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Servin-Barthet C, Martínez-García M, Pretus C, Paternina-Die M, Soler A, Khymenets O, Pozo ÓJ, Leuner B, Vilarroya O, Carmona S. The transition to motherhood: linking hormones, brain and behaviour. Nat Rev Neurosci 2023; 24:605-619. [PMID: 37612425 DOI: 10.1038/s41583-023-00733-6] [Citation(s) in RCA: 13] [Impact Index Per Article: 13.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Accepted: 07/28/2023] [Indexed: 08/25/2023]
Abstract
We are witnessing a stark increase in scientific interest in the neurobiological processes associated with pregnancy and maternity. Convergent evidence suggests that around the time of labour, first-time mothers experience a specific pattern of neuroanatomical changes that are associated with maternal behaviour. Here we provide an overview of the human neurobiological adaptations of motherhood, focusing on the interplay between pregnancy-related steroid and peptide hormones, and neuroplasticity in the brain. We discuss which brain plasticity mechanisms might underlie the structural changes detected by MRI, which hormonal systems are likely to contribute to such neuroanatomical changes and how these brain mechanisms may be linked to maternal behaviour. This Review offers an overarching framework that can serve as a roadmap for future investigations.
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Affiliation(s)
- Camila Servin-Barthet
- Unitat de Recerca en Neurociència Cognitiva, Departament de Psiquiatria i Medicina Legal, Universitat Autònoma de Barcelona, Barcelona, Spain
- Hospital del Mar Research Institute, Barcelona, Spain
| | - Magdalena Martínez-García
- Instituto de Investigación Sanitaria Gregorio Marañon, Madrid, Spain
- Centro de Investigación Biomédica en Red de Salud Mental (CIBERSAM), Instituto de Salud Carlos III, Madrid, Spain
| | - Clara Pretus
- Hospital del Mar Research Institute, Barcelona, Spain
- Departament de Psicobiologia i de Metodologia de els Ciències de la Salut, Universitat Autònoma de Barcelona, Barcelona, Spain
| | - Maria Paternina-Die
- Instituto de Investigación Sanitaria Gregorio Marañon, Madrid, Spain
- Centro de Investigación Biomédica en Red de Salud Mental (CIBERSAM), Instituto de Salud Carlos III, Madrid, Spain
| | - Anna Soler
- Unitat de Recerca en Neurociència Cognitiva, Departament de Psiquiatria i Medicina Legal, Universitat Autònoma de Barcelona, Barcelona, Spain
- Hospital del Mar Research Institute, Barcelona, Spain
| | | | - Óscar J Pozo
- Hospital del Mar Research Institute, Barcelona, Spain
| | - Benedetta Leuner
- Psychology Department, The Ohio State University, Columbus, OH, USA
| | - Oscar Vilarroya
- Unitat de Recerca en Neurociència Cognitiva, Departament de Psiquiatria i Medicina Legal, Universitat Autònoma de Barcelona, Barcelona, Spain.
- Hospital del Mar Research Institute, Barcelona, Spain.
| | - Susana Carmona
- Instituto de Investigación Sanitaria Gregorio Marañon, Madrid, Spain.
- Centro de Investigación Biomédica en Red de Salud Mental (CIBERSAM), Instituto de Salud Carlos III, Madrid, Spain.
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Hackley B, Hammer M, Barnhart E, Abramowitz K, Chinitz E, Sharma C, Shapiro A. Experiences of Mothers Participating in a Mother-Child Video Therapy Program. J Midwifery Womens Health 2023; 68:99-106. [PMID: 36322615 DOI: 10.1111/jmwh.13408] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 10/06/2021] [Revised: 06/11/2022] [Accepted: 06/28/2022] [Indexed: 11/06/2022]
Abstract
INTRODUCTION Responsive and sensitive parenting promotes the development of self-regulation and lowers stress in children, which in turn is associated with greater educational and economic achievement and better physical and emotional health later in life. Dyadic parent-child video-feedback programs can help parents learn effective parenting skills, yet these programs are estimated to retain only about half of eligible participants. Programs vary widely, and little is known about what is valued by parents who do complete these programs. The purpose of this qualitative study was to understand the goals, experiences, and outcomes important to mothers who completed a video-feedback program. METHODS Transcripts of exit interviews of participants in a video-feedback program (N = 31) were analyzed using qualitative description methodology. Trustworthiness was achieved through deep engagement with the material, following an iterative process in analyzing transcripts, and member checks to confirm results. RESULTS Mothers enrolled in the program to better understand their child, help their child learn, and to develop closer connections with their child. Elements of the program that helped mothers achieve these goals were (1) positive feedback and support by the therapist, (2) dedicated one-on-one time spent with their infant, (3) help with concrete needs, and (4) learning from watching videotaped play sessions. As a result, mothers reported greater confidence as caregivers, use of more responsive and sensitive parenting strategies, and improvements in their children's behaviors and their own mental health. DISCUSSION Incorporating elements of the program found to be most useful in this study into video-feedback programs may make video-feedback programs more attractive to parents and increase retention. Midwives and women's health care providers may incorporate elements of the program into their clinical practice and advocacy, with special attention to elements most valued by parents themselves.
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Affiliation(s)
- Barbara Hackley
- Montefiore Medical Center, Bronx Health Collective, Bronx, New York
| | - Monica Hammer
- Montefiore Medical Center, Bronx Health Collective, Bronx, New York
| | - Erika Barnhart
- Montefiore Medical Center, Bronx Health Collective, Bronx, New York
| | - Kelly Abramowitz
- Montefiore Medical Center, Bronx Health Collective, Bronx, New York
| | - Emily Chinitz
- Montefiore Medical Center, Bronx Health Collective, Bronx, New York
| | - Chanchal Sharma
- Montefiore Medical Center, Bronx Health Collective, Bronx, New York
| | - Alan Shapiro
- Montefiore Medical Center, Bronx Health Collective, Bronx, New York
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Sinisalo H, Bakermans‐Kranenburg MJ, Peltola MJ. Hormonal and behavioral responses to an infant simulator in women with and without children. Dev Psychobiol 2022; 64:e22321. [PMID: 36282748 PMCID: PMC9545496 DOI: 10.1002/dev.22321] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 03/08/2022] [Revised: 08/01/2022] [Accepted: 08/02/2022] [Indexed: 01/27/2023]
Abstract
We investigated the impact of maternal status on hormonal reactivity and behavioral responses to an infant simulator in 117 women (54 primiparous, 63 nulliparous). The amount of affectionate touch and motherese were analyzed as behavioral measures of caregiving. Saliva was collected before and 10 min after interaction with the infant simulator to analyze oxytocin, testosterone, cortisol, and estradiol levels. Nulliparous women also provided information about their fertility motivation. Linear mixed models indicated that greater use of affectionate touch was associated with lower overall testosterone levels. Cortisol decreased in response to the interaction in both groups. In the primiparous group, the amount of affectionate touch associated inversely with cortisol levels, whereas in the nulliparous group such association was not found. Oxytocin or estradiol reactivity to the simulator did not differ between the groups, nor were these hormones associated with behavior. Higher fertility motivation in nulliparous women was related to more motherese, and lower testosterone levels. Our results indicate that the simulator elicits hormonal reactivity both in mothers and nonmothers, but the patterns of associations between caregiving behavior and hormonal levels may be partially different. These results encourage using the infant simulator to explore hormonal processes related to the transition to parenthood.
