"How did you stay together so long?" Relationship longevity, a cross-generational qualitative study

This global qualitative study adopted a cross-generational approach considering key factors contributing to relationship longevity. Relatively few studies consider factors leading to relationship longevity as articulated by couples themselves, and there is a paucity of research considering young couples' questions regarding relationship longevity. This study has two sample groups. In sample one (n = 137) we asked individuals in relationship of 3-15 years questions they would ask couples in marriages of 40+ years. We then asked our second sample of coupled individuals married 40+ years (n = 180) these questions. The primary question from the younger couples to couples in long-term marriages regarded their "secret" to relationship longevity. This study focuses on this one question and coupled individuals' self-articulation of their "secrets" to relationship longevity. The top seven were (1) commitment, (2) altruism, (3) shared values, (4) good communication, (5) compromise: give and take, (6) love, and (7) never give up. The clinical implications for couple therapists are discussed.

Toxicity of microplastics and nanoplastics: invisible killers of female fertility and offspring health

Microplastics (MPs) and nanoplastics (NPs) are emergent pollutants, which have sparked widespread concern. They can infiltrate the body via ingestion, inhalation, and cutaneous contact. As such, there is a general worry that MPs/NPs may have an impact on human health in addition to the environmental issues they engender. The threat of MPs/NPs to the liver, gastrointestinal system, and inflammatory levels have been thoroughly documented in the previous research. With the detection of MPs/NPs in fetal compartment and the prevalence of infertility, an increasing number of studies have put an emphasis on their reproductive toxicity in female. Moreover, MPs/NPs have the potential to interact with other contaminants, thus enhancing or diminishing the combined toxicity. This review summarizes the deleterious effects of MPs/NPs and co-exposure with other pollutants on female throughout the reproduction period of various species, spanning from reproductive failure to cross-generational developmental disorders in progenies. Although these impacts may not be directly extrapolated to humans, they do provide a framework for evaluating the potential mechanisms underlying the reproductive toxicity of MPs/NPs.

Cross-Generational Impact of Innate Immune Memory Following Pregnancy Complications

Pregnancy complications can have long-term negative effects on the health of the affected mothers and their children. In this review, we highlight the underlying inflammatory etiologies of common pregnancy complications and discuss how aberrant inflammation may lead to the acquisition of innate immune memory. The latter can be described as a functional epigenetic reprogramming of innate immune cells following an initial exposure to an inflammatory stimulus, ultimately resulting in an altered response following re-exposure to a similar inflammatory stimulus. We propose that aberrant maternal inflammation associated with complications of pregnancy increases the cross-generational risk of developing noncommunicable diseases (i.e., pregnancy complications, cardiovascular disease, and metabolic disease) through a process mediated by innate immune memory. Elucidating a role for innate immune memory in the cross-generational health consequences of pregnancy complications may lead to the development of novel strategies aimed at reducing the long-term risk of disease.

Cross-generational THC Exposure Weakly Attenuates Cocaine's Rewarding Effects in Adult Male Offspring

Adolescents represent a large demographic of marijuana consumers. Regrettably, use during this developmental period has been associated with above average health risks. A growing body of evidence suggests that adolescent drug use in the lifetime of a parent can modify behavior and neurochemistry in descendants without direct exposure. The current study was designed to evaluate the effects of pre-conception THC during adolescence on vulnerability to cocaine in adult male offspring. Male and female rats were given an intermittent THC (0 or 1.5 mg/kg) exposure regimen during the adolescent window and mated with drug group conspecifics in adulthood. F1-THC and F1-Veh pups were cross fostered to drug naïve control dams. In Experiment 1, adult offspring underwent cocaine (0 or 15 mg/kg) locomotor sensitization procedures and showed no effect of parental THC exposure on locomotor activity. In Experiment 2, intravenous catheters were implanted and subjects were tested under a number of reinforcement schedules with cocaine (FR1, FR5, FR10, PR, dose-response, extinction, cue + stress induced reinstatement). F1-THC subjects exhibited a slight decrease in cocaine responding during acquisition and a more rapid extinction, but they failed to produce significant differences on any other measure. These findings indicate that adolescent cannabis use likely has minimal effects on cocaine abuse liability in the next generation.

Cross-Generational THC Exposure Alters Heroin Reinforcement in Adult Male Offspring

BACKGROUND

An emerging area of preclinical research has investigated whether drug use in parents prior to conception influences drug responsivity in their offspring. The present work sought to further characterize such effects with cannabis by examining whether a parental THC history modified locomotor sensitization to morphine and self-administration of heroin in adult progeny.

METHODS

Male and female Sprague Dawley rats were exposed to eight injections of 0 or 1.5 mg/kg THC during adolescence and bred with subjects from the same dose group. In Experiment 1, adult male and female offspring (F1-THC and F1-Veh) underwent locomotor sensitization procedures with morphine over five trials followed by a 5-day abstinence period and a final morphine challenge. In Experiment 2, subjects were trained to self-administer heroin and tested under a number of conditions (FR1, FR5, FR10, PR, dose response assessment, extinction, cue- + stress-induced reinstatement).

