Systems theory and cascades in developmental psychopathology

Examination of Clinical and Assessment Type Differences Between Toddlers with ASD from Multiplex and Simplex Families

Few studies have examined differences in autism spectrum disorder (ASD) phenotype between children from multiplex and simplex families at the time of diagnosis. The present study used an age- and gender-matched, community-based sample (n = 105) from the southwestern United States to examine differences in ASD symptom severity, cognitive development, and adaptive functioning. No significant differences between children from multiplex and simplex families were observed. Exploratory analysis revealed that parents underreported receptive and expressive language and fine motor skills compared to professional observation, especially among children from multiplex families. These findings suggest that diagnosticians may need to consider family structure when choosing and interpreting assessments of receptive language, expressive language, and fine motor skills.

Developmental cascade models linking contextual risks, parenting, and internalizing symptoms: A 17-year longitudinal study from early childhood to emerging adulthood

Although internalizing problems are the most common forms of psychological distress among adolescents and young adults, they have precursors in multiple risk domains established during childhood. This study examined cascading risk pathways leading to depression and anxiety symptoms in emerging adulthood by integrating broad contextual (i.e., multiple contextual risks), parental (i.e., negative parenting), and child (i.e., internalizing behaviors) characteristics in early and middle childhood. We also compared common and differential pathways to depression and anxiety symptoms depending on the conceptualization of symptom outcomes (traditional symptom dimension vs. bifactor dimensional model). Participants were 235 children (109 girls) and their families. Data were collected at 3, 6, 10, and 19 years of child age, using multiple informants and contexts. Results from a symptom dimension approach indicated mediation pathways from early childhood risk factors to depression and anxiety symptoms in emerging adulthood, suggesting common and distinct risk processes between the two disorders. Results from a bifactor modeling approach indicated several indirect pathways leading to a general internalizing latent factor, but not to symptom-specific (i.e., depression, anxiety) latent factors. Our findings highlighted comparative analytic approaches to examining transactional processes associated with later internalizing symptoms and shed light on issues of early identification and prevention.

Sequelae of infants' negative affectivity in the contexts of emerging distinct attachment organizations: Multifinality in mother-child and father-child dyads across the first year

Infants' high negative affectivity often initiates maladaptive parent-child relational processes that may involve both the parent's and the child's sides of the relationship. We proposed that infants' high negative affectivity triggers distinct sequelae in dyads classified as avoidant, resistant, and disorganized, compared to secure dyads. In 200 community families, at 8 months, we observed infants' negative affectivity; at 16 months, we assessed attachment organization and collected observations and reports of parent-related (responsiveness, resentment of child, power assertion, and intrusiveness) and child-related (social-emotional competence, opposition, and anger) constructs. In mother-child avoidant dyads, infants' high negative affectivity was a significant precursor of mothers' higher resentment and intrusiveness and children's lower social-emotional competence. Those associations were significantly different than in secure dyads (in which none were significant). In father-child disorganized dyads, infants' high negative affectivity was a significant precursor of fathers' lower responsiveness and higher resentment; there were no association in secure dyads. Regardless of infants' negative affectivity, compared to secure dyads, parents in resistant dyads expressed more resentment of child, and avoidant and resistant children were more oppositional to their fathers. The study illustrates multifinality in parent- and child-related processes that characterize unfolding early relational dynamics in dyads differing in just-emerging attachment.

Social competence as a predictor of adult outcomes in autism spectrum disorder

There is a wealth of literature characterizing social difficulties in autism spectrum disorder (ASD). However, little work has replicated longitudinal findings from typical development that adolescent social competence predicts positive adult outcomes in ASD. The current study examined social competence trajectories from 2 to 26 and the utility of three social competence measures collected in adolescence in predicting work, residential status, friendship, and romantic outcomes in a longitudinal cohort (n = 253) of ASD. Using group-based trajectory modeling, we identified two patterns of social competence development: a low trajectory characterized by slow linear gains throughout childhood and plateauing in adulthood, and a high trajectory characterized by steeper linear gains in childhood followed by decline in adulthood. Regression models indicated one social competence measure, Vineland Social-AE scores, significantly predicted employment, residential status, and friendships in adulthood. One other social competence measure, SSQ total scores, also significantly predicted friendship in adulthood. Only nonverbal IQ at 9 predicted the likelihood of having ever had a romantic relationship. These findings highlight the role of social competence in both atypical and typical development and suggest the social impairments associated with ASD do not necessarily impact all realms of social functioning equally.

Cross-modal coherence and incoherence of early infant interactive behavior: links to attachment in infants born very preterm or full-term

Infants exhibit flexibly organized configurations of facial, vocal, affective, and motor behavior during caregiver-infant interactions that convey convergent messages about their internal states and desires. Prior work documents that greater cross-modal discrepancy at 4 months predicts disorganized attachment. Here, we evaluated whether: very preterm (VPT) or full-term (FT) status predicts cross-modal coherence or incoherence in infants' behavior with the caregiver at 3 months; and, regardless of prematurity, whether cross-modal interactive coherence or incoherence predicts 12-month attachment. Participants included 155 infants (85 FT; 70 VPT), and their mothers followed from birth to 12 months (corrected age). Infants' cross-modal coherent and incoherent responses were scored microanalytically from videotaped en-face interactions. Infants' attachment security was evaluated during Ainsworth's Strange Situation. Infants born VPT exhibited more incoherent cross-modal responses and insecure attachment than infants born FT. Regardless of prematurity, infants' coherent and incoherent cross-modal interactive behaviors at 3 months predicted different attachment patterns at 12 months.

Predicting Effortful Control at 3 Years of Age from Measures of Attention and Home Environment in Infancy: A Machine Learning Approach

Effortful control (EC) is a dimension of temperament that encompass individual differences in self-regulation and the control of reactivity. Much research suggests that EC has a strong foundation on the development of executive attention, but increasing evidence also shows a significant contribution of the rearing environment to individual differences in EC. The aim of the current study was to predict the development of EC at 36 months of age from early attentional and environmental measures taken in infancy using a machine learning approach. A sample of 78 infants participated in a longitudinal study running three waves of data collection at 6, 9, and 36 months of age. Attentional tasks were administered at 6 months of age, with two additional measures (i.e., one attentional measure and another self-restraint measure) being collected at 9 months of age. Parents reported household environment variables during wave 1, and their child's EC at 36 months. A machine-learning algorithm was implemented to identify children with low EC scores at 36 months of age. An "attention only" model showed greater predictive sensitivity than the "environmental only" model. However, a model including both attentional and environmental variables was able to classify the groups (Low-EC vs. Average-to-High EC) with 100% accuracy. Sensitivity analyses indicate that socio-economic variables together with attention control processes at 6 months, and self-restraint capacity at 9 months, are the most important predictors of EC. Results suggest a foundational role of executive attention processes in the development of EC in complex interactions with household environments and provide a new tool to identify early markers of socio-emotional regulation development.

