Low level of parental bonding might be a risk factor among women with prolonged depression: a preliminary investigation

An intergenerational study of parental bonding on perceptions of parental and spousal criticism and marital relationship quality in Singapore

Criticism is a form of interpersonal social rejection and destructive conflict behavior which has been associated with poor relationship outcomes in both parent-child and marital relationships. However, the role of the individual's perceptions of parental and spousal criticism in influencing the perceptions of criticism of other members in the family unit has not been examined. This study investigated the associations between parental bonding and perceptions of parental and spousal criticism across generations in Singapore. In all, 134 Singaporean married parent dyads (G2) and one child (G3) of each dyad were recruited. G2 parent participants completed the Perceived Criticism measure for their parents (G1) and spouses, the Parental Bonding Instrument and the Quality of Marriage Index. G3 children participants completed the Perceived Criticism measure for their parents (G2). Path analysis found that G2 perceptions of parental bonding were significant predictors of G2's perceptions of G1 parental criticism, which significantly predicted both G2's perceptions of spousal criticism and G3's perceptions of G2 parental criticism. Perceptions of spousal criticism were also found to predict marital relationship quality in G2 participants. Findings highlight the intergenerational transmission of perceptions of criticism across relationships in the family unit, providing support that parenting practices and communication patterns in one generation can predict those in the next generation in the Singaporean context. Future studies can look to replicate the findings in other cultures and include further investigations into sibling relationships as well.

A Cross-Sectional Study: Structural and Related Functional Connectivity Changes in the Brain: Stigmata of Adverse Parenting in Patients with Major Depressive Disorder?

Background: There is a high correlation between the risk of major depressive disorder (MDD) and adverse childhood experiences (ACEs) such as adverse parenting (AP). While there appears to be an association between ACEs and changes in brain structure and function, there have yet to be multimodal neuroimaging studies of associations between parenting style and brain developmental changes in MDD patients. To explore the effect of AP on brain structure and function. Methods: In this cross-sectional study, 125 MDD outpatients were included in the study and divided into the AP group and the optimal parenting (OP) group. Participants completed self-rating scales to assess depressive severity, symptoms, and their parents' styles. They also completed magnetic resonance imaging within one week of filling out the instruments. The differences between groups of gender, educational level, and medications were analyzed using the chi-squared test and those of age, duration of illness, and scores on scales using the independent samples t-test. Differences in gray matter volume (GMV) and resting-state functional connectivity (RS-FC) were assessed between groups. Results: AP was associated with a significant increase in GMV in the right superior parietal lobule (SPL) and FC between the right SPL and the bilateral medial superior frontal cortex in MDD patients. Limitations: The cross-cultural characteristics of AP will result in the lack of generalizability of the findings. Conclusions: The results support the hypothesis that AP during childhood may imprint the brain and affect depressive symptoms in adulthood. Parents should pay attention to the parenting style and avoid a style that lacks warmth.

Paternal indifference and neglect in early life and creativity: Exploring the moderating role of TPH1 genotype and offspring gender

For further understanding the joint contribution of environment, heredity and gender to creativity, the present research examined the prospective impact of paternal indifference & neglect in early life, TPH1 rs623580, offspring gender, and the interaction effects thereof on creativity in five hundred and thirty-nine unrelated healthy Chinese undergraduate students. Paternal indifference & neglect in early life was assessed on the Parental Bonding Instrument (PBI) and creativity on the Runco Creativity Assessment Battery (rCAB). Two primary findings emerged. Firstly, significant paternal indifference & neglect × TPH1 genotype interaction effects were identified in predicting all three dimensions of creativity (fluency, originality, and flexibility). Paternal indifference & neglect in early life negatively predicted fluency, originality, and flexibility when individuals carry A allele of TPH1 (rs623580). Secondly, there was a significant interaction effect of TPH1 genotype by offspring gender on flexibility. Only in males, individuals who carry A allele were linked with lower level of flexibility compared to TT homozygote individuals. No significant three-way interaction was found. In conclusion, the current findings provided the first preliminary evidence for the moderation effect of TPH1 on the relationship between parenting and creativity, and TPH1- offspring gender interaction on creativity; future studies are needed to validate these findings.