RESULTS

Germline THC exposure had no effect on morphine locomotor sensitization. However, F1-THC males displayed a reduced motivation to self-administer heroin relative to F1-Veh males.

CONCLUSIONS

The present data indicate that parental THC exposure alters the reinforcing properties of heroin in a sex-specific manner. As such, mild to moderate cannabis use during adolescence may alter heroin abuse liability for males in the subsequent generation, but have limited effects on females.

Adolescent Female Cannabinoid Exposure Diminishes the Reward-Facilitating Effects of Δ9-Tetrahydrocannabinol and d-Amphetamine in the Adult Male Offspring

Marijuana is currently the most commonly abused illicit drug. According to recent studies, cannabinoid use occurring prior to pregnancy can impact brain plasticity and behavior in future generations. The purpose of the present study was to determine whether adolescent exposure of female rats to Δ⁹-tetrahydrocannabinol (Δ⁹-THC) induces transgenerational effects on the reward-facilitating effects of Δ⁹-THC and d-amphetamine in their adult male offspring. Female Sprague-Dawley rats received Δ⁹-THC (0.1 or 1 mg/kg, i.p.) or vehicle during postnatal days 28–50. As adults, females were mated with drug-naïve males. We then assessed potential alterations of the Δ⁹-THC’s (0, 0.1, 0.5, and 1 mg/kg, i.p.) and d-amphetamine’s (0, 0.1, 0.5, and 1 mg/kg, i.p.) reward-modifying effects using the curve-shift variant of the intracranial self-stimulation (ICSS) procedure in their adult male F1 offspring. The reward-facilitating effect of the 0.1 mg dose of Δ⁹-THC was abolished in the F1 offspring of females that were exposed to Δ⁹-THC (0.1 or 1 mg/kg), whereas the reward-attenuating effect of the 1 mg dose of Δ⁹-THC remained unaltered. The reward-facilitating effects of 0.5 and 1 mg of d-amphetamine were significantly decreased in the F1 offspring of females that were exposed to Δ⁹-THC (1 mg/kg and 0.1 or 1 mg, respectively). The present results reveal that female Δ⁹-THC exposure during adolescence can diminish the reward-facilitating effects of Δ⁹-THC and d-amphetamine in the adult male offspring. These transgenerational effects occur in the absence of in utero exposure. It is speculated that Δ⁹-THC exposure during female adolescence may affect neural mechanisms that are shaping reward-related behavioral responses in a subsequent generation, as indicated by the shifts in the reward-facilitating effects of commonly used and abused drugs.

Generational changes in tobacco use by young women: a cross-generational analysis of mother-daughter dyads

INTRODUCTION AND AIMS

Cross-generational evidence is needed to confirm the decline in young female smoking and to identify factors that impede cessation despite two decades of government intervention.

DESIGN AND METHODS

Data are from the Mater University Study of Pregnancy, a cross-generational pre-birth cohort study beginning in 1981 in Australia. The sample comprised of 993 mother-daughter dyads, for which mothers were aged 18 ≤ 25 at the baseline measurement and their daughters were between the same ages when assessed 21 years later. We used multinomial logistic regression for clustered data to assess associations between four levels of cross-generationally measured mothers and daughters smoking in early adulthood, and assessed the role of education and depressive symptoms.

RESULTS

The rate of smoking had declined substantially in the daughters' generation, with mothers having 5.77 (95% confidence interval 4.24, 8.09) and 2.04 (95% confidence interval 1.60, 2.64) times the odds of smoking at heavy and moderate levels, respectively. Smoking across the two cohorts was found to interact with education and depressive symptoms, such that daughters who did not complete secondary school or who had depressive symptoms were at greater risk of smoking than their mothers were 20 years earlier.

DISCUSSION AND CONCLUSIONS

Over two generations of mothers and daughters, smoking prevalence and smoking intensity has declined, largely in line with findings from national surveys. The remaining smoking has concentrated heavily among those who did not complete secondary education, and there is evidence that increases in light smoking among the daughters may be related to depression.

Theoretical and methodological considerations in cross-generational research on parenting and child aggressive behavior

The four studies in this special issue represent important advances in research on the intergenerational transmission of aggressive behavior. In this commentary, we review the key features and findings of these studies, as well as our own cross-generational study of aggression, the Columbia County Longitudinal Study. Next, we consider important theoretical issues (e.g., defining and operationalizing "aggression" and "parenting"; assessing reciprocal effects of parenting and child aggression; identifying the ages at which aggression should be assessed across generations; broadening the investigation of contextual and individual factors). We then discuss several methodological issues (e.g., determining the most informative measurement intervals for assessing prospective effects; sampling considerations; measuring potential moderating and mediating variables that might explain cross-generational continuities and discontinuities in parenting and aggression). Finally, we raise implications of cross-generational research for designing interventions targeting the reduction and prevention of child aggression.