Effects of Prenatal Drug Exposure on Neurobehavioral Functioning in Young Infants

In the newborn period, infants prenatally exposed to cocaine and other drugs show low scores on the Neonatal Behavioral Assessment Scale. Beyond that period, research is limited on the effects of prenatal drug exposure on neurobehavioral functioning. In this study we compared infants exposed to cocaine and other drugs and control infants from low socioeconomic backgrounds on measures of neurobehavioral functioning during neuromotor assessment at 1, 4 and 7 months of life. None of the measures of neurobehavioral functioning showed any significant group differences. This study did not support the hypothesis of disrupted neurobehavioral functioning beyond the neonatal period in infants exposed to drugs prenatally

Predictors of infant positive, negative and self-direct coping during face to face still-face in a Portuguese preterm sample

Past studies found three types of infant coping behaviour during Face-to-Face Still-Face paradigm (FFSF): a Positive Other-Directed Coping; a Negative Other-Directed Coping and a Self-Directed Coping. In the present study, we investigated whether those types of coping styles are predicted by: infants’ physiological responses; maternal representations of their infant’s temperament; maternal interactive behaviour in free play; and infant birth and medical status. The sample consisted of 46, healthy, prematurely born infants and their mothers. At one month, infant heart rate was collected in basal. At three months old (corrected age), infant heart-rate was registered during FFSF episodes. Mothers described their infants’ temperament using a validated Portuguese temperament scale, at infants three months of corrected age. As well, maternal interactive behaviour was evaluated during free play situation using CARE-Index. Our findings indicate that positive coping behaviours were correlated with gestational birth weight, heart rate (HR), gestational age, and maternal sensitivity in free play. Gestational age and maternal sensitivity predicted Positive Other-Direct Coping behaviours. Moreover, Positive Other-Direct coping was negatively correlated with HR during Still-Face Episode. Self-directed behaviours were correlated with HR during Still-Face Episode and Recover Episode and with maternal controlling/intrusive behaviour. However, only maternal behaviour predicted Self-direct coping. Early social responses seem to be affected by infants’ birth status and by maternal interactive behaviour. Therefore, internal and external factors together contribute to infant ability to cope and tore-engage after stressful social events

Does Child Sex Moderate Vulnerability to Postpartum Risk among Infants of Mothers at Risk for Psychopathology?

Peer Reviewedhttp://deepblue.lib.umich.edu/bitstream/2027.42/110024/1/infa12065.pd

Parenting and Attachment among Low-Income African-American and Caucasian Preschoolers

Despite a plethora of research on parenting and infant attachment, much less is known about the contributions of parenting to preschool attachment, particularly within different racial groups. This study seeks to build on the extant literature by evaluating whether similar associations between parenting and attachment can be observed in African American and Caucasian families, and whether race moderates them. Seventy-four primary caregivers and their preschool children (51% African American, 49% Caucasian, 46% male) from similar urban, low income backgrounds participated in two visits four weeks apart when children were between four and five years of age. Attachment was scored from videotapes of the Strange Situation paradigm using the preschool classification system developed by Cassidy, Marvin, and the MacArthur Working Group. Parenting was assessed using a multi-method, multi-context approach: in the child’s home, in the laboratory, and via parent-report. Seventy-three percent of the children were classified as securely attached. Warm, responsive parenting behavior (but not race) predicted attachment. Although parents of African American and Caucasian children demonstrated some significant differences in parenting behaviors, race did not moderate the relationship between parenting and child attachment. These findings highlight the direct role that parenting plays over and above race in determining attachment security during the preschool period

Ethnic Identity Among Arab Americans: An Examination of Contextual Influences and Psychological Well-Being