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Affiliation(s)
- Hanneli Sinisalo
- Human Information Processing Laboratory, Faculty of Social Sciences, PsychologyTampere UniversityTampereFinland
| | - Marian J. Bakermans‐Kranenburg
- Faculty of Behavioural and Movement Sciences, Educational and Family StudiesVrije Universiteit AmsterdamAmsterdamThe Netherlands
| | - Mikko J. Peltola
- Human Information Processing Laboratory, Faculty of Social Sciences, PsychologyTampere UniversityTampereFinland
- Tampere Institute for Advanced StudyTampere UniversityTampereFinland
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4
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Joseph NT, Santos TDL, Amaro L. Naturalistic social cognitive and emotional reactions to technology-mediated social exposures and cortisol in daily life. Biol Psychol 2022; 173:108402. [PMID: 35902032 DOI: 10.1016/j.biopsycho.2022.108402] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 08/04/2021] [Revised: 07/20/2022] [Accepted: 07/22/2022] [Indexed: 11/30/2022]
Abstract
The emotional and social evaluative aspects of social interactions influence cortisol. The interactions that mothers have on social networking sites and via other technology involve heightened social comparison and emotion. We examined the associations between technology-mediated social engagement, social comparisons and emotion during technology-mediated social exposures (TMSEs), and cortisol during daily life. Forty-seven mothers (mean age = 34.38) completed a 4-day monitoring period involving four saliva collections and questionnaires daily at awakening, 4 h post-awakening, 9 h post-awakening, and bedtime. Higher social comparison during TMSE was associated with lower momentary cortisol, whereas higher negative emotions during TMSE and more time spent in TMSE were associated with higher momentary cortisol. Higher average social comparison during TMSE was associated with lower average daily cortisol output (area under the curve with respect to ground; AUCg), and more time spent on TMSE was associated with higher average AUCg. This study presents the first evidence that naturalistic social-cognitive and emotional reactions to TMSE are associated with cortisol in daily life.
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Affiliation(s)
| | | | - Lauren Amaro
- Department of Communication, Pepperdine University, United States
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5
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Capistrano CG, Grande LA, McRae K, Phan KL, Kim P. Maternal socioeconomic disadvantage, neural function during volitional emotion regulation, and parenting. Soc Neurosci 2022; 17:276-292. [PMID: 35620995 PMCID: PMC10829500 DOI: 10.1080/17470919.2022.2082521] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Submit a Manuscript] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 11/15/2018] [Revised: 03/27/2022] [Indexed: 10/18/2022]
Abstract
The transition to becoming a mother involves numerous emotional challenges, and the ability to effectively keep negative emotions in check is critical for parenting. Evidence suggests that experiencing socioeconomic disadvantage interferes with parenting adaptations and alters neural processes related to emotion regulation. The present study examined whether socioeconomic disadvantage is associated with diminished neural activation while mothers engaged in volitional (i.e., purposeful) emotion regulation. 59 mothers, at an average of 4 months postpartum, underwent fMRI scanning and completed the Emotion Regulation Task (ERT). When asked to regulate emotions using reappraisal (i.e., Reappraise condition; reframing stimuli in order to decrease negative emotion), mothers with lower income-to-needs ratio exhibited dampened neural activation in the dorsolateral and ventrolateral PFC, middle frontal and middle temporal gyrus, and caudate. Without explicit instructions to down-regulate (i.e., Maintain condition), mothers experiencing lower income also exhibited dampened response in regulatory areas, including the middle frontal and middle temporal gyrus and caudate. Blunted middle frontal gyrus activation across both Reappraise and Maintain conditions was associated with reduced maternal sensitivity during a mother-child interaction task. Results of the present study demonstrate the influence of socioeconomic disadvantage on prefrontal engagement during emotion regulation, which may have downstream consequences for maternal behaviors.
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Affiliation(s)
| | - Leah A Grande
- Department of Psychology, University of Denver, Denver, CO, USA
| | - Kateri McRae
- Department of Psychology, University of Denver, Denver, CO, USA
| | - K Luan Phan
- Department of Psychiatry and Behavioral Health, The Ohio State University, Columbus, OH, USA
| | - Pilyoung Kim
- Department of Psychology, University of Denver, Denver, CO, USA
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6
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Beijers R, Breugelmans S, Brett B, Willemsen Y, Bos P, de Weerth C. Cortisol and testosterone concentrations during the prenatal and postpartum period forecast later caregiving quality in mothers and fathers. Horm Behav 2022; 142:105177. [PMID: 35512479 DOI: 10.1016/j.yhbeh.2022.105177] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Submit a Manuscript] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 10/06/2021] [Revised: 03/21/2022] [Accepted: 04/12/2022] [Indexed: 11/04/2022]
Abstract
Given that parental caregiving quality affects child development from birth onwards, it is important to detect parents who are at risk for low-quality caregiving as early as possible, preferably before or soon after birth. This study investigated whether cortisol (CORT) and testosterone (T) measured during the last trimester of pregnancy and six weeks postpartum were associated with observed caregiving quality at child age 3 in mothers (N = 63) and fathers (N = 45). CORT and T were measured during an interaction with a simulator infant (pregnancy) and their own infant (postpartum). In mothers, no associations were found with CORT and T during pregnancy, but higher postpartum CORT during a mother-infant interaction was related to higher caregiving quality during toddlerhood. In fathers, the association between T during pregnancy and caregiving quality in toddlerhood was more negative for fathers with low CORT. In contrast to mothers, higher postpartum CORT in fathers was associated with lower caregiving quality in toddlerhood. These findings proved robust after applying the Benjamini-Hochberg procedure to control for false discovery rate. Our findings indicate that CORT and T during the perinatal period can forecast caregiving quality in both mothers and fathers. Moreover, our results provided evidence for the dual-hormone hypothesis, but only in fathers. These findings contribute to our growing understanding on how endocrine measures explain individual differences in caregiving quality in mothers and fathers.