Emotion Regulation Strategies as Risk Factors for Developmental Psychopathology: a Meta-analytic Review of Longitudinal Studies based on Cross-lagged Correlations and Panel Models

Cross-sectional relationships between emotion regulation strategies (ERSs) and several psychopathological conditions among children and adolescents have been well-demonstrated. However, the longitudinal associations of ERSs on psychopathological manifestations during development remain unclear, especially considering their reciprocal influences over time. This meta-analytic review was based on a set of ERSs referring to a comprehensive evidence-based model of ER processes. Three hundred thirty-five studies were screened. The meta-analytic procedures were based on 60 studies (N = 20, 191; age: M [SD] = 10.27 [4.36]; years of follow-up: M [SD] = 2.23 [2.76]), which primarily assessed prospective associations between ER_t1 and internalizing/externalizing psychopathology (PSY)_t2. The cross-lagged correlations among these variables were also considered. Results showed: i) a small prospective association between ER_t1 and PSY _t2, which was independent of age and length of follow-up period. Adaptive and maladaptive domains of ER were significant moderators. Deficits in adaptive ER seemed more associated to externalizing PSY, whereas maladaptive ER was more associated to internalizing PSY; ii) cross-lagged correlations were comparable with ER_t1 - PSY _t2 associations. Nevertheless, the detrimental effects of PSY _t1 on levels of adaptive ER_t2 were larger than the protective effects of adaptive ER_t1 on PSY_t2. iii) When the other cross-lagged correlations were controlled for, the meta-analytic cross-lagged panel model demonstrated that maladaptive ER_t1 was a significant predictor of PSY_t2. ER processes should be considered transdiagnostic risk factors for psychopathology during development. Homotypic and heterotypic continuity of psychopathological conditions might reflect the stability or dynamic organization of adaptive and maladaptive ERSs over time.

Omar ZT, Segun E, Evbayekha EO, Abolurin A, Egberuare EO, Ezegbe HC, Adegbosin A, Adedeji AG, Angaye EG, Izundu IC, Oyelade BO. Impact of Adverse Childhood Experiences on Resilience and School Success in Individuals With Autism Spectrum Disorder and Attention-Deficit Hyperactivity Disorder

Adolescents with emotional and behavioral disorders face known academic challenges and poor life outcomes. It was imperative to explore and find if the new diagnostic criterion for diagnosing autism profoundly affects educational outcomes and resilience in individuals diagnosed with co-occurring autism spectrum disorder (ASD) and attention-deficit hyperactivity disorder (ADHD). The literature is robust on the impact of adverse childhood experiences (ACEs) on educational outcomes and resilience in adolescents with no history of disability. Still, there remains a dearth of literature explaining, with no ambiguity, the complex relationships between ACEs and resilience, school engagement, and success in individuals with co-occurring ASD and ADHD. This study reviews the existing scholarships on the topic. The significance of this review is that it informs healthcare providers, rehabilitation counselors, and educators about the need for early identification of individuals with ASD and ADHD with a background in ACEs. This will enable interventions early enough to ensure they are more resilient and can obtain improved success in school-related and outside-school activities and eventually improved quality of life.

Measuring children's behavioral regulation in the preschool classroom: An objective, sensor-based approach

Children's abilities to regulate their behaviors are critical for learning and development, yet researchers lack an objective, precise method for assessing children's behavioral regulation in their everyday environments such as their classrooms. This study tested a sensor-based approach to assess preschool children's behavioral regulation objectively, precisely, and naturalistically. Children wore accelerometer devices as they engaged in center-based play in their preschool classrooms for roughly 45 min (N = 50 children, 48% female, mean age = 4.5 years). Set to record data each second, these devices collected information about children's movement (N = 140,564 observations). From these data, the authors extracted concrete behaviors hypothesized to index behavioral regulation and compared them with teacher and observer ratings of the same. Initiating movement more frequently, staying seated in activities for shorter amounts of time, and spending a greater amount of time in motion were related to lower ratings of attention and inhibitory control by teachers and by observers of classroom group time, median r = .45, p < .01. These same objectively measured behaviors showed only weak associations with children's performance on assessments of cognitive regulation, median r = .11, p = .47. The findings indicate that ambulatory accelerometers can capture movement-based indicators of children's behavioral regulation in the classroom setting and that performance on measures of cognitive regulation does not strongly predict children's behavior in the classroom. As an unobtrusive and objective measure, actigraphy may become an important tool for studying children's behavioral regulation in everyday contexts.

Transactions between Problem Behaviors and Academic Performance in Early Childhood

This study aimed to further the understanding of transactional relationships that exist between problem behaviors and academic performance in early childhood. Early academic and behavior difficulties increase the risk of school disengagement, academic failure, and dropout. Although children’s academic and behavioral difficulties have been shown to be intercorrelated, little research has focused on how the relationship reciprocates and progresses in early childhood. This study investigated how problem behaviors (i.e., externalizing and internalizing) influence and are influenced by academic performance (i.e., poor reading and math) from kindergarten to third grade. Participants included 18,135 students (51.22% boys) derived from a nationally representative sample in the Early Childhood Longitudinal Study, Kindergarten Class of 2011 (ECLS-K: 2011). Teacher ratings of children’s internalizing (low self-esteem, anxiety, loneliness, or sadness) and externalizing (fighting, arguing, showing anger, impulsively acting, and disruptive behaviors) problem behaviors, as well as direct assessments of children’s academic performance (reading and math), were collected yearly. Cross-lagged panel modeling (CLPM) was employed to examine reciprocal relationships between problem behaviors and academic performance over time from kindergarten to third grade. The results supported the transactional relationships in early childhood, with higher externalizing as well as internalizing problem behaviors predicting lower academic performance and lower academic performance predicting higher externalizing and internalizing problem behaviors. The implications for research, prevention, and early intervention regarding the progression of academic and behavioral problems are discussed.

Mood Disorders in Young People With Acquired Brain Injury: An Integrated Model

Purpose/Objective

Young people with paediatric acquired brain injury (pABI) are twice as likely to develop a mood disorder as their peers, frequently have significant unmet socio-emotional needs, and are at over double the risk of going on to use adult mental health services. Recent years have seen significant advances in the development of interventions for young people with mood disorders. However, evidence-based approaches to mood disorders in pABI are lacking and surprisingly little work has evaluated clinical and neuro-developmental models of mood disorders in this population.