Impact of perceived rearing and social support on bonding failure and depression among mothers: A longitudinal study of pregnant women

BACKGROUND

Although previous studies have reported associations between bonding failure, depression, social support among mothers, and perceived rearing, the causal relationships remain unclear.

METHODS

A total of 855 women (mean age, 32.4 ± 4.4 years) completed the Mother-Infant Bonding Questionnaire (MIBQ), the Edinburgh Postnatal Depression Scale (EPDS), the Japanese version of the Social Support Questionnaire, and the Parental Bonding Instrument in early pregnancy before week 25 (T1) and at 1 month after delivery (T2). We created a path model to clarify the causal relationships between perinatal bonding failure, depression, social support, and perceived rearing during pregnancy and at 1 month after delivery. The model was tested using structural equation modeling.

RESULTS

Our recursive model showed acceptable fit (chi-squared statistic/degree of freedom = 2.1, comparative fit index = 0.98, root mean square error of approximation = 0.04). It was revealed that: (1) at T1, higher overprotection significantly predicted MIBQ scores; (2) at T1, poorer social support significantly predicted both MIBQ and EPDS scores; and (3) at T1, both MIBQ and EPDS scores significantly predicted respective scores at T2.

CONCLUSIONS

These results showed that bonding failure in the postpartum period was significantly influenced by mothers' own perceived rearing and social support during pregnancy. In addition, depression in the postpartum period was strongly influenced by social support during pregnancy. These findings suggest that psychosocial interventions that focus on both mothers' recollections of their own upbringing and social support during pregnancy are effective for preventing bonding failure and depression in the postpartum period.

The Parental Bonding Instrument: A psychometric measure to assess parenting practices in the homes in Bangladesh

There is growing importance of the Parental Bonding Instrument (PBI) in clinical practice and research on parenting and parental bonding. Since the development of this diagnostic tool (Parker et al., Brit. J. Med. Psycho.1979; 52:1-10), a number of validation studies have been done in various cultures. The aim of the present study was to translate the measure into Bangla and validate in Bangladeshi culture. A total of 200 adolescents participated in the study. Exploratory factor analysis (EFA) of the data from 191 participants (who provided complete responses) identified a two-factor (Care and Overprotection) structure of the PBI with 17 items. The two factors together explained 44.18% of the total variance. The factors showed moderate to very high internal consistency (Cronbach's α=0.863 for Care; 0.622 for Overprotection), and very strong convergent and discriminant validity as evident by their correlations with the measures of cognitive distortions and antisocial behaviors. In line with the original tool we defined four types of parenting style, such as Affectionate constraint, Affectionless control, Optimal parenting, and Neglectful parenting. This study opens the door of future research on parenting practices and parent-child relationships in Bangladesh.

Development of a structure-validated Family Relationship Questionnaire (FRQ) with Chinese university students

Consistent results have shown a relationship between the psychological world of children and their perceived parental bonding or family attachment style, but to date there is no single measure covering both styles. The authors designed a statement matrix with 116 items for this purpose and compared it with the Parental Bonding Instrument (PBI) in a study with 718 university students. After exploratory and confirmatory factor analyses, five factors (scales)--namely, Paternal/Maternal Encouragement (5 items each), Paternal/Maternal Abuse (5 items each), Paternal/Maternal Freedom Release (5 items each), General Attachment (5 items), and Paternal/Maternal Dominance (4 items each)--were defined to form a Family Relationship Questionnaire (FRQ). The internal alphas of the factors ranged from .64 to .83, and their congruency coefficients were .93 to .98 in samples regarding father and mother. Women scored significantly higher on FRQ General Attachment and Maternal Encouragement and lower on Paternal Abuse than men did; only children scored significantly higher on Paternal and Maternal Encouragements than children with siblings did. Women also scored significantly higher on PBI Paternal Autonomy Denial; only children scored significantly higher on Paternal and Maternal Cares and Maternal Autonomy Denial. All intercorrelations between FRQ scales were low to medium, and some correlations between FRQ and PBI scales were medium to high. This study demonstrates that the FRQ has a structure of five factors with satisfactory discriminant and convergent validities, which might help to characterize family relationships in healthy and clinical populations.