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Affiliation(s)
- Roseriet Beijers
- Department of Social Development, Behavioural Science Institute, Radboud University, the Netherlands; Department of Cognitive Neuroscience, Donders Institute for Brain, Cognition and Behaviour, Radboud University Medical Center, the Netherlands.
| | - Sara Breugelmans
- Department of Social Development, Behavioural Science Institute, Radboud University, the Netherlands
| | - Bonnie Brett
- Department of Cognitive Neuroscience, Donders Institute for Brain, Cognition and Behaviour, Radboud University Medical Center, the Netherlands
| | - Yvonne Willemsen
- Department of Cognitive Neuroscience, Donders Institute for Brain, Cognition and Behaviour, Radboud University Medical Center, the Netherlands
| | - Peter Bos
- Institute of Education and Child Studies, Leiden University, the Netherlands
| | - Carolina de Weerth
- Department of Cognitive Neuroscience, Donders Institute for Brain, Cognition and Behaviour, Radboud University Medical Center, the Netherlands
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7
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Lotz AM, Buisman RSM, Alyousefi-van Dijk K, Witte AM, Bakermans-Kranenburg MJ, Verhees MWFT. Exploring the role of endocrine factors in sensitive parenting in men. Horm Behav 2022; 140:105118. [PMID: 35121300 DOI: 10.1016/j.yhbeh.2022.105118] [Citation(s) in RCA: 3] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.5] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Submit a Manuscript] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 03/16/2021] [Revised: 01/05/2022] [Accepted: 01/06/2022] [Indexed: 12/23/2022]
Abstract
Parental sensitivity has been studied extensively in parenting research. Recently, there has been increasing attention to endocrine factors that may be related to parental sensitivity, such as oxytocin, vasopressin, testosterone, and cortisol. Although hormones do not act in isolation, few studies integrated multiple hormones and examined their combined associations with parental sensitivity. The current study aimed to explore the hormonal correlates of paternal sensitivity by examining in 79 first-time fathers of young infants (2-4 months old) (1) the separate and combined associations of basal oxytocin, vasopressin, testosterone, and cortisol levels with sensitivity, and (2) the associations between paternal sensitivity and oxytocin, vasopressin, testosterone, and cortisol reactivity following father-infant interactions. We additionally explored whether interactions between the various basal hormone levels could predict paternal sensitivity. Saliva for the quantification of fathers' hormone levels was sampled before and after an interaction with their infant to determine basal levels and reactivity. Results revealed no significant associations between sensitivity and basal hormone levels or reactivity. However, results indicated that cortisol and testosterone interacted in their effects on paternal sensitive parenting. Namely, fathers with low basal cortisol levels showed more sensitivity with increasing T levels, but fathers with high cortisol levels were less sensitive with increasing T levels. However, it should be noted that the latter slope was not significantly different from zero. These findings suggest that variations in parental sensitivity might be better explained by interactions between hormones than by single hormone levels.
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Affiliation(s)
- A M Lotz
- Clinical Child & Family Studies, Faculty of Behavioral and Movement Sciences, Vrije Universiteit, Amsterdam, the Netherlands; Leiden Institute for Brain and Cognition, Leiden University Medical Center, Leiden, the Netherlands; Institute of Education and Child Studies, Faculty of Social and Behavioral Sciences, Leiden University, the Netherlands.
| | - R S M Buisman
- Forensic Family and Youth Care Studies, Faculty of Social and Behavioral Sciences, Leiden University, the Netherlands
| | - K Alyousefi-van Dijk
- Clinical Child & Family Studies, Faculty of Behavioral and Movement Sciences, Vrije Universiteit, Amsterdam, the Netherlands; Leiden Institute for Brain and Cognition, Leiden University Medical Center, Leiden, the Netherlands
| | - A M Witte
- Clinical Child & Family Studies, Faculty of Behavioral and Movement Sciences, Vrije Universiteit, Amsterdam, the Netherlands
| | - M J Bakermans-Kranenburg
- Clinical Child & Family Studies, Faculty of Behavioral and Movement Sciences, Vrije Universiteit, Amsterdam, the Netherlands; Leiden Institute for Brain and Cognition, Leiden University Medical Center, Leiden, the Netherlands
| | - M W F T Verhees
- Clinical Child & Family Studies, Faculty of Behavioral and Movement Sciences, Vrije Universiteit, Amsterdam, the Netherlands
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8
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Postpartum scarcity-adversity disrupts maternal behavior and induces a hypodopaminergic state in the rat dam and adult female offspring. Neuropsychopharmacology 2022; 47:488-496. [PMID: 34703012 PMCID: PMC8674224 DOI: 10.1038/s41386-021-01210-3] [Citation(s) in RCA: 14] [Impact Index Per Article: 7.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Submit a Manuscript] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 08/17/2021] [Revised: 09/14/2021] [Accepted: 10/11/2021] [Indexed: 02/06/2023]
Abstract
Postpartum adversity is among the strongest predictors for the emergence of postpartum depression (PPD) in humans and a translational risk factor employed in rodent models. Parental care is disturbed under conditions of environmental adversity, including low resource environments, and in PPD. Nonetheless, the neural changes associated with these adversity-induced maladaptive behavioral states remain poorly understood. Postpartum scarcity-adversity can be modeled in rats by providing the dam with limited bedding and nesting (LBN) materials, which mimics the effects of a stressful low resource environment in potentiating maltreatment/neglect in humans. Indeed, LBN exposure from postpartum days (PD) 2-9 increased adverse maternal behaviors, impaired pup retrieval, and increased passive stress coping responses. Since mesolimbic dopamine (DA) activity is an important mechanism for motivated maternal behavior and is implicated in PPD, we assessed the impact of postpartum scarcity-adversity on in vivo electrophysiological properties of ventral tegmental area (VTA) DA neurons at two timepoints. We found reduced numbers of active VTA DA neurons in LBN dams at PD 9-10 but not PD-21, suggesting a transient impact on VTA population activity in LBN dams. Finally, we assessed the impact of early life scarcity-adversity on VTA DA function by conducting VTA recordings in adult female offspring and found a long-lasting attenuation in DA activity. These findings highlight a link between adversity-induced deficits in DA function and disrupted maternal behavior, suggesting the VTA/mesolimbic DA system as a potential mechanism by which postpartum scarcity-adversity drives aberrant maternal behavior, and early postnatal programming of adult VTA function in the offspring.