Existing theories and research have indicated that ethnic identity is crucial for ethnic minority young adults because ethnicity is an important component of their personal identity that is likely to influence various aspects of their development. Given the centrality of this construct, the overarching aim of the present study was to examine ethnic identity and psychological well-being among members of an ethnic group that have long been ignored in the psychological literature: Arab Americans. Specifically, the goals of the study were threefold. The first goal was to examine the association between multiple contextual factors (such as students’ perceptions of their parents’ style of parenting, family ethnic socialization, perceived discrimination, and generational status) and ethnic identity. The second goal was to explore the potential role of ethnic identity to promote psychological adjustment and well-being: self-esteem and depressive symptoms are indices of psychological functioning that were examined in the study. The final goal of the study was to examine whether ethnic identity can serve as a protective factor, mitigating the negative effects of discrimination on psychological well-being. Methods: Participants (N= 323) were recruited through advertisements and flyers placed on bulletin boards across the Wayne State University (WSU) campus and through announcements placed on WSU pipeline and on the Arab American Student Association as well as the Egyptian Student Association Facebook pages. All flyers included the online study website (surveymonkey.com) to allow students to access the survey and complete it. Inclusion criteria for participants were: being between the ages of 18 and 25 years, of Arab or Middle Eastern descent, living in the United States, and registered as a full-time or part-time student at Wayne State University. The survey consisted of a package of 7 batteries: Demographic Questionnaire, Familial Ethnic Socialization Measure (FESM), Parental Authority Questionnaire (PAQ), Perceived Ethnic Discrimination Questionnaire (PEDQ), Multigroup Ethnic Identity Measure (MEIM), Rosenberg Self-Esteem Scale (RSES), and Center for Epidemiologic Studies – Depression Scale (CES-D Scale). Results: Pearson correlation analyses revealed that higher family ethnic socialization, authoritative parenting, authoritarian parenting, and lower generational status were all significantly associated with higher ethnic identity (r= .55, r=.51, r= .16, r=-.19, respectively). Further mediation analyses revealed that the relation between generational status and ethnic identity was fully mediated by family ethnic socialization. With respect to the relation between ethnic identity, perceived discrimination, and psychological well-being, results from the correlational analyses revealed that higher ethnic identity was associated with higher self-esteem (r = .45, p \u3c .01) and lower depressive symptoms (r = -.23, p \u3c .01) whereas perceived discrimination was associated with lower self-esteem (r = -.33, p \u3c .01) and higher depressive symptoms (r = .49, p \u3c .01). Finally, with respect to the potential protective role of ethnic identity, hierarchical multiple regression analyses revealed that ethnic identity moderated the relationship between perceived discrimination and psychological well-being. Specifically, perceived ethnic discrimination was negatively associated with self-esteem among participants with high ethnic identity; however, this relationship was even stronger among participants with low ethnic identity. Similarly, perceived ethnic discrimination was positively associated with depressive symptoms among participants with high ethnic identity; however, this relationship was even stronger among participants with low ethnic identity. Discussion: Our findings suggest that ethnic discrimination takes a toll on Arab American young adults, but, for this population, having a salient ethnic identity may have profound mental health benefits as ethnic identity may serve as valuable resource to help them deal with negative discriminatory experiences

Associations Between Early Maternal Depressive Symptom Trajectories And Toddlers’ Felt Security At 18 Months: Are Boys And Girls At Differential Risk?