Relationship of Suicidal Ideation and Behavior to Attachment Style in Patients with Major Depression

INTRODUCTION

The attachment theory aims to understand close relationships in adulthood based on the relationship of a child with the caregiver. Attachment styles are classified as secure, preoccupied, fearful and dismissing, which are the subtypes of insecure attachment style. Insecure attachment is suggested to be related to depression and suicide. In this study, the relationship of suicidal ideation and behavior to attachment style is investigated in patients diagnosed with major depression.

METHODS

Sixty-two patients diagnosed with major depressive disorder according to the DSM-IV-TR criteria were taken and divided into two groups, 31 patients with and 31 patients without a past suicide attempt. Sixty healthy volunteers matched with the patients for age, gender and education and comprised the control group. Sociodemographic and clinical data form, Structured Clinical Interview for DSM-IV Axis I Disorders (SCID-I), Hamilton Depression Rating Scale (HDRS), Experiences in Close Relationships Scale (ECR), Scale of Suicidal Ideation and Suicidal Behavior Scale were applied to the groups.

RESULTS

In the patients with depression, ECR anxiety and avoidance scores were found to be higher compared with those in the control group. There were no differences in the anxiety and avoidance scores between the patients with and without suicide attempt. The rate of participants who showed secure attachment style in the control group was higher than that of those with depression. In the patients with fearful attachment style, the suicide attempt rate was found to be higher than the other groups. A positively significant relationship was detected between ECR anxiety score and scores of HDRS suicide item, Scale of Suicidal Ideation and Suicidal Behavior Scale.

CONCLUSION

Patients with depression were more anxious and more avoidant and showed more insecure attachment. In patients with depression with fearful attachment style, suicide attempts were more common.

Does Harm Avoidance mediate effects of recollected parental bonding on mental distress in adulthood?

BACKGROUND

Adverse early life conditions such as perceived low quality of parental bonding increase vulnerability to stress and psychopathology in adulthood. However, the mechanisms by which perceptions of parental bonding translate into vulnerability are unclear and remain sparsely investigated in healthy populations. We proposed a model, in which the personality trait Harm Avoidance would mediate effects of recollected parental bonding during the first sixteen years of life on measures of perceived stress and mental distress severity in adulthood.

METHOD

Five-hundred-eighteen adults (65.1 % women), aged 18-53years, completed questionnaires of parental bonding, perceived stress, trait Harm Avoidance, and severity of mental distress. Direct and indirect effects mediated through trait Harm Avoidance were examined in a structural equation model.

RESULTS

Under the causal assumptions of our proposed model, indirect effects of trait Harm Avoidance mediated the relationship between parental overprotection and severity of mental distress, while significantly attenuating the direct effects of parental care on severity of mental distress. Moreover, indirect effects of trait Harm Avoidance significantly attenuated the direct effects of parental overprotection and care on perceived stress.

CONCLUSION

In this large sample of mentally healthy adults, recollected parental bonding was significantly associated with levels of perceived stress and severity of mental distress. The results from our proposed model further suggest that trait Harm Avoidance may be a developmental link, by which the quality of recollected parental bonding in childhood translates into adult vulnerability to stress and mental distress.

Sub-optimal parenting is associated with schizotypic and anxiety personality traits in adulthood

Part of the variation in personality characteristics has been attributed to the child-parent interaction and sub-optimal parenting has been associated with psychiatric morbidity. In the present study, an extensive battery of personality scales (Trait Anxiety Inventory, Behavioural Inhibition/Activation System questionnaire, Eysenck Personality Questionnaire-Revised, Temperament and Character Inventory, Schizotypal Traits Questionnaire, Toronto Alexithymia Scale) and the Parental Bonding Instrument (PBI) were administered in 324 adult healthy males to elucidate the effects of parenting on personality configuration. Personality variables were analysed using Principal Component Analysis (PCA) and the factors "Schizotypy", "Anxiety", "Behavioural activation", "Novelty seeking" and "Reward dependence" were extracted. Associations between personality factors with PBI "care" and "overprotection" scores were examined with regression analyses. Subjects were divided into "parental style" groups and personality factors were subjected to categorical analyses. "Schizotypy" and "Anxiety" were significantly predicted by high maternal overprotection and low paternal care. In addition, the Affectionless control group (low care/high overprotection) had higher "Schizotypy" and "Anxiety" compared with the Optimal Parenting group (high care/low overprotection). These results further validate sub-optimal parenting as an important environmental exposure and extend our understanding on the mechanisms by which it increases risk for psychiatric morbidity.