Method

We review the literature regarding key mechanisms hypothesised to account for the increased vulnerability to mood disorders in pABI: First, we summarise the direct neurocognitive consequences of pABI, considering the key areas of the brain implicated in vulnerability to mood disorders within a neurodevelopmental framework. Second, we outline five key factors that contribute to the heightened prevalence of mood disorders in young people following ABI. Finally, we synthesise these, integrating neuro-cognitive, developmental and systemic factors to guide clinical formulation.

Results and Implications

We present a framework that synthesises the key mechanisms identified in our review, namely the direct effects of pABI, neurocognitive and neuroendocrine factors implicated in mood and anxiety disorders, maladaptive neuroplasticity and trauma, structural and systemic factors, and psychological adjustment and developmental context. This framework is the first attempt to provide integrated guidance on the multiple factors that contribute to elevated life-long risk of mood disorders following pABI.

Developmental cascades in studies of adolescent and young adult substance use etiology: A systematic review

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Systematic reviews of developmental cascade studies in drug etiology are lacking.

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Reviews can highlight important design concerns that promote better science.

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Cascade studies articulate important risk mechanisms that are prevention targets.

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Few cascade studies find support for intricate risk mechanisms involving parents.

Introduction

Frequently, developmental cascade models are used to examine causal linkages between early family risk and substance use etiology. When framed with longitudinal data, cascade models contribute to understanding developmental etiology by parsing stability from change in multiple domains of influence. This systematic review examines the research methods used in cascade studies of substance use etiology.

Method

A systematic literature review involved four electronic literature databases (i.e., PsycINFO, MEDLINE, EMBASE, Web of Science). Specific terms referenced substance use etiology and developmental cascade effects. Inclusion requirements included cross-domain effects and repeated measures. Studies were eliminated based on including interventions or growth modeling that failed to differentiate time-specific effects. A risk assessment indicated adequate inter-rater reliability for the 18 studies included.

Results

Conceptually, there was little evidence supporting hypothesized cascade effects that involved cross-domain risk mechanisms linking early parental socialization with later substance use. Methodologically, studies were characterized by modest sample sizes, lack of power, and relatively small effect sizes (ESavg. = 0.05 [SD = 0.046], range 0.003 - 0.19). Only half of the studies conducted formal statistical tests of indirect effects linking early socialization with later substance use.

Conclusion

This review highlights there is very little evidence for developmental cascade effects involving early parental socialization and substance use etiology. Methodological and conceptual limitations may hamper detection of developmental cascade effects and further undermine our understanding of substance use etiology. Future studies may want to follow larger samples, over extended time frames and specify intermediate mechanism that contribute to vulnerability.

A Multi-level Longitudinal Model of Risk Factors for Generalized and Separation Anxiety Symptoms in a Community Sample of 6-year-olds

The current longitudinal study examined the relations between variables in four domains-contextual (SES, family conflict, stress), parent (caretaker depression), parenting (support hostility, autonomy granting), and child (negative affect, effortful control, sensory regulation, attachment)-and both the presence of generalized and separation anxiety symptoms at age 6 in a community sample of 796 children and the change in these anxiety symptoms from ages 4 to 6. Anxiety was highly stable over time. Specific results revealed both direct and indirect pathways between age 4 and age 5 variables, and age 6 anxiety. Caretaker depression and the child variables of attachment, effortful control, negative affect, and sensory regulation were directly related to anxiety symptoms at age 6. Contextual variables (SES) at age 4 were indirectly related to age 6 anxiety through parent depression at age 5. Parent depression was indirectly related to age 6 anxiety through age 5 child negative affect. Child negative affect at age 4 was indirectly related to age 6 anxiety through age 5 effortful control and age 4 effortful control was indirectly related to age 6 anxiety through age 5 negative affect. With the exception of attachment, there was a reduction in the impact of other variables when initial levels of anxiety symptoms were included in the model. Implications of results for early intervention and further study are discussed.

The ecology of human behavior: A network perspective

There is a broad agreement that some of the most relevant problems in the social and behavioral sciences are fundamentally structural, and as a consequence require structural explanations. Yet researchers disagree on what a structural explanation is, and what are the specific questions that can only be answered through a structural lens. In this study, I shed some light on the nature of structural explanations by distinguishing between three types of structural questions related to structural proximity, structural cohesion and structural importance. In addition, I show how graphical methods can be used to answer these questions. In particular, I argue that structure learning algorithms can help us gain some understanding regarding causal structures, and network science can help us understand the organization of these structures. I provide an empirical application of these methods using a nationally representative dataset with a wide range of factors related to child development.

Adversity Over the Life Course: A Comparison Between Women and Men Who Died by Suicide

Purpose: This study sets out to compare the presence of life events across different domains throughout the life course which may contribute to the burden of adversity experienced differently among men and women who died by suicide. Method: In a sample of 303 individuals (213 men and 90 women), data was derived from extensive clinical interviews conducted with informants. Models allowed the identification of patterns of life trajectories. Results: Overall, the burden of adversity was similar across the life course except for the 5-9, 25-29, and 30-34 age ranges, where a significant difference appeared between genders [t-test = 2.13 (p < 0.05), 2.16 (p < 0.05) and 3.08 (p < 0.005), respectively] that seems to disadvantage women. The early adversities of violence and neglect, between 0 and 19 years old, are important for both groups. During the life course, women were more exposed to interpersonal adverse events such as being victims of negligence and violence, relational difficulties or abuse from their spouse, as well as tension with their own children. Men encountered more academic difficulties, legal entanglements and financial difficulties, and were more than three times more likely to develop an alcohol/drug abuse problem than women. Conclusions: The data suggests some gender differences in exposure to longstanding and severe life problems contributing to suicide vulnerability. For women, the continuing burden emerges from chronic interpersonal adversities, whereas, for men, the adverse events are to a larger degree socially exposed, compounded with alcohol misuse. The adversities, especially those of a public or social nature, may be witnessed by others, which should favor the detection of vulnerability over the life course, and psychosocial or mental health services should be offered and provided earlier during the life course. Yet more men die by suicide than women. Resiliency and protective factors may benefit women to a greater degree. Future research should tackle the challenge of investigating these important elements. Meanwhile, from a public health perspective, access to psychosocial and mental health services and social acceptability of seeking services should be part of an ongoing effort in all institutional structures as a way of decreasing downstream mental health problems and vulnerability to suicide.