The goal of this study was to evaluate whether there are sex differences in children’s vulnerability to caregiving risk, as indexed by trajectories of maternal depressive symptoms assessed from 2 to 18 monthsâ postpartum, and children’s rated attachment security in toddlerhood, adjusting for maternal social support and demographic risk. Analyses utilized longitudinal data collected for 182 African American motherâ child dyads from economically diverse backgrounds. Participants were recruited at the time of the child’s birth and followed to 18 monthsâ postpartum. Results of conditional latent growth models indicated that an increasing rate of change in level of maternal depressive symptoms over time negatively predicted toddlersâ felt attachment security. Higher social support was associated with decreasing levels of maternal depressive symptoms over time whereas higher demographic risk was associated with increasing levels of maternal depressive symptoms. A subsequent multigroup conditional latent growth model revealed that child sex moderated these associations. For male (but not female) children, a rapid increase in maternal depressive symptoms was associated with lower felt attachment security at 18 months. These findings suggest that boys, as compared to girls, may be more vulnerable to early caregiving risks such as maternal depression, with negative consequences for motherâ child attachment security in toddlerhood.RESUMENEl objetivo de este estudio fue evaluar si hay diferencias de sexo en la vulnerabilidad de los niños al riesgo de prestación de cuidado, como han indicado las trayectorias de síntomas depresivos maternos evaluadas de 2 a 18 meses después del parto, y el puntaje de la seguridad de afectividad de los niños en su temprana infancia, con ajustes basados en el apoyo social materno y el riesgo demográfico. Los análisis utilizaron información longitudinal recogida de 182 díadas de madreâ niño afroâ americanas de niveles económicamente diversos. Los participantes fueron reclutados al nacer el niño y se les dio seguimiento hasta los 18 meses después del parto. Los resultados de modelos de modelos de crecimiento latente condicionales indicaron que un incremento en el puntaje de cambio en el nivel de síntomas depresivos maternos a través del tiempo negativamente predijo la seguridad afectiva que los infantes sentían. Se asoció un más alto apoyo social con decrecientes niveles de síntomas depresivos maternos a través del tiempo, mientras que más altos riesgos demográficos se asociaron con un incrementos en los niveles de síntomas depresivos maternos. Un subsecuente modelo de crecimiento latente condicional reveló que el sexo del niño moderaba estas asociaciones. En el caso de niños varones (no así las niñas), se asoció un rápido incremento en síntomas depresivos maternos con más bajos niveles, a los 18 meses, de seguridad en la afectividad sentida. Estos resultados sugieren que los niños varones, comparados con las niñas, pudieran ser más vulnerables a los riesgos de un cuidado temprano tal como la depresión materna, con consecuencias negativas para la seguridad en la afectividad madreâ niño en la más temprana infancia.Rà SUMà Le but de cette étude était dâ évaluer s’il existe des différences entre les sexes dans la vulnérabilité des enfants au risque de la personne prenant soin d’eux, telle qu’elle est indexée par les trajectoires des symptômes dépressifs maternels évalués de 2 à 18 mois après la naissance, et la sécurité de l’attachement telle qu’elle est évaluée chez les enfants durant la petite enfance, s’ajustant au soutien social maternel et au risque démographique. Les analyses ont utilisé des données longitudinales recueillies pour 182 dyades mèresâ enfants noires américaines issues de milieux socioéconomiques divers. Les participants ont été recrutés au moment de la naissance de l’enfant et ont été suivis jusquâ à 18 mois après la naissance. Les résultats de modèles de croissance latents conditionnels ont indiqué qu’un taux croissant de changement dans le niveau des symptômes dépressifs maternels au fil du temps prédisait de manière négative la sécurité de l’attachement ressentie des jeunes enfants. Un soutien social plus élevé était lié à des niveaux décroissants de symptômes dépressifs maternels au fil du temps, alors qu’un risque démographique élevé était lié à des niveaux plus élevés de symptômes dépressifs maternels. Un modèle de croissance latente conditionnelle subséquente et multiâ groupe a révélé que le sexe de l’enfant modérait ces associations. Pour les enfants mâles (mais pas