Child-driven genetic factors can contribute to negative parenting and may increase the risk of being maltreated. Experiencing childhood maltreatment may be partly heritable, but results of twin... Show moreChild-driven genetic factors can contribute to negative parenting and may increase the risk of being maltreated. Experiencing childhood maltreatment may be partly heritable, but results of twin studies are mixed. In the current study, we used a cross-sectional extended family design to estimate genetic and environmental effects on experiencing child maltreatment. The sample consisted of 395 individuals (225 women; M-age = 38.85 years, range(age) = 7-88 years) from 63 families with two or three participating generations. Participants were oversampled for experienced maltreatment. Self-reported experienced child maltreatment was measured using a questionnaire assessing physical and emotional abuse, and physical and emotional neglect. All maltreatment phenotypes were partly heritable with percentages for h(2) ranging from 30% (SE = 13%) for neglect to 62% (SE = 19%) for severe physical abuse. Common environmental effects (c(2)) explained a statistically significant proportion of variance for all phenotypes except for the experience of severe physical abuse (c(2) = 9%, SE = 13%, p = .26). The genetic correlation between abuse and neglect was rho(g) = .73 (p = .02). Common environmental variance increased as socioeconomic status (SES) decreased (p = .05), but additive genetic and unique environmental variances were constant across different levels of SES. Show less
Pittner, K.; Bakermans-Kranenburg, M.J.; Alink, L.R.A.; Buisman, R.S.M.; Berg, L.J.M. van den; Block, L.H.C.G.C.C.; ... ; IJzendoorn, M.H. van 2019
Child-driven genetic factors can contribute to negative parenting and may increase the risk of being maltreated. Experiencing childhood maltreatment may be partly heritable, but results of twin... Show moreChild-driven genetic factors can contribute to negative parenting and may increase the risk of being maltreated. Experiencing childhood maltreatment may be partly heritable, but results of twin studies are mixed. In the current study, we used a cross-sectional extended family design to estimate genetic and environmental effects on experiencing child maltreatment. The sample consisted of 395 individuals (225 women; M-age = 38.85 years, range(age) = 7-88 years) from 63 families with two or three participating generations. Participants were oversampled for experienced maltreatment. Self-reported experienced child maltreatment was measured using a questionnaire assessing physical and emotional abuse, and physical and emotional neglect. All maltreatment phenotypes were partly heritable with percentages for h(2) ranging from 30% (SE = 13%) for neglect to 62% (SE = 19%) for severe physical abuse. Common environmental effects (c(2)) explained a statistically significant proportion of variance for all phenotypes except for the experience of severe physical abuse (c(2) = 9%, SE = 13%, p = .26). The genetic correlation between abuse and neglect was rho(g) = .73 (p = .02). Common environmental variance increased as socioeconomic status (SES) decreased (p = .05), but additive genetic and unique environmental variances were constant across different levels of SES. Show less
Decisions regarding out-of-home placement of children are complicated and of high impact for children and parents. Previous studies show low agreement between professionals on these decisions, and... Show moreDecisions regarding out-of-home placement of children are complicated and of high impact for children and parents. Previous studies show low agreement between professionals on these decisions, and research regarding the influence of characteristics of decision-makers on the content of the decisions taken remains inconclusive. This study explored the relation between general and psychological characteristics of 144 professionals (child welfare professionals, children’s court judges, and master students) using vignettes and questionnaires. Professionals’ mind-set regarding the ability of parents to achieve change (parent-specific mind-set) and their attitude toward the harmfulness of out-of-home placements were related to their decision-making. General decision-maker factors (the professional’s background and work experience), the mind-set toward the ability of people in general to change (dispositional mind-set), and professionals’ attitude toward the effectiveness of out-of-home placements were not related to their decisions. This field of practice needs to reflect on the role of implicit beliefs in making placement decisions about children. Show less
