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Kelsey CM, Fasman A, Quigley K, Dickerson K, Enlow MB, Nelson CA. Context-dependent approach and avoidance behavioral profiles as predictors of psychopathology. Dev Sci 2024; 27:e13469. [PMID: 38111180 PMCID: PMC10997460 DOI: 10.1111/desc.13469] [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: 01/10/2023] [Revised: 11/01/2023] [Accepted: 12/05/2023] [Indexed: 12/20/2023]
Abstract
Inhibition (a temperamental profile characterized by elevated levels of avoidance behaviors) is associated with increased likelihood for developing anxiety and depression, whereas exuberance (a temperamental profile characterized by elevated levels of approach behaviors) is associated with increased likelihood for developing externalizing conditions (e.g., attention deficit/hyperactivity disorder and conduct disorder). However, not all children who exhibit high levels of approach or avoidance behaviors develop emotional or behavioral problems. In this preregistered study, we assessed context-dependent profiles of approach and avoidance behaviors in 3-year-old children (N = 366). Using latent profile analysis, four groups were identified: nonsocial approachers, social approachers, social avoiders, and nonsocial avoiders. Analyses revealed that there were minimal differences in internalizing and externalizing symptoms across the four context-dependent groups. However, exploratory analyses assessed whether high levels of approach or avoidance combined across contexts, similar to findings reported in prior work, were related to psychopathology. Children identified as high in avoidance behavior at 3 years of age were more likely to show internalizing symptoms at 3 years of age but not at 5 years of age. Children high in approach were more likely to meet criteria for anxiety and externalizing disorders by age 5 years. These findings further our understanding of individual differences in how young children adjust their behavior based on contextual cues and may inform methods for identifying children at increased likelihood for the development of emotional and behavioral problems. RESEARCH HIGHLIGHTS: Context-dependent approach and avoidance profiles were identified in 3-year-old children using a person-centered approach. Children who were high in approach behavior, regardless of context, at age three had a higher likelihood for developing an anxiety or externalizing disorder by age five. These findings may help identify children at increased risk of developing emotional and behavioral problems.
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Affiliation(s)
- Caroline M. Kelsey
- Department of Pediatrics, Division of Developmental Medicine, Boston Children’s Hospital, Boston, MA, United States
- Department of Pediatrics, Harvard Medical School, Boston, MA, United States
| | - Anna Fasman
- Department of Pediatrics, Division of Developmental Medicine, Boston Children’s Hospital, Boston, MA, United States
| | - Kelsey Quigley
- Department of Pediatrics, Division of Developmental Medicine, Boston Children’s Hospital, Boston, MA, United States
- Department of Pediatrics, Harvard Medical School, Boston, MA, United States
| | - Kelli Dickerson
- Department of Pediatrics, Division of Developmental Medicine, Boston Children’s Hospital, Boston, MA, United States
- Department of Pediatrics, Harvard Medical School, Boston, MA, United States
| | - Michelle Bosquet Enlow
- Department of Psychiatry and Behavioral Sciences, Boston Children’s Hospital, Boston, MA, United States
- Department of Psychiatry, Harvard Medical School, Boston, MA, United States
| | - Charles A. Nelson
- Department of Pediatrics, Division of Developmental Medicine, Boston Children’s Hospital, Boston, MA, United States
- Department of Pediatrics, Harvard Medical School, Boston, MA, United States
- Harvard Graduate School of Education, Cambridge, MA, United States
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Stern JA, Kelsey CM, Yancey H, Grossmann T. Love on the developing brain: Maternal sensitivity and infants' neural responses to emotion in the dorsolateral prefrontal cortex. Dev Sci 2024:e13497. [PMID: 38511516 DOI: 10.1111/desc.13497] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 07/13/2023] [Revised: 02/22/2024] [Accepted: 02/26/2024] [Indexed: 03/22/2024]
Abstract
Infancy is a sensitive period of development, during which experiences of parental care are particularly important for shaping the developing brain. In a longitudinal study of N = 95 mothers and infants, we examined links between caregiving behavior (maternal sensitivity observed during a mother-infant free-play) and infants' neural response to emotion (happy, angry, and fearful faces) at 5 and 7 months of age. Neural activity was assessed using functional Near-Infrared Spectroscopy (fNIRS) in the dorsolateral prefrontal cortex (dlPFC), a region involved in cognitive control and emotion regulation. Maternal sensitivity was positively correlated with infants' neural responses to happy faces in the bilateral dlPFC and was associated with relative increases in such responses from 5 to 7 months. Multilevel analyses revealed caregiving-related individual differences in infants' neural responses to happy compared to fearful faces in the bilateral dlPFC, as well as other brain regions. We suggest that variability in dlPFC responses to emotion in the developing brain may be one correlate of early experiences of caregiving, with implications for social-emotional functioning and self-regulation.