les enfants femelles) une augmentation rapide des symptômes dépressifs maternels était liée à une sécurité perçue de l’attachement plus basse à 18 mois. Ces résultats suggèrent que les garçons, comparés aux filles, peuvent être plus vulnérables aux risques liés à la personne prenant soin d’eux comme la dépression maternelle, avec des conséquences négatives pour la sécurité de l’attachement mèreâ enfant dans la petite enfance.ZUSAMMENFASSUNGDas Ziel dieser Studie war es, Geschlechtsunterschiede bei Kindern im Hinblick auf ihre Vulnerabilität bei Fürsorgerisiken zu evaluieren. Die Fürsorgerisiken wurden durch den Verlauf der mütterlichen depressiven Symptome von 2 bis 18 Monaten nach der Geburt indiziert, sowie durch die bewertete Bindungssicherheit der Kleinkinder. Dabei wurde für mütterliche soziale Unterstützung und demografische Risiken kontrolliert. Für die Analysen wurden Längsschnittdaten von 182 afroâ amerikanischen Mutterâ Kindâ Dyaden mit verschiedenen ökonomischen Hintergründen genutzt. Die Teilnehmer wurden zum Zeitpunkt der Geburt des Kindes rekrutiert und nach der Geburt für 18 Monate begleitet. Die Ergebnisse der konditionalen latenten Wachstumsmodelle zeigten, dass im Verlauf ansteigende mütterliche depressive Symptome mit der gefühlten Bindungssicherheit der Kleinkinder in einem negativen Vorhersagezusammenhang standen. Höhere soziale Unterstützung war mit einer Abnahme der mütterlichen depressiven Symptome im Verlauf der Zeit assoziiert, während ein höheres demografisches Risiko mit dem Anstieg der mütterlichen depressive Symptome assoziiert war. Ein nachfolgendes konditionales latentes Wachstumsmodell für multiple Gruppen zeigte, dass das Geschlecht des Kindes diese Assoziationen moderierte. Bei Jungen (jedoch nicht bei Mädchen) war eine rasche Zunahme der mütterlichen depressiven Symptome mit einer niedrigeren gefühlten Bindungssicherheit 18 Monate nach der Geburt assoziiert. Diese Ergebnisse deuten darauf hin, dass Jungen, verglichen mit Mädchen, hinsichtlich früher Fürsorgerisiken wie mütterlicher Depression vulnerabler sind, was wiederum mit negativen Folgen für die Bindungssicherheit zwischen Mutter und Kind im Kleinkindalter einhergehen kann.æ é ²ã ã ®ç  ç©¶ã ®ç ®ç ã ¯ã é¤ è ²ã ®ã ªã ¹ã ¯ã ¸ã ®å­ ã ©ã ã ®è å¼±æ §ã «æ §å·®ã ã ã ã ã ©ã ã ã è© ä¾¡ã ã ã 㠨㠧ã ã ã ã ã ã ¯ã å ºç £å¾ 2â ¼18ã æ ã «è© ä¾¡ã ã ã æ¯ è¦ªã ®æ ã ã ¤ç ç ¶ã ®çµ é 㠨幼å æ ã «è© å® ã ã ã ã ã ©ã ã ®æ ç ã ®å® å® æ §ã æ æ¨ ã «ã ã ¦ã æ¯ è¦ªã ®ç¤¾ä¼ ç æ ¯æ ´ã ¨äººå £çµ±è¨ å­¦ç 㠪㠹㠯㠫㠤ã ã ¦é ©å ã ã ã ã å æ ã ¯ã çµ æ¸ ç ã «å¤ æ§ ã ªè æ ¯ã æ ã ¤182çµ ã ®ã ¢ã ã ªã «ç³»ã ¢ã ¡ã ªã «äººã ®æ¯ å­ ã ã é ã ã ã ã ç¸¦æ ­ç ã ªã 㠼㠿ã å ©ç ¨ã ã ã ç  ç©¶å å  è ã ¯å­ ã ©ã ã ®å ºç æ ã «é ã ã ã ã ç £å¾ 18ã æ é 追跡ã ã ã ã æ ¡ä»¶ä» ã æ½ å ¨æ é ·ã ¢ã ã «ã ®çµ æ ã ã ã æ é çµ é ã «ã ã æ¯ è¦ªã ®æ ã ã ¤ç ç ¶ã ¬ã ã «ã ®å¤ å ç ã ®å¢ å  ã ¯ã å¹¼å ã «æ ã ã ã ã æ ç ã ®å® å® æ §ã ã ã ¬ã ã £ã ã «äº æ¸¬ã ã ã ã ¨ã 示ã ã ã ã ã ã é« ã ç¤¾ä¼ æ ¯æ ´ã ¯ã æ é çµ é ã «ã ã æ¯ è¦ªã ®æ ã ã ¤ç ç ¶ã ¬ã ã «ã ®ä½ ä¸ ã «é ¢é £ã ã ã ã ã ã ®ä¸ æ ¹ã ã é« ã äººå £çµ±è¨ å­¦ç ã ªã ¹ã ¯ã ¯æ¯ è¦ªã ®æ ã ã ¤ç ç ¶ã ¬ã ã «ã ®å¢ å  ã ¨é ¢é £ã ã ã ã ã ã «ç¶ ã å¤ ç¾¤æ ¡ä»¶ä» ã æ½ å ¨æ é ·ã ¢ã ã «ã ã ã å­ ã ©ã ã ®æ §å ¥ã ã ã ã ã ®é ¢é £ã ç·©å ã ã ã ç ·å 㠧㠯 (ã ã ã 女å 㠧㠯㠪ã ) ã æ ¥é ã «å¢ å¤§ã ã æ¯ è¦ªã ®æ ã ã ¤ç ç ¶ã ¯ã 18ã æ ã §æ ã ã ã ã æ ç ã ®å® å® æ §ã ®ä½ ã ã ¨é ¢é £ã ã ã ã ã ã ã ®çµ æ ã ã ã 女å ã «æ¯ ã ¹ã ¦ç ·å ã ¯ã æ¯ è¦ªã ®æ ã 㠤㠮ã ã ã ªæ ©æ ã ®é¤ è ²ã ªã ¹ã ¯ã «å¯¾ã ã ¦ã ã è 弱㠧ã ã ã å¹¼å æ ã ®æ¯ å­ ã ®æ ç ã ®å® å® æ §ã «ã ã ¬ã ã £ã ã ªçµ æ ã ã ã ã ã ã ¦ã ã ã æ è¦ æ ¬ç  ç©¶ç ç ®ç æ ¯è© ä¼°å ç«¥ç §é¡§é¢¨é ªç è å¼±æ §æ ¯å ¦å­ å ¨æ §å ¥å·®ç °, ä½ è æ ¹æ ç ¢å¾ 2è ³18å æ ç ç ¢å©¦æ 鬱ç ç ç è» è·¡, å å ç«¥å ¨å¹¼å æ ç é¡ å® ä¾ é å® å ¨æ è© ä¼°, ä¸¦èª¿æ ´æ¯ è¦ªç 社æ æ ¯æ å äººå £é¢¨é ªã ç  ç©¶å æ ä½¿ç ¨å¾ 182å ä¾ è ªç¶ æ¿ å¤ æ¨£å è æ ¯ç ç¾ å é æ´²è£ æ¯ å­ äº äººçµ å ç 縱å æ ¸æ ã å è è å ¨å­©å­ å ºç æ æ å , ç ¶å¾ è· é ²å °ç ¢å¾ 18å æ ã æ¢ ä»¶æ½ å ¨ç é ·æ¨¡å ç çµ æ 表æ , é ¨è æ é ç æ ¨ç§», æ¯ è¦ªæ 鬱ç ç ç å¢ å  ç , è² é ¢å °é  æ¸¬å¹¼å ç ä¾ é å® å ¨æ ã è¼ é« ç 社æ æ ¯æ è æ¯ è¦ªæ 鬱ç ç ç é ä½ ç ¸é , è è¼ é« ç äººå £é¢¨é ªè æ¯ è¦ªæ 鬱ç ç ç å¢ å  ç ¸é ã é ¨å¾ ç å¤ çµ æ¢ ä»¶æ½ å ¨ç é ·æ¨¡å å æ 顯示, å ç«¥æ §å ¥ç·©å é é ä¿ ã å° æ ¼ç ·å­© (ä½ ä¸ æ ¯å¥³å­©) , æ¯ è¦ªæ 鬱ç ç ç å¿«é å¢ å  è 18å æ æ è¼ ä½ ç ä¾ é å® å ¨æ æ é ã é äº ç  ç©¶çµ æ 表æ , è å¥³å­©ç ¸æ¯ , ç ·å­©å ¯è ½æ ´å®¹æ å å °æ ©æ ç §é¡§é¢¨é ª, ä¾ å¦ ç ¢å©¦æ 鬱ç , å° å¹¼å æ æ¯ å­ ä¾ é å® å ¨æ å¸¶ä¾ ç è² é ¢å½±é ¿ãPeer Reviewedhttp://deepblue.lib.umich.edu/bitstream/2027.42/135990/1/imhj21617.pdfhttp://deepblue.lib.umich.edu/bitstream/2027.42/135990/2/imhj21617_am.pd