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Verhees M, van IJzendoorn MH, Alyousefi-van Dijk K, Lotz AM, de Waal N, Bakermans-Kranenburg MJ. Child maltreatment affects fathers’ response to infant crying, not mediated by cortisol or testosterone. COMPREHENSIVE PSYCHONEUROENDOCRINOLOGY 2021; 8:100083. [PMID: 35757672 PMCID: PMC9216419 DOI: 10.1016/j.cpnec.2021.100083] [Citation(s) in RCA: 1] [Impact Index Per Article: 0.3] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 08/05/2021] [Accepted: 08/26/2021] [Indexed: 10/31/2022] Open
Abstract
Parents' ability to appropriately respond to infant crying is essential for parental care and has been found to relate to parents' own childhood experiences. Additionally, childhood experiences can affect endocrine factors, which may subsequently affect behavior. In the current study, preregistered on https://osf.io/hwgtu, we examined in expectant and new fathers (N = 152) associations between experiences of maltreatment in their own childhood, hair cortisol and testosterone concentrations and their ability to modulate handgrip force when exposed to infant crying. Cortisol and testosterone were quantified from the 1 cm of hair most proximal to the scalp using Liquid chromatography-tandem mass spectrometry. Participants were asked to squeeze a handgrip dynamometer at full and half strength while listening to infant cries and control sounds. Results indicated that fathers who experienced more childhood maltreatment used more excessive handgrip force during infant cry sounds. Hair cortisol and testosterone were not related to either experienced childhood maltreatment or handgrip strength modulation. These findings confirm that fathers’ early experiences of maltreatment reduce their ability to modulate their behavioral responses during infant cries, but suggest that hair cortisol and testosterone concentrations do not identify the underlying mechanism of this association. Childhood maltreatment relates to fathers' behavioural responses to infant crying. Childhood maltreatment is unrelated to fathers' hair cortisol and testosterone. Cortisol and testosterone are unrelated to behavioural responses to infant cries.
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A biopsychosocial perspective on maternal parenting in the first two years of infant life. Behav Brain Res 2021; 411:113375. [PMID: 34023309 DOI: 10.1016/j.bbr.2021.113375] [Citation(s) in RCA: 1] [Impact Index Per Article: 0.3] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 11/16/2020] [Revised: 05/13/2021] [Accepted: 05/17/2021] [Indexed: 11/21/2022]
Abstract
Guided by a biopsychosocial perspective of mothering, this study investigated the interplay among biological (maternal cortisol reactivity), psychological (maternal depressive symptoms), and social (infant emotion and regulation) factors in contributing to early changes in maternal parenting. Participants were 1292 low-income, mother-infant pairs, assessed when the infants were 6-months (T1), 15-months (T2), and 24-months old (T3). Maternal parenting was observed at all assessment points. At T1, infant emotion expression and orienting towards mothers were observed, when maternal cortisol reactivity was assessed. Mothers reported their depressive symptoms at T1. Exploratory factor analysis revealed two parenting factors across time points: positive engagement and negative intrusiveness. Second-order latent growth curve models revealed interactions among maternal cortisol reactivity, depressive symptoms, and child negative emotion/orienting at T1 in predicting intercepts and slopes of two parenting factors. T1 maternal cortisol reactivity was associated with a higher positive engagement intercept for infants having high negative emotion at T1, but a lower positive engagement intercept for infants with low negative emotion at T1, under low T1 maternal depressive symptoms. T1 maternal cortisol reactivity was also related to a lower negative intrusiveness intercept for infants showing high orienting at T1. Longitudinally, maternal cortisol reactivity at T1 predicted a faster decline in positive engagement when infants showed high negative emotion at T1, but a slower decline when infants were less negative at T1. This study reveals a bivalent adaptation process in maternal sensitivity and enhances the current understanding of how biopsychosocial factors contribute to maternal parenting in low-income families.
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Wu Q, Yan J, Cui M. A Developmental Hierarchical-Integrative Perspective on the Emergence of Self-Regulation: A Replication and Extension. Child Dev 2021; 92:e997-e1016. [PMID: 33742702 DOI: 10.1111/cdev.13559] [Citation(s) in RCA: 3] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 11/26/2022]
Abstract
This study replicated and extended the Feldman (2009) study by applying the developmental hierarchical-integrative model to understand the emergence of self-regulation. Participants included 360 children (48.6% boys; 62.8% identified as Caucasian and 36.9% African American) and their families, predominantly from a low-income, rural background. Families completed assessments on child physiological, attention, emotion, and self-regulation when children were 6-, 15-, 24-, and 36-month-old, when caregiver sensitivity was observationally assessed. A path model revealed that child attention regulation at 6 months predicted physiological regulation at 15 months, and child attention regulation at 15 months predicted emotion regulation at 24 months. Attention regulation at 24 months predicted better self-regulation at 36 months. Notably, caregiver sensitivity moderated several developmental pathways. Findings support a continuous model of early self-regulation development and the ongoing individual-environment interplay in early childhood.
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12
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A systematic review of caregiver-child physiological synchrony across systems: Associations with behavior and child functioning. Dev Psychopathol 2021; 32:1754-1777. [PMID: 33427185 DOI: 10.1017/s0954579420001236] [Citation(s) in RCA: 34] [Impact Index Per Article: 11.3] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 11/07/2022]
Abstract
Extensive research has established a positive association between caregiver-child behavioral synchrony and child developmental functioning. Burgeoning research examining physiological synchrony has yet to elucidate its impact for children's developing self-regulation. The objectives of this systematic review were to: 1) determine whether there is evidence that caregiver-child physiological synchrony promotes positive child development, 2) examine developmental differences in physiological synchrony and its correlates, and 3) explore whether context, risk, and/or stress influence patterns of synchrony. Sixty-nine studies met the following criteria on PubMed and PsycINFO: 1) peer-reviewed empirical articles in English that 2) examine autonomic, hypothalamic-pituitary-adrenocortical, and/or central nervous system activity 3) for caregivers and children 4) in response to a task and 5) directly examine the association between caregiver and child physiology. Findings varied based on developmental period and current behavioral context. Functional differences may exist across physiological systems and contexts. Synchrony may have different developmental consequences for dyads with and without certain risk factors. Few studies examine physiological synchrony across multiple systems or contexts, nor do they measure child characteristics associated with synchrony. Statistical and methodological challenges impede interpretation. Findings generally support the idea that physiological synchrony may support children's developing self-regulation. Longitudinal research is needed to examine child developmental outcomes over time.
