F, Beauchamp MH, Bernier A. Disorganized attachment behaviors in infancy as predictors of brain morphology and peer rejection in late childhood. COGNITIVE, AFFECTIVE & BEHAVIORAL NEUROSCIENCE 2022; 22:833-848. [PMID: 35146642 DOI: 10.3758/s13415-022-00987-0] [Citation(s) in RCA: 1] [Impact Index Per Article: 0.5] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Accepted: 01/19/2022] [Indexed: 06/14/2023]
Abstract
Studies show robust links between disorganized attachment in infancy and socioemotional maladjustment in childhood. Little is known, however, about the links between disorganized attachment and brain development, and whether attachment-related differences in brain morphology translate into meaningful variations in child socioemotional functioning. This study examined the links between infants' disorganized attachment behaviors toward their mothers, whole-brain regional grey matter volume and thickness, and peer rejection in late childhood. Thirty-three children and their mothers took part in this study. The Strange Situation Procedure was used to assess mother-infant attachment when infants were 18 months old. Magnetic resonance imaging was performed when they were 10 years old to assess cortical thickness and grey matter volumes. Children and teachers reported on peer rejection 1 year later, as an indicator of socioemotional maladjustment. Results indicated that disorganized attachment was not associated with grey matter volumes. However, children who exhibited more disorganized attachment behaviors in infancy had significantly thicker cortices in bilateral middle and superior frontal gyri, and extending to the inferior frontal gyrus, as well as the orbitofrontal and insular cortices in the right hemisphere in late childhood. Moreover, children with thicker cortices in these regions experienced greater peer rejection, as rated by themselves and their teachers. Although preliminary, these results are the first to indicate that disorganized attachment may play a role in cortical thickness development and that changes in cortical thickness are associated with differences in child socioemotional functioning.
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Affiliation(s)
- Élizabel Leblanc
- Department of Psychology, University of Montreal, P.O. Box 6128, Downtown Station, Montreal, QC, H3C 3J7, Canada
| | - Fanny Dégeilh
- Department of Psychology, University of Montreal, P.O. Box 6128, Downtown Station, Montreal, QC, H3C 3J7, Canada
- Sainte-Justine Research Center, Montreal, QC, Canada
- University of Rennes, CNRS, Inria, Inserm, IRISA UMR 6074, Empenn Team ERL U 1228, Rennes, France
| | - Miriam H Beauchamp
- Department of Psychology, University of Montreal, P.O. Box 6128, Downtown Station, Montreal, QC, H3C 3J7, Canada
- Sainte-Justine Research Center, Montreal, QC, Canada
| | - Annie Bernier
- Department of Psychology, University of Montreal, P.O. Box 6128, Downtown Station, Montreal, QC, H3C 3J7, Canada.
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Deneault AA, Bakermans-Kranenburg MJ, Groh AM, Fearon PRM, Madigan S. Child-father attachment in early childhood and behavior problems: A meta-analysis. New Dir Child Adolesc Dev 2021; 2021:43-66. [PMID: 34651413 DOI: 10.1002/cad.20434] [Citation(s) in RCA: 13] [Impact Index Per Article: 4.3] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 12/21/2022]
Abstract
This meta-analytic study examined the associations between child-father attachment in early childhood and children's externalizing and internalizing behavior problems. Based on 15 samples (N = 1,304 dyads), the association between child-father attachment insecurity and externalizing behaviors was significant and moderate in magnitude (r = 0.18, 95% CI: 0.10, 0.27 or d = 0.37, 95% CI: 0.20, 0.55). No moderators of this association were identified. Based on 12 samples (N = 1,073), the association between child-father attachment insecurity and internalizing behaviors was also significant, albeit smaller in magnitude (r = 0.09, 95% CI: 0.02, 0.15; or d = 0.17, 95% CI: 0.03, 0.31). Between-study heterogeneity was insufficient to consider moderators. When compared to the effect sizes of prior meta-analyses on child-mother attachment and behavior problems, the quality of the attachment relationship with fathers yields a similar magnitude of associations to children's externalizing and internalizing behaviors. Results support the need to consider the role of the attachment network, which notably includes attachment relationships to both fathers and mothers, to understand how attachment relationships contribute to child development.