Caregiver-mediated interventions to support self-regulation among infants and young children (0-5 years): a protocol for a realist review

INTRODUCTION

Self-regulation is a modifiable protective factor for lifespan mental and physical health outcomes. Early caregiver-mediated interventions to promote infant and child regulatory outcomes prevent long-term developmental, emotional and behavioural difficulties and improve outcomes such as school readiness, educational achievement and economic success. To harness the population health promise of these programmes, there is a need for more nuanced understanding of the impact of these interventions. The aim of this realist review is to understand how, why, under which circumstances and for whom, early caregiver-mediated interventions improve infant and child self-regulation. The research questions guiding this review were based on consultation with families and community organisations that provide early childhood and family services.

METHODS AND ANALYSIS

Realist reviews take a theory-driven and iterative approach to evidence synthesis, structured around continuous refinement of a programme theory. Programme theories specify context-mechanism-outcome configurations to explain what works, for whom, under which circumstances and how. Our initial programme theory is based on prior work in this field and will be refined through the review process. A working group, comprising service users, community organisation representatives, representatives from specific populations, clinicians and review team members will guide the evidence synthesis and interpretation, as well as the development and dissemination of recommendations based on the findings of the review. The review will involve searching: (i) electronic databases, (ii) connected papers, articles and citations and (iii) grey literature. Decisions to include evidence will be guided by judgements about their contribution to the programme theory and will be made by the research team, with input from the working group. Evidence synthesis will be reported using the Realist and MEta-narrative Evidence Synthesis: Evolving Standards guidelines.

ETHICS AND DISSEMINATION

Ethical approval is not required as this is a review. Findings will be disseminated to our working group and through peer-reviewed publications and conference presentations.

REVIEW REGISTRATION NUMBER

The protocol is registered with Open Science Framework https://osf.io/5ce2z/registrations.

Characterisation of neurodevelopmental and psychological outcomes in CHD: a research agenda and recommendations from the cardiac neurodevelopmental outcome collaborative

The Neurodevelopmental and Psychological Outcomes Working Group of the Cardiac Neurodevelopmental Outcome Collaborative was formed in 2018 through support from an R13 grant from the National Heart, Lung, and Blood Institute with the goals of identifying knowledge gaps regarding the neurodevelopmental and psychological outcomes of individuals with CHD and investigations needed to advance science, policy, clinical care, and patient/family outcomes. Accurate characterisation of neurodevelopmental and psychological outcomes in children with CHD will drive improvements in patient and family outcomes through targeted intervention. Decades of research have produced a generalised perspective about neurodevelopmental and psychological outcomes in this heterogeneous population. Future investigations need to shift towards improving methods, measurement, and analyses of outcomes to better inform early identification, prevention, and intervention. Improved definition of underlying developmental, neuropsychological, and social-emotional constructs is needed, with an emphasis on symptom networks and dimensions. Identification of clinically meaningful outcomes that are most important to key stakeholders, including patients, families, schools and providers, is essential, specifically how and which neurodevelopmental differences across the developmental trajectory impact stakeholders. A better understanding of the discontinuity and patterns of neurodevelopment across the lifespan is critical as well, with some areas being more impactful at some ages than others. Finally, the field needs to account for the impact of race/ethnicity, socio-economic status, cultural and linguistic diversity on our measurement, interpretation of data, and approach to intervention and how to improve generalisability to the larger worldwide population of patients and families living with CHD.

Maternal adverse childhood experiences, executive function & emotional availability in mother-child dyads

BACKGROUND

Maternal adverse childhood experiences (ACEs) are associated with difficulties in parent-child relationships; however, current research has primarily used cross-sectional designs. Parent and child behavior may be differentially affected by ACEs as children develop and caregiving demands change. Furthermore, diminished executive function (EF) is associated with both ACEs and parenting difficulties and may be a mechanism underlying the intergenerational effects of ACEs.

OBJECTIVE

This study examined longitudinal associations between maternal ACEs, maternal EF, and patterns of change in maternal and child emotional availability (EA).

PARTICIPANTS

Mother-child dyads (N = 114) participated in five assessments over a 5-year period.

METHODS

Maternal ACEs were measured retrospectively at 3 months, maternal EF was assessed at 8 months, and mother-child interactions were videotaped at 18, 36 and 60 months postpartum. Multilevel modelling was used to model growth curves.

RESULTS

Maternal EA did not significantly change, while child EA increased from 18 to 60 months postpartum. Maternal ACEs were negatively associated with maternal and child EA at 18 months postpartum; this effect was not significant at 60 months postpartum. In contrast, there was a persistent, positive effect of maternal EF on EA trajectories. Maternal EF did not mediate the association between ACEs and EA. There were also significant within-dyad associations between maternal and child EA.

CONCLUSIONS

The effects of maternal ACEs on parenting are not necessarily persistent. Findings also support sustained relations between maternal EF and mother-child interactions across early childhood, suggesting the utility of EF as an intervention target.

Adolescent Exposure to Violence and Intimate-Partner Violence Mediated by Mental Distress

Adolescent exposure to violence (ETV) is associated with multiple negative health outcomes. Despite evidence linking adolescent ETV with later experiences of physical, sexual and psychological intimate partner violence (IPV) victimization, more longitudinal evidence is needed, and potential explanatory mechanisms should be tested. We examine data collected over 17 years to analyze the mediating effects of mental distress and substance use on the association between cumulative ETV in adolescence and IPV in adulthood. Adolescent (M _ages=15-18 years) ETV was associated with IPV outcomes in adulthood (M _age=32 years). In parallel mediation models, mental distress in emerging adulthood (M _ages=20-23 years) fully mediated the effect of adolescent ETV on later IPV outcomes. Although substance use predicted experience of IPV, it did not mediate the association between ETV and IPV. These findings have implications for understanding trajectories of risk following violence exposure and inform intervention work through identifying developmental periods where ETV contributes to later IPV victimization.

A tailored online intervention to improve parenting risk and protective factors for child anxiety and depression: Medium-term findings from a randomized controlled trial

BACKGROUND

Despite considerable evidence on parenting risk and protective factors for child anxiety and depressive disorders, the development of interventions based on this evidence is still lagging behind. To address this gap, the web-based Parenting Resilient Kids (PaRK) program was developed to target these risk and protective factors. This study evaluated the effects of the program at 12-month follow-up.