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Harris M, MacMillan H, Andrews K, Atkinson L, Kimber M, England-Mason G, Gonzalez A. Maternal adverse childhood experiences, executive function & emotional availability in mother-child dyads. CHILD ABUSE & NEGLECT 2021; 111:104830. [PMID: 33307519 DOI: 10.1016/j.chiabu.2020.104830] [Citation(s) in RCA: 11] [Impact Index Per Article: 3.7] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 08/04/2020] [Revised: 10/09/2020] [Accepted: 11/22/2020] [Indexed: 06/12/2023]
Abstract
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.
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Affiliation(s)
- Madeleine Harris
- Neuroscience Graduate Program, McMaster University, Hamilton, ON L8S 4K1, Canada; Offord Centre for Child Studies, Hamilton, ON L8S 4K1, Canada
| | - Harriet MacMillan
- Offord Centre for Child Studies, Hamilton, ON L8S 4K1, Canada; Department of Psychiatry and Behavioural Neurosciences, McMaster University, Hamilton, ON L8S 4K1, Canada; Department of Pediatrics, McMaster University, Hamilton, ON L8S 4K1, Canada
| | - Krysta Andrews
- Department of Psychiatry and Behavioural Neurosciences, McMaster University, Hamilton, ON L8S 4K1, Canada
| | - Leslie Atkinson
- Department of Psychology, Ryerson University, Toronto, ON M5B 2K3, Canada
| | - Melissa Kimber
- Offord Centre for Child Studies, Hamilton, ON L8S 4K1, Canada; Department of Psychiatry and Behavioural Neurosciences, McMaster University, Hamilton, ON L8S 4K1, Canada
| | - Gillian England-Mason
- Department of Pediatrics, Cumming School of Medicine, University of Calgary, Calgary, AB T2N 4N1, Canada; Owerko Centre, Alberta Children's Hospital Research Institute, University of Calgary, Calgary AB T3B 6A8, Canada
| | - Andrea Gonzalez
- Offord Centre for Child Studies, Hamilton, ON L8S 4K1, Canada; Department of Psychiatry and Behavioural Neurosciences, McMaster University, Hamilton, ON L8S 4K1, Canada.
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Khoury JE, Bosquet Enlow M, Patwa MC, Lyons-Ruth K. Hair cortisol in pregnancy interacts with maternal depressive symptoms to predict maternal disrupted interaction with her infant at 4 months. Dev Psychobiol 2020; 62:768-782. [PMID: 32037544 PMCID: PMC7415595 DOI: 10.1002/dev.21950] [Citation(s) in RCA: 15] [Impact Index Per Article: 3.8] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 05/04/2019] [Revised: 11/01/2019] [Accepted: 01/02/2020] [Indexed: 12/12/2022]
Abstract
Disrupted maternal interaction in early infancy is associated with maladaptive child outcomes. Thus, identifying early risk factors for disrupted interaction is an important challenge. Research suggests that maternal depressive symptoms and maternal cortisol dysregulation are associated with disrupted maternal interaction, but both factors have rarely been considered together as independent or interactive predictors of disrupted interaction. In a sample of 51 women, hair cortisol concentrations (HCC) and depressive symptoms were assessed during pregnancy, and depressive symptoms were assessed again at 4-month postpartum. Maternal disrupted interaction was assessed during the Still-Face Paradigm at 4 months. Results indicated that HCC and depressive symptoms interacted to predict both maternal withdrawing and inappropriate/intrusive interaction. Withdrawing interaction was associated with high levels of HCC in pregnancy in the context of high depressive symptoms at 4 months; inappropriate/intrusive interaction was associated with high levels of HCC in the context of low depressive symptoms. Thus, high HCC potentiated both forms of disrupted interaction. Results raised questions about the meaning of very low reported depressive symptoms, and underscored the importance of chronic stress physiology and maternal depressed mood as risk factors for distinct forms of maternal disrupted interaction, both of which are deleterious for infant development.
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15
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Bakermans‐Kranenburg MJ, Lotz A, Alyousefi‐van Dijk K, van IJzendoorn M. Birth of a Father: Fathering in the First 1,000 Days. CHILD DEVELOPMENT PERSPECTIVES 2019; 13:247-253. [PMID: 31894183 PMCID: PMC6919930 DOI: 10.1111/cdep.12347] [Citation(s) in RCA: 52] [Impact Index Per Article: 10.4] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 12/17/2022]
Abstract
As a result of societal changes, fathers participate more actively in child care than they used to. In this article, we propose a context-dependent biobehavioral model of emergent fatherhood in which sociocultural, behavioral, hormonal, and neural factors develop and interact during the first 1,000 days of fatherhood. Sociocultural factors, including different expectations of fathers and varying opportunities for paternal caregiving through paid paternal leave, influence paternal involvement. Levels of hormones (e.g., testosterone, vasopressin, oxytocin, cortisol) predict fathers' parenting behaviors, and involvement in caregiving in turn affects their hormones and brain responses to infant stimuli. The birth of the first child marks the transition to fatherhood and may be a critical period in men's lives, with a smoother transition to fatherhood predicting more optimal involvement by fathers in subsequent years. A focus on prenatal and early postnatal fathering may pave the way for developing interventions that effectively support fathering during pregnancy and in the first years of their children's lives.