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Affiliation(s)
- Jessica A Stern
- Psychology, University of Virginia, Charlottesville, Virginia, USA
| | - Caroline M Kelsey
- Pediatrics, Harvard Medical School, Boston, Massachusetts, USA
- Pediatrics, Boston Children's Hospital, Boston, Massachusetts, USA
| | - Heath Yancey
- Psychology, University of Virginia, Charlottesville, Virginia, USA
| | - Tobias Grossmann
- Psychology, University of Virginia, Charlottesville, Virginia, USA
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H Gerber A, W Griffin J, M Keifer C, D Lerner M, C McPartland J. Social Anhedonia Accounts for Greater Variance in Internalizing Symptoms than Autism Symptoms in Autistic and Non-Autistic Youth. J Autism Dev Disord 2024:10.1007/s10803-024-06266-w. [PMID: 38340278 DOI: 10.1007/s10803-024-06266-w] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Accepted: 01/23/2024] [Indexed: 02/12/2024]
Abstract
PURPOSE Social anhedonia is a transdiagnostic trait that reflects reduced pleasure from social interaction. It has historically been associated with autism, however, very few studies have directly examined behavioral symptoms of social anhedonia in autistic youth. We investigated rates of social anhedonia in autistic compared to non-autistic youth and the relative contributions of autism and social anhedonia symptoms to co-occurring mental health. METHODS Participants were 290 youth (Mage=13.75, Nautistic=155) ranging in age from 8 to 18. Youth completed a cognitive assessment and a diagnostic interview. Their caregiver completed questionnaires regarding symptoms of autism and co-occurring psychiatric conditions. RESULTS Autistic youth were more likely to meet criteria for social anhedonia than non-autistic youth. There was a significant positive relationship between age and social anhedonia symptom severity, but there was no association between sex and social anhedonia. Dominance analysis revealed that social anhedonia symptom severity had the strongest association with symptoms of depression and social anxiety, while symptoms of ADHD, generalized anxiety, and separation anxiety were most strongly associated with autism symptom severity. CONCLUSION This was the first study to tease out the relative importance of social anhedonia and autism symptoms in understanding psychiatric symptoms in autistic youth. Findings revealed higher rates of social anhedonia in autistic youth. Our results indicate that social anhedonia is an important transdiagnostic trait that plays a unique role in understanding co-occurring depression and social anxiety in autistic youth. Future research should utilize longitudinal data to test the transactional relationships between social anhedonia and internalizing symptoms over time.
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Affiliation(s)
- Alan H Gerber
- Child Study Center, Yale School of Medicine, New Haven, CT, CT 06519, USA
| | - Jason W Griffin
- Child Study Center, Yale School of Medicine, New Haven, CT, CT 06519, USA
| | - Cara M Keifer
- Child Study Center, Yale School of Medicine, New Haven, CT, CT 06519, USA
| | - Matthew D Lerner
- Department of Psychology, Stony Brook University, Stony Brook, NY, USA
- AJ Drexel Autism Institute, Drexel University, Philadelphia, PA, USA
| | - James C McPartland
- Child Study Center, Yale School of Medicine, New Haven, CT, CT 06519, USA
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Antezana L, Coffman MC, DiCriscio AS, Richey JA. Effects of nonsocial and circumscribed interest images on neural mechanisms of emotion regulation in autistic adults. Front Behav Neurosci 2022; 16:1057736. [PMID: 36570705 PMCID: PMC9771392 DOI: 10.3389/fnbeh.2022.1057736] [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: 09/29/2022] [Accepted: 11/17/2022] [Indexed: 12/12/2022] Open
Abstract
Introduction Emotion dysregulation is commonly reported among autistic individuals. Prior work investigating the neurofunctional mechanisms of emotion regulation (ER) in autistic adults has illustrated alterations in dorsolateral prefrontal cortex (dlPFC) activity, as well as concurrent atypical patterns of activation in subcortical regions related to affect during cognitive reappraisal of social images. Whereas most research examining ER in autism has focused on regulation of negative emotions, the effects of regulating positive emotions has been generally understudied. This is surprising given the relevance of positive motivational states to understanding circumscribed interests (CI) in autism. Methods Accordingly, the purpose of this study was to use fMRI with simultaneous eye-tracking and pupillometry to investigate the neural mechanisms of ER during passive viewing and cognitive reappraisal of a standardized set of nonsocial images and personalized (self-selected) CI images. Results The autistic group demonstrated comparatively reduced modulation of posterior cingulate cortex (PCC) activation during cognitive reappraisal of CI images compared to viewing of CI, although no eye-tracking/pupillometry differences emerged between-groups. Further, the autistic group demonstrated increased PCC connectivity with left lateral occipital and right supramarginal areas when engaging in cognitive reappraisal vs. viewing CI. Discussion In autistic adults, CI may be differentially modulated via PCC. Considering the documented role of the PCC as a core hub of the default mode network, we further postulate that ER of CI could potentially be related to self-referential cognition.
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Affiliation(s)
- Ligia Antezana
- Department of Psychology, Virginia Tech, Blacksburg, VA, United States
- Department of Psychiatry, University of Pittsburgh, Pittsburgh, PA, United States
| | - Marika C. Coffman
- Department of Psychology, Virginia Tech, Blacksburg, VA, United States
- Duke Center for Autism and Brain Development, Duke University, Durham, NC, United States
- Department of Psychiatry and Behavioral Sciences, Duke University, Durham, NC, United States
| | | | - John A. Richey
- Department of Psychology, Virginia Tech, Blacksburg, VA, United States
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