Physical and mental health changes in the five years before and five years after childbirth: A population-based panel study in first-time mothers and fathers from Germany

Early childhood attachment stability to mothers, fathers, and both parents as a network: associations with parents' well-being, marital relationship, and child behavior problems

This study examines the stability of child attachment to mothers and fathers separately, and to both parents as a network between the infancy and preschool periods using a sample of 143 biparental families and their children (73 boys) recruited from the general population. Attachment was assessed at 15 months with the Strange Situation Procedure (SSP) and at 45 months with the Preschool Attachment Classification Coding System (PACS). First, results show no stability in attachment to mothers, to fathers, or to both parents as a network. Second, parents' mental health, life satisfaction, marital satisfaction, and child externalizing behavior are associated with attachment stability. Taken altogether, group comparisons reveal that children with a stable secure attachment to both parents as a network have parents with higher levels of well-being and exhibit less problem behaviors than children with 1) a stable secure attachment to one parent and an unstable attachment to the other parent (from secure to insecure or from insecure to secure), or 2) who never had a stable secure attachment to either parent. This study highlights the significance of attachment to both parents as a network over time as it is associated with developmental outcomes.

The risky business of advanced paternal age: neurodevelopmental and psychosocial implications for children of older fathers

The last several decades are notable for an increase in the percentage of births attributable to men in their 40s and 50s. There is general recognition of offspring health risks related to advanced maternal age, however, fewer patients and providers are informed about the impacts of advanced paternal age (APA). This review examined the literature investigating the association between APA and offspring outcomes, specifically, neurodevelopmental, psychiatric, academic, and behavioral impairment, the impact of paternal health decline and death, and the influence of age on parenting behaviors. This analysis revealed that children, and even grandchildren, of older fathers face significantly increased incidence rates of psychiatric disease and behavioral impairment. The data do not show evidence of superior parenting behaviors among men with APA. Finally, children of men with APA are significantly more likely to experience early bereavement, which is associated with psychological and developmental consequences. An understanding of the degree to which APA can negatively impact the offspring is imperative for patient counseling and development of practice guidelines.

It's About Time: The Circadian Network as Time-Keeper for Cognitive Functioning, Locomotor Activity and Mental Health

A variety of organisms including mammals have evolved a 24h, self-sustained timekeeping machinery known as the circadian clock (biological clock), which enables to anticipate, respond, and adapt to environmental influences such as the daily light and dark cycles. Proper functioning of the clock plays a pivotal role in the temporal regulation of a wide range of cellular, physiological, and behavioural processes. The disruption of circadian rhythms was found to be associated with the onset and progression of several pathologies including sleep and mental disorders, cancer, and neurodegeneration. Thus, the role of the circadian clock in health and disease, and its clinical applications, have gained increasing attention, but the exact mechanisms underlying temporal regulation require further work and the integration of evidence from different research fields. In this review, we address the current knowledge regarding the functioning of molecular circuits as generators of circadian rhythms and the essential role of circadian synchrony in a healthy organism. In particular, we discuss the role of circadian regulation in the context of behaviour and cognitive functioning, delineating how the loss of this tight interplay is linked to pathological development with a focus on mental disorders and neurodegeneration. We further describe emerging new aspects on the link between the circadian clock and physical exercise-induced cognitive functioning, and its current usage as circadian activator with a positive impact in delaying the progression of certain pathologies including neurodegeneration and brain-related disorders. Finally, we discuss recent epidemiological evidence pointing to an important role of the circadian clock in mental health.