1
|
Whittle S, Pozzi E, Rakesh D, Kim JM, Yap MBH, Schwartz OS, Youssef G, Allen NB, Vijayakumar N. Harsh and Inconsistent Parental Discipline Is Associated With Altered Cortical Development in Children. BIOLOGICAL PSYCHIATRY. COGNITIVE NEUROSCIENCE AND NEUROIMAGING 2022; 7:989-997. [PMID: 35158076 DOI: 10.1016/j.bpsc.2022.02.001] [Citation(s) in RCA: 2] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 11/02/2021] [Revised: 02/01/2022] [Accepted: 02/03/2022] [Indexed: 01/01/2023]
Abstract
BACKGROUND A growing body of evidence suggests that parenting behaviors may affect child mental health via altering brain development. There is a scarcity of research, however, that has investigated associations between parenting behavior and brain structure using longitudinal magnetic resonance imaging. This study aimed to investigate associations between parenting behaviors and structural brain development across the transition from childhood to adolescence. METHODS Participants were 246 children who provided 436 magnetic resonance imaging datasets covering the age range from 8 to 13 years. Parents (94% mothers) completed self-report measures of parenting behavior, and both children and parents reported on child mental health. Factor analysis was used to identify dimensions of parental behavior. Linear mixed-effects models investigated associations between parenting behaviors and age-related change in cortical thickness and surface area and subcortical volume. Mediation models tested whether brain changes mediated associations between parenting behaviors and changes in internalizing/externalizing symptoms. RESULTS Hypothesized associations between parenting and amygdala, hippocampal, and frontal trajectories were not supported. Rather, higher levels of parent harsh/inconsistent discipline were associated with decreases in surface area in medial parietal and temporal pole regions and reduced cortical thinning in medial parietal regions. Some effects were present in female but not male children. There were no associations between these neurodevelopmental alterations and symptoms. CONCLUSIONS This study provides insight into the links between parenting behavior and child neurodevelopment. Given the functions of implicated regions, findings may suggest that parental harsh/inconsistent discipline affects the development of neural circuits subserving sensorimotor and social functioning in children.
Collapse
Affiliation(s)
- Sarah Whittle
- Melbourne Neuropsychiatry Centre, Department of Psychiatry, The University of Melbourne and Melbourne Health, Parkville, Victoria, Australia.
| | - Elena Pozzi
- Melbourne Neuropsychiatry Centre, Department of Psychiatry, The University of Melbourne and Melbourne Health, Parkville, Victoria, Australia
| | - Divyangana Rakesh
- Melbourne Neuropsychiatry Centre, Department of Psychiatry, The University of Melbourne and Melbourne Health, Parkville, Victoria, Australia
| | - Julia Minji Kim
- Melbourne Neuropsychiatry Centre, Department of Psychiatry, The University of Melbourne and Melbourne Health, Parkville, Victoria, Australia
| | - Marie B H Yap
- School of Psychological Science, Turner Institute for Brain and Mental Health, Monash University, Melbourne, Victoria, Australia; Melbourne School of Population and Global Health, University of Melbourne, Melbourne, Victoria, Australia
| | - Orli S Schwartz
- Department of Psychiatry, University of Melbourne, Parkville, Victoria, Australia; Orygen, Parkville, Victoria, Australia; Centre for Youth Mental Health, Parkville, Victoria, Australia
| | - George Youssef
- Department of Psychology, Deakin University, Burwood, Victoria, Australia
| | | | | |
Collapse
|
2
|
Richmond S, Beare R, Johnson KA, Bray K, Pozzi E, Allen NB, Seal ML, Whittle S. Maternal warmth is associated with network segregation across late childhood: A longitudinal neuroimaging study. Front Psychol 2022; 13:917189. [PMID: 36176802 PMCID: PMC9514138 DOI: 10.3389/fpsyg.2022.917189] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 04/10/2022] [Accepted: 08/22/2022] [Indexed: 12/02/2022] Open
Abstract
The negative impact of adverse experiences in childhood on neurodevelopment is well documented. Less attention however has been given to the impact of variations in “normative” parenting behaviors. The influence of these parenting behaviors is likely to be marked during periods of rapid brain reorganization, such as late childhood. The aim of the current study was to investigate associations between normative parenting behaviors and the development of structural brain networks across late childhood. Data were collected from a longitudinal sample of 114 mother-child dyads (54% female children, M age 8.41 years, SD = 0.32 years), recruited from low socioeconomic areas of Melbourne, Australia. At the first assessment parenting behaviors were coded from two lab-based interaction tasks and structural magnetic resonance imaging (MRI) scans of the children were performed. At the second assessment, approximately 18 months later (M age 9.97 years, SD = 0.37 years) MRI scans were repeated. Cortical thickness (CT) was extracted from T1-weighted images using FreeSurfer. Structural covariance (SC) networks were constructed from partial correlations of CT estimates between brain regions and estimates of network efficiency and modularity were obtained for each time point. The change in these network measures, from Time 1 to Time 2, was also calculated. At Time 2, less positive maternal affective behavior was associated with higher modularity (more segregated networks), while negative maternal affective behavior was not related. No support was found for an association between local or global efficacy and maternal affective behaviors at Time 2. Similarly, no support was demonstrated for associations between maternal affective behaviors and change in network efficiency and modularity, from Time 1 to Time 2. These results indicate that normative variations in parenting may influence the development of structural brain networks in late childhood and extend current knowledge about environmental influences on structural connectivity in a developmental context.
Collapse
Affiliation(s)
- Sally Richmond
- Melbourne Neuropsychiatry Centre, Department of Psychiatry, The University of Melbourne and Melbourne Health, Parkville, VIC, Australia
- Turner Institute for Brain and Mental Health, School of Psychological Sciences, Monash University, Melbourne, VIC, Australia
- *Correspondence: Sally Richmond,
| | - Richard Beare
- Developmental Imaging, Murdoch Children’s Research Institute, Parkville, VIC, Australia
| | - Katherine A. Johnson
- Melbourne School of Psychological Sciences, The University of Melbourne, Parkville, VIC, Australia
| | - Katherine Bray
- Melbourne Neuropsychiatry Centre, Department of Psychiatry, The University of Melbourne and Melbourne Health, Parkville, VIC, Australia
- Melbourne School of Psychological Sciences, The University of Melbourne, Parkville, VIC, Australia
| | - Elena Pozzi
- Melbourne Neuropsychiatry Centre, Department of Psychiatry, The University of Melbourne and Melbourne Health, Parkville, VIC, Australia
| | - Nicholas B. Allen
- Melbourne School of Psychological Sciences, The University of Melbourne, Parkville, VIC, Australia
- Department of Psychology, University of Oregon, Eugene, OR, United States
| | - Marc L. Seal
- Developmental Imaging, Murdoch Children’s Research Institute, Parkville, VIC, Australia
- Department of Pediatrics, The University of Melbourne, Parkville, VIC, Australia
| | - Sarah Whittle
- Melbourne Neuropsychiatry Centre, Department of Psychiatry, The University of Melbourne and Melbourne Health, Parkville, VIC, Australia
| |
Collapse
|