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Affiliation(s)
| | - Marian J Bakermans-Kranenburg
- Department of Clinical Child and Family Studies and Amsterdam Public Health Research Institute, Vrije Universiteit Amsterdam, Amsterdam, The Netherlands
| | - Ashley M Groh
- Department of Psychological Sciences, University of Missouri, Columbia, Missouri, USA
| | - Pasco R M Fearon
- Research Department of Clinical, Educational and Health Psychology, University College London, London, UK
| | - Sheri Madigan
- Department of Psychology, University of Calgary and Alberta Children's Hospital Research Institute, Calgary, Alberta, Canada
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Deneault AA, Hammond SI. Connecting the Moral Core: Examining Moral Baby Research Through an Attachment Theory Perspective. SOCIAL COGNITION 2021. [DOI: 10.1521/soco.2021.39.1.4] [Citation(s) in RCA: 2] [Impact Index Per Article: 0.7] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 11/20/2022] Open
Abstract
Infants care for and are cared for by others from early in life, a fact reflected in infants' morality and attachment. According to moral core researchers, infants are born with a moral sense that allows them to care about and evaluate the actions of third parties. In attachment theory, care manifests through infants' relationships with caregivers, which forms representations called internal working models that shape how babies think, feel, and act. Although accumulating evidence supports the existence of a moral core directed toward others, nevertheless, without a notion of care connected to infants' own lives, the core is an incomplete and underpowered construct. We show how the moral core, like attachment, could emerge in first- and second-person working models that develop through social interaction and incorporate representational forms (embodied, social, cognitive, emotional, moral), which contribute to the emergence of third-person representations and give infants' moral sense its vitality and meaning.
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O’Neill MC, Badovinac S, Pillai Riddell R, Bureau JF, Rumeo C, Costa S. The longitudinal and concurrent relationship between caregiver sensitivity and preschool attachment: A systematic review and meta-analysis. PLoS One 2021; 16:e0245061. [PMID: 33481826 PMCID: PMC7822304 DOI: 10.1371/journal.pone.0245061] [Citation(s) in RCA: 4] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.3] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 09/15/2020] [Accepted: 12/22/2020] [Indexed: 11/21/2022] Open
Abstract
The present study aimed to systematically review and meta-analyze the concurrent and longitudinal relationship between caregiver sensitivity and preschool attachment measured using the Main and Cassidy (1988) and Cassidy and Marvin (1992) attachment classification systems. This review was pre-registered with the International Prospective Register of Systematic Reviews (PROSPERO; Registration Number CRD42017073417) and completed according to the Preferred Reporting Items for Systematic Reviews and Meta-Analyses (PRISMA) guidelines. The present review identified 36 studies made up of 21 samples (N = 3, 847) examining the relationship between caregiver sensitivity and preschool attachment. Eight primary meta-analyses were conducted separately according to the proximity of the assessment of sensitivity to attachment (i.e., concurrent versus longitudinal), operationalization of caregiver sensitivity (i.e., unidimensional versus multidimensional) and attachment categorizations (i.e., secure-insecure versus organized-disorganized). Overall, the meta-analyses revealed higher levels of caregiver sensitivity among caregivers with secure and organized preschoolers, relative to insecure and disorganized preschoolers, respectively. Medium effect sizes (g = .46 to .59) were found for both longitudinal and concurrent associations between caregiver sensitivity and preschool attachment when a unidimensional measure of caregiver sensitivity was employed, compared to small to medium effect sizes (g = .34 to .49) when a multidimensional measure of caregiver sensitivity was employed. Child age at attachment measurement was a significant moderator of the longitudinal association between unidimensional caregiver sensitivity and preschool attachment. Future directions for the literature and clinical implications are discussed.