METHODS

A randomized controlled trial was conducted with a community sample of 355 parents and 342 children (M_{child age} = 9.79). Parents randomized into the web-based PaRK intervention condition received a personalized feedback report about their parenting and were recommended a tailored course of up to 12 interactive modules. Parents in the control condition received a standard set of web-based educational factsheets.

RESULTS

Parents in the intervention group demonstrated significantly greater improvement in self-reported parenting compared to control group parents from baseline to 12-month follow-up, d = 0.24, 95% CI [0.03, 0.45]. Both groups showed reductions in child anxiety and depressive symptoms, parental psychological control and unhealthy family functioning; and improvements in parental acceptance, child- and parent- health-related quality of life.

LIMITATIONS

The PaRK intervention was tailored based on the parents' own report of their parenting behaviors. There was an over-representation of highly-educated mothers and only one parent-child dyad was included per family.

CONCLUSIONS

PaRK improved parenting for up to 12 months, but had no superior effect on children's mental health outcomes compared with an educational-factsheet intervention. Further follow-up is needed to assess longer-term effects.

The Role of Adolescence in Development Paths Toward Suicide: Specificities and Shaping of Adversity Trajectories

Purpose: Adolescence is a key period of transitions in the psychological, cognitive, neurobiological and relational domains, which is associated to high susceptibility to adverse life experiences. However, the way adolescent development alters life paths toward suicide remains unclear. Thereby, we aimed at testing whether and how adolescence interfered with the adversity trajectories of individuals who died by suicide. Methods: In a sample of 303 individuals who died by suicide, longitudinal Burden of Adversity ratings were derived from extensive psychological autopsies and life trajectory narrative interviews conducted with informants. Piecewise Joint Latent Class Models allowed the identification of patterns of adversity trajectories and tested the introduction of breakpoints in life-paths. Classes inferred from the optimal model were compared in terms of socio-demographics, psychopathology, and rate of different adverse life events. Results: The most accurate model derived 2 trajectory patterns with a breakpoint in early adolescence. In the first class (n = 39), the burden of adversity increased steadily from birth to death, which occurred at 23 (SE = 1.29). In the second class (n = 264), where individuals died at 43 years of age (SE = 0.96), the burden of adversity followed a similar trajectory during infancy but stabilized between 10 and 14 years and started to increase again at about 25. Childhood family instability, dependent events, exposure to suicide, intra-family sexual victimization and affective disorders at death were more frequent in class 1. Conclusions: A bifurcation in trajectories between early and late suicides occurs during adolescence. The dynamic pattern of adversity during this period is a key issue to understand the developmental heterogeneity in suicide risk.

Emerging patterns of infant regulatory behavior in the Still-Face paradigm at 3 and 9 months predict mother-infant attachment at 12 months

Prior research described three stable patterns of organized behavior employed by infants to manage stressful interactive situations with their mothers in the Face-to-Face Still-Face paradigm (FFSF) at 3 and 9 months postpartum.  The current longitudinal study expands this research by examining the extent to which these patterns predict infants' later attachment quality. For that purpose, 108 full-term infants and their mothers participated in the FFSF at 3 and 9 months, and in the Strange Situation at 12 months. Cross-tabulation analyses indicated a significant association between (1) the Social-positive oriented pattern and secure attachment, (2) the Distressed-inconsolable pattern and insecure-ambivalent attachment, and (3) the Self-comfort oriented pattern and insecure-avoidant attachment. Our results contribute to a growing body of studies suggesting that patterns of infants' regulatory behavior assessed during the FFSF during the first year, may be early developmental precursors of attachment patterns at 12 months.

A review of associations between parental emotion socialization behaviors and the neural substrates of emotional reactivity and regulation in youth

As highlighted by Eisenberg, Cumberland, and Spinrad (1998), parents play a critical role in children's socioemotional development, in part, by shaping how children and adolescents process, respond to, and regulate their emotions (i.e., emotional reactivity/regulation). Although evidence for associations between parenting behavior and youth's emotional processing has relied primarily on behavioral measures of emotion, researchers have begun to examine how parenting is related to the neural substrates of youth's reactivity and regulation. This article reviews a growing literature linking parental behavior with structural brain development as well as functional activity and connectivity in neural regions supporting emotional reactivity/regulation during infancy, childhood, and adolescence. By focusing on normative parental behaviors, we evaluate the evidence for associations between typical variations in caregiving and neural processes thought to support youth's emotional reactivity/regulation. The purpose of this review is to (1) extend the model put forth by Eisenberg and colleagues to consider the ways that parenting behaviors are related to neural substrates of youth's emotional reactivity and regulation; (2) review the empirical evidence for associations between parenting, particularly parental "emotion-related socialization behaviors" (ERSBs), and neural substrates of youth's emotional reactivity/regulation; and (3) recommend future directions for this emerging area of research. (PsycINFO Database Record (c) 2020 APA, all rights reserved).

The significance of early parent-child attachment for emerging regulation: A longitudinal investigation of processes and mechanisms from toddler age to preadolescence

Eisenberg, Cumberland, and Spinrad (1998; Eisenberg, Spinrad, & Cumberland, 1998) included parent-child attachment as a key dimension of the early emotion socialization environment. We examined processes linking children's early attachment with social regulation and adjustment in preadolescence in 102 community mothers, fathers, and children. Security of attachment, assessed at 2 years, using observers' Attachment Q-Set (Waters, 1987), was posited as a significant, although indirect, predictor of children's adaptive social regulation at 10 and 12 years. We proposed that security initiated paths to future social regulation by promoting children's capacities for emotion regulation in response to frustration at 3, 4.5, and 5.5 years: having to suppress a desired behavior, observed in delay tasks, to regulate anger, observed in parent-child control contexts, and a traitlike tendency to regulate anger when frustrated, rated by parents. We conceptualized adaptive social regulation at 10 and 12 years as encompassing regulation of negative emotional tone, observed in diverse parent-child interactions, parent-rated regulation of negativity in broad social interactions, and child-reported internalization of adults' values and standards of conduct. Multiple-mediation analyses documented two paths parallel for mother- and father-child relationships: From security to emotion regulation in delay tasks to internalization of adults' values, and from security to parent-rated traitlike regulation of anger to parent-rated regulation of negativity in broad social interactions. Two additional paths were present for mothers and children only. (PsycINFO Database Record (c) 2020 APA, all rights reserved).