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16
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Perry RE, Rincón-Cortés M, Braren SH, Brandes-Aitken AN, Opendak M, Pollonini G, Chopra D, Raver CC, Alberini CM, Blair C, Sullivan RM. Corticosterone administration targeting a hypo-reactive HPA axis rescues a socially-avoidant phenotype in scarcity-adversity reared rats. Dev Cogn Neurosci 2019; 40:100716. [PMID: 31704654 PMCID: PMC6939642 DOI: 10.1016/j.dcn.2019.100716] [Citation(s) in RCA: 26] [Impact Index Per Article: 5.2] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 05/01/2019] [Revised: 08/07/2019] [Accepted: 10/01/2019] [Indexed: 01/22/2023] Open
Abstract
It is well-established that children from low-income, under-resourced families are at increased risk of altered social development. However, the biological mechanisms by which poverty-related adversities can “get under the skin” to influence social behavior are poorly understood and cannot be easily ascertained using human research alone. This study utilized a rodent model of “scarcity-adversity,” which encompasses material resource deprivation (scarcity) and reduced caregiving quality (adversity), to explore how early-life scarcity-adversity causally influences social behavior via disruption of developing stress physiology. Results showed that early-life scarcity-adversity exposure increased social avoidance when offspring were tested in a social approach test in peri-adolescence. Furthermore, early-life scarcity-adversity led to blunted hypothalamic-pituitary-adrenal (HPA) axis activity as measured via adrenocorticotropic hormone (ACTH) and corticosterone (CORT) reactivity following the social approach test. Western blot analysis of brain tissue revealed that glucocorticoid receptor levels in the dorsal (but not ventral) hippocampus and medial prefrontal cortex were significantly elevated in scarcity-adversity reared rats following the social approach test. Finally, pharmacological repletion of CORT in scarcity-adversity reared peri-adolescents rescued social behavior. Our findings provide causal support that early-life scarcity-adversity exposure negatively impacts social development via a hypocorticosteronism-dependent mechanism, which can be targeted via CORT administration to rescue social behavior.
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Affiliation(s)
- Rosemarie E Perry
- Department of Applied Psychology, New York University, 627 Broadway, New York, NY 10012, USA.
| | - Millie Rincón-Cortés
- Emotional Brain Institute, Nathan Kline Institute & Department of Child and Adolescent Psychiatry, New York University School of Medicine, 1 Park Ave, New York, NY 10016, USA.
| | - Stephen H Braren
- Department of Applied Psychology, New York University, 627 Broadway, New York, NY 10012, USA.
| | - Annie N Brandes-Aitken
- Department of Applied Psychology, New York University, 627 Broadway, New York, NY 10012, USA.
| | - Maya Opendak
- Emotional Brain Institute, Nathan Kline Institute & Department of Child and Adolescent Psychiatry, New York University School of Medicine, 1 Park Ave, New York, NY 10016, USA.
| | - Gabriella Pollonini
- Center for Neural Science, New York University, 4 Washington Place, New York, NY 10003, USA.
| | - Divija Chopra
- Department of Applied Psychology, New York University, 627 Broadway, New York, NY 10012, USA.
| | - C Cybele Raver
- Department of Applied Psychology, New York University, 627 Broadway, New York, NY 10012, USA.
| | - Cristina M Alberini
- Center for Neural Science, New York University, 4 Washington Place, New York, NY 10003, USA.
| | - Clancy Blair
- Department of Applied Psychology, New York University, 627 Broadway, New York, NY 10012, USA.
| | - Regina M Sullivan
- Emotional Brain Institute, Nathan Kline Institute & Department of Child and Adolescent Psychiatry, New York University School of Medicine, 1 Park Ave, New York, NY 10016, USA.
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17
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Nguyen AJ, Hoyer E, Rajhans P, Strathearn L, Kim S. A tumultuous transition to motherhood: Altered brain and hormonal responses in mothers with postpartum depression. J Neuroendocrinol 2019; 31:e12794. [PMID: 31520440 DOI: 10.1111/jne.12794] [Citation(s) in RCA: 14] [Impact Index Per Article: 2.8] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Submit a Manuscript] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 10/31/2018] [Revised: 08/26/2019] [Accepted: 09/08/2019] [Indexed: 12/19/2022]
Abstract
Postpartum depression (PPD) is a common but complex condition that is poorly understood and multifactorial in aetiology. It is a condition that can compromise the mother's care for her infant, which may pose challenges to the formation of the mother-infant bond and the infant's overall development. Past research has looked at abnormalities in the brain circuitry and hormonal profiles of mothers with PPD compared to non-depressed mothers. However, abnormalities in PPD that may specifically affect the mother's care of her infant have not been clearly assessed. Thus, the present review aims to synthesise studies of altered brain and hormonal responses in mothers with PPD in relation to their care of their infant. First, we review maternal brain responses and their relation to PPD symptomatology, focusing on the salience/fear network, reward/attachment network and default mode network. Next, we discuss oxytocin and hypothalamic-pituitary-adrenal axis hormones in the context of maternal behaviour and PPD. Finally, we synthesise these findings and propose how future studies may benefit from the combined study of both neural and hormonal activity to better understand the underlying neurobiology of maternal care in PPD.
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Affiliation(s)
- Amanda J Nguyen
- School of Medicine, Baylor College of Medicine, Houston, TX, USA
| | - Elisabeth Hoyer
- School of Medicine, Baylor College of Medicine, Houston, TX, USA
| | - Purva Rajhans
- Department of Pediatrics, Baylor College of Medicine, Houston, TX, USA
- Stead Family Department of Pediatrics, University of Iowa Carver College of Medicine, Iowa City, IA, USA
| | - Lane Strathearn
- Stead Family Department of Pediatrics, University of Iowa Carver College of Medicine, Iowa City, IA, USA
- Center for Disabilities and Development, University of Iowa Stead Family Children's Hospital, Iowa City, IA, USA
| | - Sohye Kim
- Department of Pediatrics, Baylor College of Medicine, Houston, TX, USA
- Department of Obstetrics and Gynecology, Baylor College of Medicine, Houston, TX, USA
- Menninger Department of Psychiatry and Behavioral Sciences, Baylor College of Medicine, Houston, TX, USA
- Center for Reproductive Psychiatry, Pavilion for Women, Texas Children's Hospital, Houston, TX, USA
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18
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Perry RE, Finegood ED, Braren SH, DeJoseph ML, Putrino DF, Wilson DA, Sullivan RM, Raver CC, Blair C. Developing a neurobehavioral animal model of poverty: Drawing cross-species connections between environments of scarcity-adversity, parenting quality, and infant outcome. Dev Psychopathol 2019; 31:399-418. [PMID: 29606185 PMCID: PMC6168440 DOI: 10.1017/s095457941800007x] [Citation(s) in RCA: 38] [Impact Index Per Article: 7.6] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 11/06/2022]
Abstract
Children reared in impoverished environments are at risk for enduring psychological and physical health problems. Mechanisms by which poverty affects development, however, remain unclear. To explore one potential mechanism of poverty's impact on social-emotional and cognitive development, an experimental examination of a rodent model of scarcity-adversity was conducted and compared to results from a longitudinal study of human infants and families followed from birth (N = 1,292) who faced high levels of poverty-related scarcity-adversity. Cross-species results supported the hypothesis that altered caregiving is one pathway by which poverty adversely impacts development. Rodent mothers assigned to the scarcity-adversity condition exhibited decreased sensitive parenting and increased negative parenting relative to mothers assigned to the control condition. Furthermore, scarcity-adversity reared pups exhibited decreased developmental competence as indicated by disrupted nipple attachment, distress vocalization when in physical contact with an anesthetized mother, and reduced preference for maternal odor with corresponding changes in brain activation. Human results indicated that scarcity-adversity was inversely correlated with sensitive parenting and positively correlated with negative parenting, and that parenting fully mediated the association of poverty-related risk with infant indicators of developmental competence. Findings are discussed from the perspective of the usefulness of bidirectional-translational research to inform interventions for at-risk families.