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Affiliation(s)
| | | | - Rebecca Pillai Riddell
- Department of Psychology, York University, Toronto, Ontario, Canada
- Department of Psychiatry Research, Hospital for Sick Children, Toronto, Ontario, Canada
- Department of Psychiatry and Pharmacy, University of Toronto, Toronto, Ontario, Canada
- * E-mail:
| | | | - Carla Rumeo
- Department of Psychology, York University, Toronto, Ontario, Canada
| | - Stefano Costa
- Department of Psychology, York University, Toronto, Ontario, Canada
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Tupper R, Bureau JF, Deneault AA, Dixon-Luinenburg T, St-Laurent D. The contributions of child-mother attachment, maternal parenting stress, and military status to the prediction of child behavior problems. Infant Ment Health J 2020; 41:723-737. [PMID: 32281133 DOI: 10.1002/imhj.21854] [Citation(s) in RCA: 5] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.3] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 12/18/2022]
Abstract
Studies show that children with a military parent are at heightened risk of the development of behavior problems. However, there is limited work examining how other factors experienced by military families may also influence behavior problems. In the current study, we recruited three types of Canadian families with a preschooler: families with a deployed military member, families with a nondeployed military member, and nonmilitary families. We examined whether the nonmilitary parent's (in all cases the mother) parenting stress and attachment relationship with the child are associated with behavior problems, and whether deployment status further contributes to the prediction. Child-mother dyads participated in an observed attachment assessment, and mothers reported on their stress levels and their child's behavior. Results showed that both child attachment insecurity and parenting stress were associated with elevated levels of internalizing problems; however, only parenting stress was associated with conduct problems. Military deployment predicted higher levels of internalizing and conduct problems beyond the contributions of attachment and stress. Furthermore, having a father in the military (whether deployed or not) also contributed to internalizing problems. These findings shed light on how the military lifestyle impacts early childhood mental health through the complex interplay between various parts of their environment.
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Affiliation(s)
- Rachel Tupper
- School of Psychology, University of Ottawa, Ottawa, Ontario, Canada
| | | | | | | | - Diane St-Laurent
- Département de psychologie, Université du Québec à Trois-Rivières, Trois-Rivières, Québec, Canada
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Lecompte V, Robins S, King L, Solomonova E, Khan N, Moss E, Nagy C, Feeley N, Gold I, Hayton B, Turecki G, Zelkowitz P. Examining the role of mother-child interactions and DNA methylation of the oxytocin receptor gene in understanding child controlling attachment behaviors. Attach Hum Dev 2020; 23:37-55. [DOI: 10.1080/14616734.2019.1708422] [Citation(s) in RCA: 5] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.3] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 02/07/2023]
Affiliation(s)
- V. Lecompte
- Institut Universitaire Jeunes en Difficulté, CIUSSS Centre-Sud-de-l’île-de-Montréal , Montreal, Canada
| | - S. Robins
- Lady Davis Institute for Medical Research, Jewish General Hospital , Montreal, Canada
- Department of Psychiatry, Jewish General Hospital , Montreal, Canada
| | - L. King
- Department of Psychiatry, McGill University , Montreal, Canada
| | - E. Solomonova
- Lady Davis Institute for Medical Research, Jewish General Hospital , Montreal, Canada
- Department of Psychiatry, Jewish General Hospital , Montreal, Canada
- Department of Psychiatry, McGill University , Montreal, Canada
| | - N. Khan
- Department of Medicine, McGill University , Montreal, Canada
| | - E. Moss
- Department of Psychology, Université du Québec à Montréal , Montréal, Canada
| | - C. Nagy
- McGill Group for Suicide Studies, Douglas Mental Health University Institute , Montreal, Canada
| | - N. Feeley
- Lady Davis Institute for Medical Research, Jewish General Hospital , Montreal, Canada
- Center for Nursing Research, Jewish General Hospital , Montreal, Canada
- Ingram School of Nursing, McGill University , Montreal, Canada
| | - I. Gold
- Department of Psychiatry, McGill University , Montreal, Canada
- Department of Philosophy, McGill University , Montreal, Canada
| | - B. Hayton
- Department of Psychiatry, Jewish General Hospital , Montreal, Canada
- Department of Psychiatry, McGill University , Montreal, Canada
| | - G. Turecki
- Department of Psychiatry, McGill University , Montreal, Canada
- McGill Group for Suicide Studies, Douglas Mental Health University Institute , Montreal, Canada
| | - P. Zelkowitz
- Lady Davis Institute for Medical Research, Jewish General Hospital , Montreal, Canada
- Department of Psychiatry, Jewish General Hospital , Montreal, Canada
- Department of Psychiatry, McGill University , Montreal, Canada
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