Anger in infancy and its implications: History of attachment in mother-child and father-child relationships as a moderator of risk

Growing research has documented distinct developmental sequelae in insecure and secure parent-child relationships, supporting a model of early attachment as moderating future developmental processes rather than, or in addition to, a source of direct effects. We explored maladaptive developmental implications of infants' anger proneness in 102 community families. Anger was assessed in infancy through observations in the Car Seat episode and parents' ratings. Children's security with parents was assessed in the Strange Situation paradigm at 15 months. At preschool age, child negativity (defiance and negative affect) was observed in interactions with the parent, and at early school age, oppositionality was rated by parents and teachers. Security was unrelated to infant anger; however, it moderated associations between infant anger and future maladaptive outcomes, such that highly angry infants embarked on a negative trajectory in insecure, but not in secure, parent-child dyads. For insecure, but not secure, mother-child dyads, infants' mother-rated anger predicted negativity at preschool age. For insecure, but not secure, father-child dyads, infants' anger in the Car Seat predicted father- and teacher-rated oppositional behavior at early school age. Results highlight the developmentally complex nature of the impact of attachment, depending on the relationship with mother versus father, type of measure, and timing of effects.

The Mood, Mother, and Infant Study: Associations Between Maternal Mood in Pregnancy and Breastfeeding Outcome

Purpose: We sought to determine the role of depression and anxiety in breastfeeding cessation. Materials and Methods: Participants underwent a baseline visit with a structured clinical interview in the third trimester of pregnancy. Monthly phone interviews assessed current mood symptoms and infant feeding status. We assessed the association between baseline mood and infant feeding outcomes using Cox proportional hazards regression, adjusting for infant feeding intention and sociodemographic confounders. Results: We enrolled 222 mother-infant dyads in late pregnancy, of whom 206 completed assessments through 12 months postpartum. We enriched our study with symptomatic women by enrolling 87 women with current depression or anxiety (Current), 64 women with a history of depression or anxiety (Past), and 71 women with no psychiatric history (Never). In multivariable-adjusted analyses, baseline diagnosis was not associated with breastfeeding outcome, but baseline symptoms of depression (Beck Depression Inventory ≥11) or anxiety (Spielberger State Anxiety ≥40) were associated with earlier introduction of formula (depression: adj hazard ratio [HR] 1.52, 95% confidence interval [CI] 1.01-2.30; anxiety: 1.70, 95% CI 1.01-2.87); and any cessation of breastfeeding (depression: adj HR 2.02, 95% CI 1.23-3.31; anxiety: 1.83, 95% CI 1.00-3.33), as were depression symptoms among women who were being treated with antidepressants, compared with untreated asymptomatic women (formula: adj HR 2.27, 95% CI 1.29-4.02; cessation: 2.32, 95% CI 1.17-4.61). History of childhood trauma (adj HR 1.34, 95% CI 1.12-1.61), disordered eating symptoms (adj HR 1.22, 95% CI 1.02-1.46), and poor sleep quality in pregnancy (adj HR 1.32, 95% CI 1.09-1.60) were independently associated with earlier introduction of formula. Conclusions: Baseline mood symptoms were independently associated with earlier formula introduction and cessation of breastfeeding. History of childhood trauma, disordered eating symptoms and poor sleep quality were associated with earlier formula introduction. Targeted support may enable women with these symptoms to achieve their feeding goals.

Multiscale Neuroscience of Psychiatric Disorders

The human brain comprises a multiscale network with multiple levels of organization. Neurons with dendritic and axonal connections form the microscale fabric of brain circuitry, and macroscale brain regions and white matter connections form the infrastructure for system-level brain communication and information integration. In this review, we discuss the emerging trend of multiscale neuroscience, the multidisciplinary field that brings together data from these different levels of nervous system organization to form a better understanding of between-scale relationships of brain structure, function, and behavior in health and disease. We provide a broad overview of this developing field and discuss recent findings of exemplary multiscale neuroscience studies that illustrate the importance of studying cross-scale interactions among the genetic, molecular, cellular, and macroscale levels of brain circuitry and connectivity and behavior. We particularly consider a central, overarching goal of these multiscale neuroscience studies of human brain connectivity: to obtain insight into how disease-related alterations at one level of organization may underlie alterations observed at other scales of brain network organization in mental disorders. We conclude by discussing the current limitations, challenges, and future directions of the field.

Prenatal Risk Predicts Preschooler Executive Function: A Cascade Model

Little research has considered whether prenatal experience contributes to executive function (EF) development above and beyond postnatal experience. This study tests direct, mediated, and moderated associations between prenatal risk factors and preschool EF and IQ in a longitudinal sample of 1,292 children from the Family Life Project. A composite of prenatal risk factors (i.e., low birth weight, prematurity, maternal emotional problems, maternal prepregnancy obesity, and obstetric complications) significantly predicted EF and IQ at age 3, above quality of the postnatal environment. This relationship was indirect, mediated through infant general cognitive abilities. Quality of the postnatal home and child-care environments did not moderate the cascade model. These findings highlight the role of prenatal experience as a contributor to individual differences in cognitive development.

Developmental cascades of social competence, achievement in school, and achievement on standardized assessments during the transition to adolescence and secondary school

INTRODUCTION

Social and academic functioning are cornerstones of positive youth development and important to later educational and health outcomes. Yet, little is known about how the timing and direction of relationships between social and academic functioning vary by the type of achievement assessed and how the transition to adolescence influences these relationships.

METHOD

This study employs longitudinal structural equation modeling to examine the interrelationships of children's social competence, teacher ratings of school achievement, and standardized assessments of cognitive achievement in a cohort of 1048 children in the United States.

RESULTS

& Conclusions: Results identify 1) direct and indirect pathways from children's social competence in grades three and five to their school achievement in grades five and six; 2) significant pathways between school and cognitive achievement across all assessment points that decline in magnitude as students enter high school; 3) the magnitude of pathways between social competence and school achievement far exceed those between social competence and cognitive achievement; and 4) social and maturational factors account for variation in these functions but do not confound the timing and direction of the pathways from one to the other function. Given the importance of social competence and academic achievement to positive development, these findings demonstrate elementary school as an optimal and foundational period to implement universal interventions to optimize social functioning and prevent later academic difficulties in secondary school.

Parenting and Cortisol in Infancy Interactively Predict Conduct Problems and Callous-Unemotional Behaviors in Childhood

This study examines observed maternal sensitivity, harsh-intrusion, and mental-state talk in infancy as predictors of conduct problems (CP) and callous-unemotional (CU) behaviors in middle childhood, as well as the extent to which infants' resting cortisol and cortisol reactivity moderate these associations. Using data from the Family Life Project (n = 1,292), results indicate that maternal sensitivity at 6 months predicts fewer CP at first grade, but only for infants who demonstrate high levels of cortisol reactivity. Maternal harsh intrusion predicts fewer empathic-prosocial behaviors, a component of CU behaviors, but only for infants who demonstrate high resting cortisol. Findings are discussed in the context of diathesis-stress and differential susceptibility models.