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Affiliation(s)
| | | | | | | | - David F. Putrino
- Department of Telemedicine and Virtual Rehabilitation, Burke Medical Research Institute & Department of Rehabilitation Medicine, Weill Cornell Medicine
| | - Donald A. Wilson
- Emotional Brain Institute, Nathan Kline Institute & Department of Child and Adolescent Psychiatry, New York University School of Medicine
| | - Regina M. Sullivan
- Emotional Brain Institute, Nathan Kline Institute & Department of Child and Adolescent Psychiatry, New York University School of Medicine
| | | | - Clancy Blair
- Department of Applied Psychology, New York University
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19
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Braren SH, Perry RE, Ursache A, Blair C. Socioeconomic risk moderates the association between caregiver cortisol levels and infant cortisol reactivity to emotion induction at 24 months. Dev Psychobiol 2019; 61:573-591. [PMID: 30820941 PMCID: PMC6488391 DOI: 10.1002/dev.21832] [Citation(s) in RCA: 6] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.2] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 08/27/2018] [Revised: 01/09/2019] [Accepted: 01/11/2019] [Indexed: 01/09/2023]
Abstract
Relations between maternal baseline cortisol and infant cortisol reactivity to an emotion induction procedure at child ages 7, 15, and 24 months were analyzed using data from the Family Life Project (N = 1,292). The emotion induction consisted of a series of standardized and validated tasks, including an arm restraint, toy removal, and mask presentation, intended to elicit responses of fear and frustration. Results revealed that at 7 and 15 months, maternal baseline cortisol was negatively related to child cortisol reactivity, such that children of mothers with lower cortisol exhibited steeper cortisol increases in response to the emotion induction. At 24 months, the association between mother and infant cortisol was moderated by socioeconomic risk, such that maternal baseline cortisol was associated with child cortisol reactivity only in dyads characterized by low socioeconomic risk. Furthermore, at 24 months, children of mothers with low baseline cortisol and low socioeconomic risk exhibited decreasing cortisol responses, whereas children of mothers with low baseline cortisol but high risk exhibited flat cortisol responses. Children in dyads characterized by high baseline maternal cortisol also exhibited flat cortisol responses regardless of socioeconomic risk. The role of caregiver physiology in the regulation of the child's stress response in the context of adversity is discussed.
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Affiliation(s)
- Stephen H. Braren
- Department of Applied Psychology, 246 Greene Street, Kimball Hall, 8 Floor, New York University, New York, NY, 10012, United States
| | - Rosemarie E. Perry
- Department of Applied Psychology, 246 Greene Street, Kimball Hall, 8 Floor, New York University, New York, NY, 10012, United States
| | - Alexandra Ursache
- Department of Population Health, 227 East 30th Street, 7 Floor, New York University School of Medicine, New York, NY, 10016, United States
| | - Clancy Blair
- Department of Applied Psychology, 246 Greene Street, Kimball Hall, 8 Floor, New York University, New York, NY, 10012, United States
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20
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Borelli JL, Shai D, Smiley PA, Boparai S, Goldstein A, Rasmussen HF, Granger DA. Mother-child adrenocortical synchrony: Roles of maternal overcontrol and child developmental phase. Dev Psychobiol 2019; 61:1120-1134. [PMID: 30868558 DOI: 10.1002/dev.21845] [Citation(s) in RCA: 10] [Impact Index Per Article: 2.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 08/20/2018] [Revised: 01/15/2019] [Accepted: 02/05/2019] [Indexed: 01/20/2023]
Abstract
An increasing amount of empirical attention is focused on adrenocortical synchrony as an index of biobehavioral co-regulation between parent and child in the context of early child development. Working with an ethnically diverse community sample of children (N = 99, 50.5% male, ages 9-12), we collected saliva samples from mother-child dyads prior to and after a laboratory-based performance challenge task, and tested whether maternal overcontrol and child age moderated dyadic synchrony in cortisol. Results revealed that cortisol levels between mothers and children were significantly positively correlated at pretask for dyads with mean age and older children only, at 25-min post-task for all dyads, and at 45-min post-task for all dyads. Higher overcontrol/older child dyads exhibited a unique pattern of cortisol synchrony wherein at pretask, mother-child levels had the strongest positive correlation, whereas at 25 and 45 min, mother-child cortisol levels were significantly inversely correlated. These findings contribute to theory and research on parent-child relationships by examining parenting behavior, developmental stage, and adrenocortical synchrony in tandem.
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Affiliation(s)
| | - Dana Shai
- School of Behavioral Studies, The Academic College of Tel Aviv Yaffo, Tel Aviv, Israel
| | | | - Sameen Boparai
- Psychological Science, University of California, Irvine, California
| | - Alison Goldstein
- Psychological Science, University of California, Irvine, California
| | - Hannah F Rasmussen
- Department of Psychology, University of Southern California, Los Angeles, California
| | - Douglas A Granger
- Psychological Science, University of California, Irvine, California.,Institute for Interdisciplinary Salivary Bioscience Research, University of California, Irvine, California.,Johns Hopkins University School of Nursing, Bloomberg School of Public Health, and School of Medicine, Baltimore, Maryland
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21
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Prenatal and postnatal cortisol and testosterone are related to parental caregiving quality in fathers, but not in mothers. Psychoneuroendocrinology 2018; 97:94-103. [PMID: 30015010 DOI: 10.1016/j.psyneuen.2018.07.013] [Citation(s) in RCA: 31] [Impact Index Per Article: 5.2] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Submit a Manuscript] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 01/11/2018] [Revised: 06/22/2018] [Accepted: 07/07/2018] [Indexed: 12/20/2022]
Abstract
Testosterone and cortisol have both been implicated in human parenting behavior. We investigated the relations between observed quality of caregiving during parent-child interactions and pre- and postnatal testosterone and cortisol levels, in both mothers (N = 88) and fathers (N = 57). Testosterone and cortisol were measured before and after interaction with an infant simulator (prenatal) and with their own child (postnatal) to index basal levels as well as steroid reactivity to the interaction. Our findings are that in fathers, interactions between cortisol and testosterone are related to quality of caregiving both pre- and postnatally. Prenatally there was a stronger negative relation between T and quality of caregiving in fathers with lower cortisol levels, and postnatally there was a stronger negative relation between cortisol and quality of caregiving in fathers high in testosterone levels. Furthermore, prenatal cortisol levels were related to paternal quality of caregiving during interaction with their own child. In mothers, no associations between quality of caregiving and our endocrine measures were observed. We interpret our findings in the context of hyperreactive physiological responses observed in parents at risk for insensitive caregiving, and in light of the dual-hormone hypothesis. The current findings contribute to the growing literature on the endocrine antecedents of human caregiving behavior.
