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Eichler A, Kaufmann F, Titzmann A, Fasching PA, Beckmann MW, Gerlach J, Kratz O, Moll GH, Buchholz VN, Kornhuber J, Lenz B. 2D:4D biomarker reliability and validity in a within-subject pregnancy-childhood-adolescence cohort. Early Hum Dev 2023; 181:105776. [PMID: 37084692 DOI: 10.1016/j.earlhumdev.2023.105776] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Submit a Manuscript] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 02/28/2023] [Revised: 04/11/2023] [Accepted: 04/11/2023] [Indexed: 04/23/2023]
Abstract
BACKGROUND A lot of studies use the second-to-fourth digit length ratio (2D:4D) as a biomarker for intrauterine androgen load to predict behavioral and mental health problems. Thus, knowledge of 2D:4D's metric properties, namely reliability and validity, is essential. METHOD 2D:4D handscans were available from 149 adolescents (M = 13.32 years, SD = 0.35) and their mothers. For 88 adolescents, there were also primary-school age handscans (M = 7.87 years, SD = 0.68). Prenatal risks for the 1st to 3rd trimesters were recorded during the 3rd trimester of pregnancy (alcohol exposition: meconium biomarker and maternal self-report; nicotine exposition: maternal self-report; maternal depressive symptoms and subjective stress: questionnaires). RESULTS The 2D:4D ratio was highly stable from childhood to early adolescence. However, both developmental and sex effects were present: The 2D:4D ratio increased with age and was higher in adolescent girls vs. boys. Significant 2D:4D mother-child associations were found for girls. Significant main effects could be found for the prenatal risk factors alcohol (self-report) and nicotine consumption. CONCLUSION In line with earlier studies, the 2D:4D biomarker proved to be an inter-individually stable measure with an intra-individual increase from childhood to early adolescence. Sex differences in adolescence and associations with maternal prenatal health behaviour underline the validity of the biomarker. Findings on heritability emphasize the importance of interpreting 2D:4D results in a sex-specific manner.
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Affiliation(s)
- Anna Eichler
- Department of Child and Adolescent Mental Health, University Hospital Erlangen, Friedrich-Alexander-Univesität Erlangen-Nürnberg (FAU), Erlangen, Germany.
| | - Franziska Kaufmann
- Department of Child and Adolescent Mental Health, University Hospital Erlangen, Friedrich-Alexander-Univesität Erlangen-Nürnberg (FAU), Erlangen, Germany
| | - Adriana Titzmann
- Department of Obstetrics and Gynecology, University Hospital Erlangen, Friedrich-Alexander-Univesität Erlangen-Nürnberg (FAU), Erlangen, Germany
| | - Peter A Fasching
- Department of Obstetrics and Gynecology, University Hospital Erlangen, Friedrich-Alexander-Univesität Erlangen-Nürnberg (FAU), Erlangen, Germany
| | - Matthias W Beckmann
- Department of Obstetrics and Gynecology, University Hospital Erlangen, Friedrich-Alexander-Univesität Erlangen-Nürnberg (FAU), Erlangen, Germany
| | - Jennifer Gerlach
- Department of Child and Adolescent Mental Health, University Hospital Erlangen, Friedrich-Alexander-Univesität Erlangen-Nürnberg (FAU), Erlangen, Germany
| | - Oliver Kratz
- Department of Child and Adolescent Mental Health, University Hospital Erlangen, Friedrich-Alexander-Univesität Erlangen-Nürnberg (FAU), Erlangen, Germany
| | - Gunther H Moll
- Department of Child and Adolescent Mental Health, University Hospital Erlangen, Friedrich-Alexander-Univesität Erlangen-Nürnberg (FAU), Erlangen, Germany
| | - Verena N Buchholz
- Department of Psychiatry and Psychotherapy, University Hospital Erlangen, Friedrich-Alexander-Univesität Erlangen-Nürnberg (FAU), Erlangen, Germany
| | - Johannes Kornhuber
- Department of Psychiatry and Psychotherapy, University Hospital Erlangen, Friedrich-Alexander-Univesität Erlangen-Nürnberg (FAU), Erlangen, Germany
| | - Bernd Lenz
- Department of Psychiatry and Psychotherapy, University Hospital Erlangen, Friedrich-Alexander-Univesität Erlangen-Nürnberg (FAU), Erlangen, Germany; Department of Addictive Behavior and Addiction Medicine, Central Institute of Mental Health (CIMH), Medical Faculty Mannheim, Heidelberg University, Mannheim, Germany
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Sefidan S, Pramstaller M, La Marca R, Wyss T, Sadeghi-Bahmani D, Annen H, Brand S. Resilience as a Protective Factor in Basic Military Training, a Longitudinal Study of the Swiss Armed Forces. INTERNATIONAL JOURNAL OF ENVIRONMENTAL RESEARCH AND PUBLIC HEALTH 2021; 18:6077. [PMID: 34199958 PMCID: PMC8200239 DOI: 10.3390/ijerph18116077] [Citation(s) in RCA: 16] [Impact Index Per Article: 5.3] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 04/26/2021] [Revised: 05/27/2021] [Accepted: 05/30/2021] [Indexed: 01/10/2023]
Abstract
For recruits, basic military training (BMT) can be experienced as a stressful episode in which relevant protective factors such as resilience might be essential for successful completion of the training. The present study examined whether resilience would act as a protective factor during BMT in the Swiss Armed Forces. To this end, we conducted a cross-sectional and longitudinal study of resilience and psychological burden. At the beginning of the BMT and at week 11, 525 male recruits (mean age: 20.3 years) completed a series of questionnaires covering demographic information and assessing resilience, perceived stress and mental distress. In parallel, their superiors rated recruits' military performance in week 13. Dropout rates were also registered. Cross-sectionally and longitudinally, higher resilience scores predicted lower scores for perceived stress, mental distress, and better military performance. Higher self-rated resilience was moderately associated with military performance, as rated by recruits' superiors. Resilience scores, perceived stress and mental distress did not differ between those recruits continuing their BMT and dropouts. In support of our assumptions, resilience acted as a protective factor during Swiss Armed Forces BMT.