School support, chaos, routines, and parents' mental health during COVID-19 remote schooling

Remote schooling due to Coronavirus Disease 2019 (COVID-19) created profound challenges for families. In this investigation, we examined parents' depression and anxiety during remote schooling and their associations with parents' reports of school support. We also evaluated indirect and interactive (i.e., moderation) associations. Participants were parents (N = 152, 92.8% mothers, 65.1% Black) from an urban area with high rates of COVID-19. Of the 152 parents, 27.6% reported elevated levels of depression and 34.2% reported elevated anxiety. Regression analyses showed that school support was negatively associated with parents' depression (β = -.33, p < .01) and anxiety (β = -.21, p < .01). There was an indirect association between school support and parents' mental health via household chaos and daily routines. Reported COVID-19 impact moderated the direct association between school support and parental depression and anxiety. There was a statistically significant association between school support and parents' depression and anxiety when COVID-19 impact was low or moderate, but not when COVID-19 impact was high. These results may suggest that for parents who were not highly impacted by the pandemic, school support buffered the association between stress and parents' mental health problems; parents most impacted by COVID-19 may need additional support. (PsycInfo Database Record (c) 2022 APA, all rights reserved).K01 MH110600 - NIMH NIH HHS; L40 MH117714 - NIMH NIH HHSAccepted manuscrip