Children's autonomic functioning moderates links between maternal rejecting attitudes and preschool aggressive behaviors

Substantial theoretical and empirical literature suggests that the extent to which children's early experiences contribute to the development of aggressive behaviors may depend on the psychophysiological regulatory capacities of the child. This study adds to this literature by examining the relations between mothers' rejecting child-rearing attitudes and children's aggressive behaviors, as well as whether children's parasympathetic regulation, both at rest and in response to anger-inducing films, moderate these links. Using the data collected from 88 preschoolers (mage  = 51 months), the results revealed that the positive association between mothers' rejecting child-rearing attitudes and children's aggressive behaviors was moderated by respiratory sinus arrhythmia (RSA) reactivity to anger. More rejecting child-rearing attitudes predicted more aggressive behaviors only for children who showed mild RSA suppression to RSA augmentation. Conversely, and consistent with the differential-susceptibility model, children who showed mild RSA suppression to RSA augmentation had the fewest aggressive behaviors when mothers reported less rejecting child-rearing attitudes.

Relations between early maternal sensitivity and toddler self-regulation: Exploring variation by oxytocin and dopamine D2 receptor genes

Gene-by-environment interactions between maternal sensitivity during infancy and child oxytocin receptor gene (OXTR rs53576) and D2 dopamine receptor gene (DRD2 TaqIA, rs1822497) genotypes were explored as predictors of toddlers' well-regulated behavioral and physiological responses to maternal compliance demands. Maternal sensitivity was assessed across a range of mother-child interactions when children were 6 months and 1 year of age (N = 186), and toddler self-regulatory responses were assessed through compliance and vagal withdrawal during a toy clean-up task when children were 2 years of age. Sensitivity-by-OXTR interactions suggested two diathesis-stress patterns, predicting compliance for the GG genotype group, and predicting physiological regulation for the AA/AG genotype group. A main effect for DRD2 genotype indicated that children with an A1 allele displayed less-compliant behavior in toddlerhood. These results suggest that genetic differences may contribute to variation both in risk for self-regulatory difficulties, and in relations between maternal sensitivity and children's responses to compliance demands at different levels of analysis.

Stepfamily Relationship Quality and Children's Internalizing and Externalizing Problems

The stepfamily literature is replete with between-group analyses by which youth residing in stepfamilies are compared to youth in other family structures across indicators of adjustment and well-being. Few longitudinal studies examine variation in stepfamily functioning to identify factors that promote the positive adjustment of stepchildren over time. Using a longitudinal sample of 191 stepchildren (56% female, mean age = 11.3 years), the current study examines the association between the relationship quality of three central stepfamily dyads (stepparent-child, parent-child, and stepcouple) and children's internalizing and externalizing problems concurrently and over time. Results from path analyses indicate that higher levels of parent-child affective quality are associated with lower levels of children's concurrent internalizing and externalizing problems at Wave 1. Higher levels of stepparent-child affective quality are associated with decreases in children's internalizing and externalizing problems at Wave 2 (6 months beyond baseline), even after controlling for children's internalizing and externalizing problems at Wave 1 and other covariates. The stepcouple relationship was not directly linked to youth outcomes. Our findings provide implications for future research and practice.

Testing a Military Family Stress Model

The current study examines a military family stress model, evaluating associations between deployment-related stressors (i.e., deployment length/number, posttraumatic stress disorder [PTSD] symptoms) and parent, child, parenting, and dyadic adjustment among families in which a parent had previously deployed to Iraq or Afghanistan in the recent conflicts. Married families (N = 293) with at least one child between the ages of 4 and 12 were recruited from a Midwestern state. Service members were from the Reserve Component (National Guard or Reserves); fathers (N = 253) and/or mothers had deployed (N = 45) to the recent conflicts in the Middle East. Multiple-method (observations of parenting and couple interactions; questionnaires) and multiple informant measures were gathered online and in the homes of participants, from parents, children, and teachers. Findings demonstrated associations between mothers' and fathers' PTSD symptoms and a latent variable of child adjustment comprising teacher, parent, and child report. Mothers' but not fathers' PTSD symptoms were also associated with dyadic adjustment and parenting practices; parenting practices were in turn associated with child adjustment. The results are discussed in terms of their implications for military family stress research and interventions to support and strengthen parents and families after deployment.

Psychosocial and neural indicators of resilience among youth with a family history of substance use disorder

BACKGROUND

Little is known regarding the combined influence of psychosocial and neural protective mechanisms against substance use. The present study examined the extent to which neuroimaging measures of disinhibition predicted resilience against binge drinking and marijuana use among youth with a family history of substance use disorder (SUD; FH+), accounting for psychosocial measures of behavioral control.

METHODS

Participants were 57 FH+ youth from the Michigan Longitudinal Study categorized into resilient and high-risk groups based on patterns of weekly binge drinking and monthly marijuana use during early adulthood. Psychosocial measures of behavioral control (reactive control and externalizing behavior during early and late adolescence) and neural measures of disinhibition (Go/No-Go task and Monetary Incentive Delay Task (MIDT) measured through functional magnetic resonance imaging (fMRI)) were entered sequentially in hierarchical logistic regression models to predict resilient versus high-risk groups.

RESULTS

Greater activation in the right dorsolateral prefrontal cortex (DLPFC) during correctly inhibited trials on the Go/No-Go task was a significant predictor of resilience (OR = 2.46, p < 0.05), over and above greater reactive control in early adolescence (OR = 4.96, p < 0.05) and lower externalizing behavior in late adolescence (OR = 0.64, p < 0.05). Neural activation in the ventral striatum associated with reward anticipation during the MIDT was not a significant predictor of resilience.

CONCLUSIONS

Brain function in the right DLPFC associated with inhibitory control may be a neural indicator of resilience against elevated substance use among FH+ youth, even after accounting for psychosocial measures of behavioral control.