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22
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Abstract
Preterm birth (PTB) occurs among 1:11U.S. white women and 1:7.5 African American women and is a significant driver of racial disparities in infant mortality. Maternal stress is the most common clinical phenotype underlying spontaneous PTB. Specific patterns of stress and biological mediators driving PTB remain unclear. We examined the effect of childhood stress on birth timing among African American women and evaluated maternal cortisol elevation as a biological mediator. A prospective observational design was employed, with a single study visit at 28-32 weeks gestation and medical record review. The Stress and Adversity Inventory was administered, which provides a comprehensive estimate of childhood stress, stress in adulthood, and five core characteristic subscales (interpersonal loss, physical danger, humiliation, entrapment, role disruption). Venipuncture was performed between 11:00am and 4:00pm and plasma cortisol quantified by ELISA. Analyses controlled for stress in adulthood. Among a final sample of 89, cumulative childhood stress predicted birth timing (p=0.01). The association was driven by stress related to interpersonal loss and physical danger, with support for maternal cortisol as a biological mediator (ab=0.02, 95% CI [0.001, 0.045]; ab=0.02, 95% CI [0.001, 0.043], respectively). Results were similar, overall, in sub-group analyses among spontaneously laboring women (n=53); however, role disruption arose as an additional predictor, as mediated by cortisol elevations (ab=0.03, 95% CI [0.005, 0.074]). Of note, cortisol was no longer supported as a mediator linking physical danger to birth timing after adjusting for sleep quality and hours awake prior to venipuncture (ab=0.02, 95% CI [-0.0001, 0.046]). We provide preliminary evidence that, independent of stress in adulthood, childhood stress of specific core characteristics may shape birth timing, with cortisol elevation as a biological mediator. Further investigation is warranted and may bolster the development of biologically-informed screening tools for the prediction and targeted prevention of stress-related PTB.
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23
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Clauss NJ, Byrd-Craven J, Kennison SM, Chua KJ. The Roles of Mothers’ Partner Satisfaction and Mother-Infant Communication Duration in Mother-Infant Adrenocortical Attunement. ADAPTIVE HUMAN BEHAVIOR AND PHYSIOLOGY 2017. [DOI: 10.1007/s40750-017-0078-8] [Citation(s) in RCA: 2] [Impact Index Per Article: 0.3] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 12/12/2022]
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24
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Tarullo AR, St John AM, Meyer JS. Chronic stress in the mother-infant dyad: Maternal hair cortisol, infant salivary cortisol and interactional synchrony. Infant Behav Dev 2017; 47:92-102. [PMID: 28391126 PMCID: PMC5493894 DOI: 10.1016/j.infbeh.2017.03.007] [Citation(s) in RCA: 47] [Impact Index Per Article: 6.7] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 09/11/2016] [Revised: 03/29/2017] [Accepted: 03/29/2017] [Indexed: 01/06/2023]
Abstract
Stress physiology is shaped by early experience, with enduring effects on health. The relation of chronic maternal physiological stress, as indexed by hair cortisol, to infants' stress systems and to mother-infant interaction quality has not been established. We examined maternal hair and salivary cortisol, six-month-old infants' salivary cortisol, and mother-infant interaction in 121 mother-infant dyads. High maternal hair cortisol was related to higher infant average salivary cortisol concentration. Maternal hair cortisol and bedtime salivary cortisol were both uniquely related to infant bedtime salivary cortisol. Mothers with higher hair cortisol were more intrusive and had lower positive engagement synchrony with their infants. Maternal intrusiveness moderated the association of maternal hair cortisol and infant salivary cortisol, such that maternal hair and infant average salivary cortisol were related only when mothers were more intrusive. Maternal chronic physiological stress may upregulate infants' developing stress systems, particularly in the context of lower mother-infant interaction quality.
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Affiliation(s)
- Amanda R Tarullo
- Department of Psychological and Brain Sciences, Boston University, United States.
| | - Ashley Moore St John
- Department of Psychological and Brain Sciences, Boston University, United States
| | - Jerrold S Meyer
- Department of Psychological and Brain Sciences, University of Massachusetts, Amherst, United States
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25
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Perry RE, Blair C, Sullivan RM. Neurobiology of infant attachment: attachment despite adversity and parental programming of emotionality. Curr Opin Psychol 2017; 17:1-6. [PMID: 28950954 DOI: 10.1016/j.copsyc.2017.04.022] [Citation(s) in RCA: 51] [Impact Index Per Article: 7.3] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 02/06/2017] [Revised: 04/10/2017] [Accepted: 04/18/2017] [Indexed: 12/19/2022]
Abstract
We review recent findings related to the neurobiology of infant attachment, emphasizing the role of parenting quality in attachment formation and emotional development. Current findings suggest that the development of brain structures important for emotional expression and regulation (amygdala, prefrontal cortex, hippocampus) is deeply associated with the quality of care received in infancy, with sensitive caregiving providing regulation vital for programming these structures, ultimately shaping the development of emotion into adulthood. Evidence indicates that without sensitive caregiving, infants fail to develop mechanisms needed for later-life emotion and emotion regulation. Research suggests that a sensitive period exists in early life for parental shaping of emotional development, although further cross-species research is needed to discern its age limits, and thus inform interventions.
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Affiliation(s)
- Rosemarie E Perry
- Department of Applied Psychology, Steinhardt School of Culture, Education and Human Development, New York University, New York, NY, USA.
| | - Clancy Blair
- Department of Applied Psychology, Steinhardt School of Culture, Education and Human Development, New York University, New York, NY, USA
| | - Regina M Sullivan
- Emotional Brain Institute, Nathan Kline Institute & Department of Child and Adolescent Psychiatry, New York University School of Medicine, New York, NY, USA
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