Patterns of regulatory behavior in the still-face paradigm at 3 months : a comparison of Brazilian and Portuguese infants

Copyright: © 2021 Fuertes et al. This is an open access article distributed under the terms of the Creative Commons Attribution License, which permits unrestricted use, distribution, and reproduction in any medium, provided the original author and source are credited.Three infant regulatory behavior patterns have been identified during the Face-to-Face Still-Face paradigm (FFSF) in prior research samples: a Social-Positive Oriented pattern (i.e., infants exhibit predominantly positive social engagement), a Distressed-Inconsolable pattern (i.e., infants display conspicuous negative affect that persists or increases across FFSF episodes), and a Self-Comfort Oriented pattern (e.g., infants primarily engage in self-comforting behaviors such as thumb-sucking). However, few studies have examined these patterns outside US and European countries or evaluated potential cross-country differences in these patterns. In this study, we compared the regulatory behavior patterns of 74 Brazilian and 124 Portuguese infants in the FFSF at 3 months of age, and evaluated their links to demographic and birth variables. The prevalence of the three regulatory patterns varied by country. The most frequent pattern in the Portuguese sample was the Social-Positive Oriented, followed by the Distressed-Inconsolable and the Self-Comfort Oriented. However, in the Brazilian sample, the Distressed-Inconsolable pattern was the most prevalent, followed by the Social-Positive Oriented and the Self-Comfort Oriented. Moreover, in the Brazilian sample, familial SES was higher among infants with a Social-Positive pattern whereas 1st-minute Apgar scores were lower among Portuguese infants with a Distressed-Inconsolable Oriented pattern of regulatory behavior. In each sample, Social Positive pattern of regulatory behavior was associated with maternal sensitivity, Self-Comfort Oriented pattern of regulatory behavior with maternal control, and Distressed-Inconsolable pattern with maternal unresponsivity.info:eu-repo/semantics/publishedVersio

The association of maternal-infant interactive behavior, dyadic frontal alpha asymmetry, and maternal anxiety in a smartphone-adapted still face paradigm

Mother-infant interactions form a strong basis for emotion regulation development in infants. These interactions can be affected by various factors, including maternal postnatal anxiety. Electroencephalography (EEG) hyperscanning allows for simultaneous assessment of mother-infant brain-to-behavior association during stressful events, such as the still-face paradigm (SFP). This study aimed at investigating dyadic interactive behavior and brain-to-behavior association across SFP and identifying neural correlates of mother-infant interactions in the context of maternal postnatal anxiety. We measured frontal alpha asymmetry (FAA), a physiological correlate of emotion regulation and a potential marker of risk for psychopathology. To emulate real-life interactions, EEG and behavioral data were collected from 38 mother-infant dyads during a smartphone-adapted dual-SFP. Although the behavioral data showed a clear still-face effect for the smartphone-adapted SFP, this was not reflected in the infant or maternal FAA. Brain-to-behavior data showed higher infant negative affect being associated with more infant leftward FAA during the still-face episodes. Finally, mothers with higher postnatal anxiety showed more right FAA during the first still-face episode, suggesting negative affectivity and a need to withdraw from the situation. Our results form a baseline for further research assessing the effects of maternal postnatal anxiety on infants' FAA and dyadic interactive behavior