Individual differences in the cortisol responses of neglected and comparison children

Stress and emotion recognition predict the relationship between a history of maltreatment and sensitive parenting behaviors: A moderated-moderation

Our study proposes to examine how stress and emotion recognition interact with a history of maltreatment to influence sensitive parenting behaviors. A sample of 58 mothers and their children aged between 2 and 5 years old were recruited. Parents' history of maltreatment was measured using the Child Trauma Questionnaire. An emotion recognition task was performed. Mothers identified the dominant emotion in morphed facial emotion expressions in children. Mothers and children interacted for 15 minutes. Salivary cortisol levels of mothers were collected before and after the interaction. Maternal sensitive behaviors were coded during the interaction using the Coding Interactive Behavior scheme. Results indicate that the severity of childhood maltreatment is related to less sensitive behaviors for mothers with average to good abilities in emotion recognition and lower to average increases in cortisol levels following an interaction with their children. For mothers with higher cortisol levels, there is no association between a history of maltreatment and sensitive behaviors, indicating that higher stress reactivity could act as a protective factor. Our study highlights the complex interaction between individual characteristics and environmental factors when it comes to parenting. These results argue for targeted interventions that address personal trauma.

Child maltreatment and hypothalamic-pituitary-adrenal axis functioning: A systematic review and meta-analysis

Alterations in hypothalamic-pituitary-adrenal (HPA) axis and its effector hormone cortisol have been proposed as one possible mechanism linking child maltreatment experiences to health disparities. In this series of meta-analyses, we aimed to quantify the existing evidence on the effect of child maltreatment on various measures of HPA axis activity. The systematic literature search yielded 1,858 records, of which 87 studies (k = 132) were included. Using random-effects models, we found evidence for blunted cortisol stress reactivity in individuals exposed to child maltreatment. In contrast, no overall differences were found in any of the other HPA axis activity measures (including measures of daily activity, cortisol assessed in the context of pharmacological challenges and cumulative measures of cortisol secretion). The impact of several moderators (e.g., sex, psychopathology, study quality), the role of methodological shortcomings of existing studies, as well as potential directions for future research are discussed.

The discrepant effect of acute stress on cognitive inhibition and response inhibition

This study aimed to investigate how acute stress impinges on individual's cognitive inhibition and response inhibition abilities. Electroencephalography was adopted when 35 healthy adult females performing the No Go Flanker task before and after the Trier Social Stress Test. Both inhibition processes evoked N2 and P3 components, but only the response inhibition evoked the late positive potential (LPP), indicating the response inhibition needed continuous cognitive effort to inhibit the prepotent response. The N2 and the P3 amplitudes were decreased, while the LPP amplitudes were increased under acute stress. These results suggested that acute stress caused the detrimental effect by occupying cognitive resources. Contrastingly, individuals actively regulated and made more efforts to counteract the detrimental effect of acute stress on response inhibition. Thus, acute stress impaired cognitive inhibition but did not affect response inhibition.

The global challenge of the neglect of children

BACKGROUND

The neglect of children is a serious global problem. The 1989 United Nations Convention on the Rights of the Child (CRC) was a major international achievement spurring national efforts to prevent and address neglect. However, the scope of neglect worldwide and progress in addressing it remain unclear.

OBJECTIVE

This analysis assessed the current state of child neglect through much of the world, including its prevalence and efforts to address it.

METHOD

The scope of neglect was assessed through a literature review of recent peer-reviewed research and analysis of the United Nations Children's Fund (UNICEF) child protective services (CPS) and early childhood development data. National responses to neglect in 73 countries were described in the International Society for the Prevention of Child Abuse and Neglect's World Perspectives 2016 data and through illustrative case studies of recent CRC country reports for Australia, China, India and Mozambique.

RESULTS

Neglect is prevalent throughout the world, although its extent and form vary. Most countries recognize neglect as a form of maltreatment and have basic CPS policies and some system in place, but implementation of prevention and intervention services remains inadequate even in high-income countries. Economic and other barriers inhibit progress to address the neglect of children.

CONCLUSIONS

Progress has been made in establishing basic child protections and other safeguards for neglect in most countries, but significant barriers and inadequacies remain. Implementation of the CRC is uneven and there are large gaps in needed services. Much work remains to better assess and address this serious problem, in every country.

The neurophysiological embedding of child maltreatment

Maltreatment adversely impacts the development of children across a host of domains. One way in which maltreatment may exert its deleterious effects is by becoming embedded in the activity of neurophysiological systems that regulate metabolic function. This paper reviews the literature regarding the association between childhood maltreatment and the activity of three systems: the parasympathetic nervous system, the sympathetic nervous system, and the hypothalamic-pituitary-adrenal axis. A particular emphasis is placed on the extent to which the literature supports a common account of activity across these systems under conditions of homeostasis and stress. The paper concludes with an outline of directions for future research and the implications of the literature for policy and practice.

Effects of prenatal cocaine exposure on pubertal development

The purpose of the current study was to examine the relationship between prenatal cocaine exposure (PCE) and pubertal development. Children (n=192; 41% with PCE) completed the Pubertal Development Scale (Petersen et al. 1988) and provided salivary dehydroepiandrosterone (DHEA) samples at 6month intervals from 11 to 13years. PCE was examined as a predictor of pubertal status, pubertal tempo, and DHEA levels in mixed models analyses controlling for age, sex, environmental risk, neonatal medical problems, other prenatal exposures, and BMI. PCE interacted with age such that PCE predicted slower pubertal tempo during early adolescence. PCE also interacted with age to predict slower increases in DHEA levels during early adolescence. These findings suggest that PCE may affect pubertal development and, if slower pubertal tempo continues, could lead to delayed pubertal status in mid-adolescence.

Attention to the neglected: prospects for research on child neglect for the next decade

In 1997, the National Institutes of Health within the United States Department of Health and Human Services reviewed the state of its research on child abuse and neglect (US Department of Health and Human Services, National Institutes of Health, 1997). The findings suggested that although neglect was the most frequent type of child maltreatment, research studies were lacking. Through an unprecedented partnership across federal funding agencies for research on child neglect, research was encouraged in several areas. Over the past fifteen years, consortia of researchers have continued to increase our knowledge of child neglect and to shape the field. Nonetheless, challenges for research on child neglect remain, including the changing demographics of the nation and health disparities. Evidenced-based early interventions and treatments may be an opportunity for prevention of child neglect and improving child welfare services, particularly in an era of health care reform. Developmental researchers across the translational pipeline are encouraged to integrate child neglect research in future studies to inform prevention, treatment and policy efforts for the improved health and well-being of children, families and communities.