Sexual and social development is affected by a complex interplay between genetic makeup and the early-life rearing environment. While many rodent studies focused primarily on the detrimental... Show moreSexual and social development is affected by a complex interplay between genetic makeup and the early-life rearing environment. While many rodent studies focused primarily on the detrimental effects of early-life stress, human literature suggests that genetic susceptibility may not be restricted to negative environments; it may also enhance the beneficial effects of positive rearing conditions. To examine this interaction in a controlled setting, heterozygous mineralocorticoid receptor knockout (MR+/−) mice and control litter mates were exposed to a limited nesting/bedding (LN, impoverished), standard nesting (SN, control) or communal nesting (CN, enriched) paradigm from postnatal day 2–9 (P2-P9). Offspring was monitored for puberty onset between P24-P36 and, in females, maternal care-giving (i.e. as F1) during adulthood, after which basal corticosterone was measured. Different home-cage environments resulted in profound differences in received maternal care and offspring body weight. In male offspring, LN resulted in delayed puberty onset that was mediated by body weight and unpredictability of maternal care received during early development. In female offspring, rearing condition did not significantly alter sexual maturation and had little effect on their own maternal care-giving behavior. Genotype did affect maternal care: female MR+/− offspring exhibited a less active nursing style and upregulated fragmentation during adulthood, irrespective of early life conditions. Basal corticosterone levels were highest in MR+/− mice with a background of LN. Overall, we found a gene-by-environment interaction with respect to basal corticosterone levels, but not for sexual maturation or maternal behavior. Show less
Abstract Background: Recent research has identified a general psychopathology factor (GPF), which explains overlap in presentation of psychopathological symptoms. Unresolved-disorganized attachment... Show moreAbstract Background: Recent research has identified a general psychopathology factor (GPF), which explains overlap in presentation of psychopathological symptoms. Unresolved-disorganized attachment (Ud) is another transdiagnostic risk factor that may be relevant to explain differences in patient characteristics within diagnostic classifications. Objective: In the current study, we examined unique relations of resting state functional connectivity with Ud and GPF. Method: Resting state functional connectivity (RSFC) data were collected from a mixed group of adolescents (N =74) with and without psychiatric disorder, part of the Emotional Pathways’ Imaging Study in Clinical Adolescents study. Ud was measured using the Adult Attachment Interview (AAI). Associations between Ud, GPF, and RSFC of the amygdala and anterior cingulate cortex (dACC) and with amygdala- medial frontal connectivity were examined. Results: Ud was positively associated with greater functional connectivity between the left amygdala and the left lateral occipital cortex, precuneus, and superior parietal lobule. Furthermore, Ud was negatively associated with left amygdala-medial frontal cortex connectivity. GPF was not significantly associated with dACC or amygdala connectivity. Conclusions: Atypical amygdala connectivity may reflect a vulnerability factor rather than a biomarker of psychopathology. The unique association of Ud and amygdala RSFC connectivity, adjusted for a GPF, across participants with and without various classifications of psychopathology illustrates that dimensional approaches based on the AAI may complement psychiatric classifications in clinical research and practice. Keywords: General psychopathology factor; unresolved– disorganized attachment; amygdala; resting-state functional connectivity; dorsal anterior cingulate cortex; medial prefrontal cortex; psychopathology; adolescents Show less
Perceiving potential threat to an infant and responding to it is crucial for offspring survival and parent–child bonding. Using a combination of functional magnetic resonance imaging and multi... Show morePerceiving potential threat to an infant and responding to it is crucial for offspring survival and parent–child bonding. Using a combination of functional magnetic resonance imaging and multi-informant reports, this longitudinal study explores the neural basis for paternal responses to threat to infants pre-natally (N = 21) and early post-natally (n = 17). Participants viewed videos showing an infant in danger and matched control videos, while instructed to imagine that the infant was their own or someone else’s. Effects were found for infant-threatening vs neutral situations in the amygdala (region-of-interest analyses) and in clusters spanning cortical and subcortical areas (whole-brain analyses). An interaction effect revealed increased activation for own (vs unknown) infants in threatening (vs neutral) situations in bilateral motor areas, possibly indicating preparation for action. Post-natal activation patterns were similar; however, in part of the superior frontal gyrus the distinction between threat to own and unknown infant faded. Fathers showing more protective behavior in daily life recruited part of the frontal pole more when confronted with threat to their own vs an unknown infant. This exploratory study is the first to describe neural mechanisms involved in paternal protection and provides a basis for future work on fathers’ protective parenting. Show less