Interparental conflict and children's social problems: Insecurity and friendship affiliation as cascading mediators

Although social difficulties have been identified as sequelae of children's experiences with interparental conflict and insecurity, little is known about the specific mechanisms underlying their vulnerability to social problems. Guided by emotional security theory, this study tested the hypothesis that children's emotional insecurity mediates associations between interparental conflict and their social difficulties by undermining their affiliative goals in best friendships. Participants included 235 families with the first of 5 measurement occasions over a 10-year period occurring when children were in kindergarten (mean age = 6 years). Findings from the lagged latent difference score analyses indicated that intensification of multi-method assessment of interparental conflict during the early school years predicted subsequent increases in children's emotional insecurity 5 years later in adolescence. In the latter part of the cascade, rises in emotional insecurity predicted decreases in adolescent friendship affiliation, which, in turn, were specifically associated with declines in social competence. The specificity of this cascade of changing processes in predicting social problems was supported by the robustness of the findings after the inclusion of static measures of each construct as predictors, parent-child relationship insecurity as a covariate, and increases in children's internalizing symptoms as an alternative outcome. (PsycINFO Database Record

Annual Research Review: On the relations among self-regulation, self-control, executive functioning, effortful control, cognitive control, impulsivity, risk-taking, and inhibition for developmental psychopathology

BACKGROUND

Self-regulation (SR) is central to developmental psychopathology, but progress has been impeded by varying terminology and meanings across fields and literatures.

METHODS

The present review attempts to move that discussion forward by noting key sources of prior confusion such as measurement-concept confounding, and then arguing the following major points.

RESULTS

First, the field needs a domain-general construct of SR that encompasses SR of action, emotion, and cognition and involves both top-down and bottom-up regulatory processes. This does not assume a shared core process across emotion, action, and cognition, but is intended to provide clarity on the extent of various claims about kinds of SR. Second, top-down aspects of SR need to be integrated. These include (a) basic processes that develop early and address immediate conflict signals, such as cognitive control and effortful control (EC), and (b) complex cognition and strategies for addressing future conflict, represented by the regulatory application of complex aspects of executive functioning. Executive function (EF) and cognitive control are not identical to SR because they can be used for other activities, but account for top-down aspects of SR at the cognitive level. Third, impulsivity, risk-taking, and disinhibition are distinct although overlapping; a taxonomy of the kinds of breakdowns of SR associated with psychopathology requires their differentiation. Fourth, different aspects of the SR universe can be organized hierarchically in relation to granularity, development, and time. Low-level components assemble into high-level components. This hierarchical perspective is consistent across literatures.

CONCLUSIONS

It is hoped that the framework outlined here will facilitate integration and cross-talk among investigators working from different perspectives, and facilitate individual differences research on how SR relates to developmental psychopathology.

Infant Attachment Moderates Paths From Early Negativity to Preadolescent Outcomes for Children and Parents

Although infant attachment has been long seen as key for development, its long-term effects may be complex. Attachment may be a catalyst or moderator of future developmental sequelae rather than a source of main effects. In 102 mothers, fathers, and infants, attachment was assessed at 15 months; children's negativity (rejection of parental rules and modeling attempts) at 25, 38, 52, and 67 months; and developmental outcomes (the child's parent-rated externalizing problems and the parent-child observed relationship quality) at ages 10 and 12. In both mother-child and father-child relationships, children's higher negativity was associated with more detrimental outcomes but only in dyads with formerly insecure infants. Infant insecurity appears to amplify detrimental cascades, whereas infant security appears to defuse such risks.

Mental health of adolescents with currently and formerly incarcerated parents

Reliable information about children of incarcerated people is difficult to obtain, and major gaps exist in our understanding of their well-being. This study aims to determine whether adolescents with incarcerated parents report higher levels of mental health problems than those without an incarcerated parent, and whether the relationship between parental incarceration and adolescent mental health is moderated by parent-child relationships. Using a statewide survey from one US state, we compared adolescents with a currently incarcerated parent to those with a formerly incarcerated parent and those with no history of parental incarceration on self-reported indicators of mental health, and examined whether strong parent-child relationships were protective against mental health concerns. Results indicate that adolescents with incarcerated parents are at elevated risk for mental health problems, and strong parent-child relationships partially buffer children from risk. Findings underscore the need for more investment in effective early interventions for adolescents in highly adverse contexts.

Epigenetic Patterns Modulate the Connection Between Developmental Dynamics of Parenting and Offspring Psychosocial Adjustment

This study attempted to establish and quantify the connections between parenting, offspring psychosocial adjustment, and the epigenome. The participants, 35 African American young adults (19 females and 16 males; age = 17-29.5 years), represented a subsample of a 3-wave longitudinal 15-year study on the developmental trajectories of low-income urban mother-offspring dyads. Mothers were assessed on their perceptions of maternal stress at each wave. Offspring were assessed on their perceptions of maternal parenting at each wave and on their adaptive and maladaptive behavior at the last wave. Genome-wide DNA methylation in peripheral T lymphocytes at the third wave was assayed using Methyl Binding Domain(MBD) sequencing. Statistically significant associations were identified between the change in offspring's perception of parenting from middle childhood to adulthood and the DNA methylation in offspring's adult genomes. Specifically, the slope of perceived parental rejection across the 3 time points was related to an increase in methylation, or a potential downregulation, of 565 genes thought to be involved in the control of a broad spectrum of biological functions generally related to cellular signaling. A subset of these epigenetic marks, clustered in 23 genes, some of which participate in the development and functioning of the CNS, were in turn associated with psychosocial adjustment as captured by interpersonal relationships and emotional self-evaluation. This appears to be one of the first investigations of the modulating role of the methylome in associations between developmental dynamics of parenting throughout the formative years of child and adolescent development and psychosocial adjustment in adulthood.

A multidomain cascade model of early childhood risk factors associated with oppositional defiant disorder symptoms in a community sample of 6-year-olds

The present study examined a cascade model of age 4 and 5 contextual, parent, parenting, and child factors on symptoms of oppositional defiant disorder (ODD) at age 6 in a diverse community sample of 796 children. Contextual factors include socioeconomic status, family stress, and conflict; parent factors included parental depression; parenting factors included parental hostility, support, and scaffolding skills; child factors included child effortful control (EC), negative affect (NA), and sensory regulation. Direct effects of age 5 conflict, hostility, scaffolding, EC, and NA were found. Significant indirect, cascading effects on age 6 ODD symptom levels were noted for age 4 socioeconomic status via age 5 conflict and scaffolding skills; age 4 parental depression via age 5 child NA; age 4 parental hostility and support via age 5 EC; age 4 support via age 5 EC; and age 4 attachment via age 5 EC. Parenting contributed to EC, and the age 5 EC effects on subsequent ODD symptom levels were distinct from age 5 parental contributions. Scaffolding and ODD symptoms may have a reciprocal relationship. These results highlight the importance of using a multidomain model to examine factors associated with ODD symptoms early in the child's grammar school years.