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Affiliation(s)
- Sandra Sefidan
- Department of Clinical Psychology and Psychotherapy, University of Zurich, 8050 Zurich, Switzerland; (S.S.); (M.P.); (R.L.M.)
- Military Academy, Swiss Federal Institute of Technology ETH Zurich, 8903 Birmensdorf, Switzerland;
| | - Maria Pramstaller
- Department of Clinical Psychology and Psychotherapy, University of Zurich, 8050 Zurich, Switzerland; (S.S.); (M.P.); (R.L.M.)
- Military Academy, Swiss Federal Institute of Technology ETH Zurich, 8903 Birmensdorf, Switzerland;
- Praxis Pramstaller, Seestrasse 107, 8707 Uetikon am See, Switzerland
| | - Roberto La Marca
- Department of Clinical Psychology and Psychotherapy, University of Zurich, 8050 Zurich, Switzerland; (S.S.); (M.P.); (R.L.M.)
- Clinica Holistica Engiadina, Centre for Stress-Related Disorders, 7542 Susch, Switzerland
| | - Thomas Wyss
- Swiss Federal Institute of Sport Magglingen SFISM, 2532 Magglingen, Switzerland;
| | - Dena Sadeghi-Bahmani
- Sleep Disorders Research Center, Kermanshah University of Medical Sciences, Kermanshah 67146, Iran;
- Departments of Physical Therapy, University of Alabama at Birmingham, Birmingham, AL 35209, USA
- Center for Affective, Stress and Sleep Disorders (ZASS), Psychiatric University Hospital Basel, 4002 Basel, Switzerland
| | - Hubert Annen
- Military Academy, Swiss Federal Institute of Technology ETH Zurich, 8903 Birmensdorf, Switzerland;
| | - Serge Brand
- Sleep Disorders Research Center, Kermanshah University of Medical Sciences, Kermanshah 67146, Iran;
- Center for Affective, Stress and Sleep Disorders (ZASS), Psychiatric University Hospital Basel, 4002 Basel, Switzerland
- Substance Abuse Prevention Research Center, Health, Institute, Kermanshah University of Medical Sciences, Kermanshah 67146, Iran
- School of Medicine, Tehran University of Medical Sciences, Tehran 25529, Iran
- Division of Sport Science and Psychosocial Health, Department of Sport, Exercise and Health, University of Basel, 4052 Basel, Switzerland
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Depression, neuroticism and 2D:4D ratio: evidence from a large, representative sample. Sci Rep 2020; 10:11136. [PMID: 32636433 PMCID: PMC7341800 DOI: 10.1038/s41598-020-67882-x] [Citation(s) in RCA: 2] [Impact Index Per Article: 0.5] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 02/21/2020] [Accepted: 06/01/2020] [Indexed: 02/08/2023] Open
Abstract
A body of literature reports higher rates of depression and neuroticism in female samples compared to male samples. Numerous studies have investigated the role of prenatal sex hormone exposure in this sex difference, using the ratio between the second and fourth digit of the hand (“2D:4D”) as a putative marker. However, the sample sizes of those studies were mostly small and results remained inconclusive. The aim of the present study is to test the suggested associations between depression, neuroticism and the 2D:4D ratio in a large, representative sample of over 3,000 German individuals. It was hypothesized that a higher 2D:4D (supposedly representing a more “feminine” prenatal hormone exposure) would positively predict (1) one’s history of depression as well as (2) neuroticism rates and (3) acute depressive symptom scores. Controlling for biological sex, we only found suggestive evidence for linear associations with neuroticism in the case of left hand 2D:4D ratios and the mean 2D:4D of both hands. However, additional analyses indicated that these results may have been spurious due to confounding. Our findings suggest that the 2D:4D ratio is not a relevant predictor of depression, while there was mixed evidence in the case of neuroticism.
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