Child executive functions and socialization environments are crucial for the socioemotional and cognitive development of preschoolers. This study examined the role of socioeconomic status (SES),... Show moreChild executive functions and socialization environments are crucial for the socioemotional and cognitive development of preschoolers. This study examined the role of socioeconomic status (SES), ethnicity, executive functions (EFs), quality of the home environment, quantity of maternal care, and quality and quantity of professional childcare as predictors of five-year-old preschoolers' problem behavior, prosocial behavior, and language ability in 77 low-SES families with a Chilean majority or Mapuche minority background in Chile. Executive functions and the quality of the home environment were positively associated with language ability, whereas quantity of childcare was inversely related to children's language ability. All other associations were non-significant. The results corroborate the vital roles of child executive functioning and stimulating and responsive parenting in child language ability in a Latin-American context. Furthermore, our findings revealed inadequate preschool classroom quality and provide new evidence from southern Chile of the urgent need to improve the quality of Chilean children's preprimary education as a catalyst for reducing social disparities. Show less
Previous work suggests that infant cry perception is supported by an evolutionary old neural network consisting of the auditory system, the thalamocingulate circuit, the frontoinsular system, the... Show morePrevious work suggests that infant cry perception is supported by an evolutionary old neural network consisting of the auditory system, the thalamocingulate circuit, the frontoinsular system, the reward pathway and the medial prefrontal cortex. Furthermore, gender and parenthood have been proposed to modulate processing of infant cries. The present meta-analysis (N = 350) confirmed involvement of the auditory system, the thalamocingulate circuit, the dorsal anterior insula, the pre-supplementary motor area and dorsomedial prefrontal cortex and the inferior frontal gyrus in infant cry perception, but not of the reward pathway. Structures related to motoric processing, possibly supporting the preparation of a parenting response, were also involved. Finally, females (more than males) and parents (more than non-parents) recruited a cortico-limbic sensorimotor integration network, offering a neural explanation for previously observed enhanced processing of infant cries in these sub-groups. Based on the results, an updated neural model of infant cry perception is presented. Show less
Background: Recent research has identified a general psychopathology factor (GPF), which explains overlap in presentation of psychopathological symptoms. Unresolved-disorganized attachment (Ud) is... Show moreBackground: Recent research has identified a general psychopathology factor (GPF), which explains overlap in presentation of psychopathological symptoms. Unresolved-disorganized attachment (Ud) is another transdiagnostic risk factor that may be relevant to explain differences in patient characteristics within diagnostic classifications. Objective: In the current study, we examined unique relations of resting-state functional connectivity (RSFC) with Ud and GPF. Method: RSFC data were collected from a mixed group of adolescents (N = 74) with and without psychiatric disorder, as part of the Emotional Pathways' Imaging Study in Clinical Adolescents (EPISCA) study. Ud was measured using the Adult Attachment Interview (AAI). Associations between Ud, GPF, and RSFC of the amygdala and dorsal anterior cingulate cortex (dACC) and with amygdala-medial frontal connectivity were examined. Results: Ud was positively associated with greater functional connectivity between the left amygdala and the left lateral occipital cortex, precuneus, and superior parietal lobule. Furthermore, Ud was negatively associated with left amygdala-medial frontal cortex connectivity. GPF was not significantly associated with dACC or amygdala connectivity. Conclusions: Atypical amygdala connectivity may reflect a vulnerability factor rather than a biomarker of psychopathology. The unique association of Ud and amygdala RSFC, adjusted for a GPF, across participants with and without various classifications of psychopathology illustrates that dimensional approaches based on the AAI may complement psychiatric classifications in clinical research and practice. Show less
Wijk, I.C. van; Bulk, B.G. van den; Euser, S.; Bakermans-Kranenburg, M.J.; IJzendoorn, M.H. van; Huffmeijer, R. 2019
