Child and Parent Psychopathology Predict COVID-19 Impact

Children appear to be a psychologically vulnerable population in global health crises; however, little is known about the role of pre-existing child and parental psychopathology in predicting impact on children and families during global stressors such as the COVID-19 pandemic. Mental health difficulties may worsen the impact of various stressors presented by a pandemic. In the present study, we hypothesized that greater parent-reported children’s internalizing behaviors during preschool age will predict worse impact during the COVID-19 pandemic during early school age, and that parental psychopathology will influence this association. Participants included 151 parents who completed assessments during Time 1 (when children were ages 3-5) and Time 2 (when children were ages 6-8/during COVID). We found significant associations between Time 1 child separation anxiety (r=.26,phttps://ir.library.louisville.edu/uars/1067/thumbnail.jp

Children’s Bedtime Difficulties and Parental Psychopathology Predict Children’s Sleep Problems Over Time

Parents play a critical role in preschool-aged children’s (aged 3-5) sleep health (Bell & Belsky, 2008) via facilitation of bedtime routines and other behaviors that influence children’s sleep problems (Coto et al., 2018). In addition, parental anxiety and depression may be related to children’s sleep problems (Roberts et al., 2020). Exploring longitudinal associations, as well as including both parent and coparent report, can help identify early indicators of children’s sleep problems over time. It was hypothesized that children’s bedtime difficulties and parents’ and coparents’ anxiety/depressive symptoms when children were ages 3-5 (Time 1) would predict children’s sleep problems when children were ages 6-8 (Time 2). Parents (N=368) completed measures of children’s bedtime behavior (Time 1), parental anxiety and depressive symptoms(Time 2), and children’s sleep problems (Time 1 and Time 2). Multiple regression analyses showed parental and co-parental depression, parental anxiety, and child bedtime behaviors at ages 3-5 significantly predicted child sleep problems at ages 6-8; these associations were significant even when accounting for Time 1 sleep problems and demographic covariates. No other associations or moderations were identified. As hypothesized, children’s bedtime difficulties and parents’ anxiety and depressive symptoms when children were ages 3-5 uniquely predicted children’s sleep problems at age 6-8. These findings highlight the importance of supporting families with preschool-aged children with sleep-promoting bedtime practices and treating parental anxiety and depression. Future research should further validate these findings by incorporating other sleep measures, such as actigraphy monitors, to evaluate whether these results are identified with more objective measures

Pediatric Providers’ Experiences Assessing Young Children’s Emotions and Behaviors

Introduction: Preschool-aged children experience anxiety and mood-related emotions (e.g., irritability, fears) and behaviors (e.g., tantrums) that are developmentally normative, but can overlap with psychopathology, making assessment challenging (Bufferd et al.,2016). Most children see pediatric medical providers annually, and providers can evaluate them. However, providers face challenges like limited training and time (Bean et al.,2000;Heneghan et al.,2008). Accurate and early identification of emotional and behavioral difficulties is critical to support young children’s mental health and prevent worsening problems. Methods: Participants included N=22 pediatricians who see 3-5-year-old children in their practice. Pediatricians completed an online survey about their experiences assessing young children’s anxiety and mood. Results: A one-way ANOVA showed no significant differences between years of mental health training received during medical school (F(2,18)=1.62,p=.226) or after medical school (F(2,18)=.097,p=.908) and the likelihood of providers starting discussions with caregivers about children’s anxiety and mood. Pediatricians’ training during medical school was negatively associated with the number of years since receiving degree (r=-.54,p\u3c.01). Pediatricians reported that parents/caregivers ask about their children’s mood-related behavior more often than anxiety or other difficulties. Discussion: We found that mental health training did not impact whether pediatricians initiated conversations about children’s mental health with caregivers. Although pediatricians report some mental health training, other factors such as assertiveness, time, and interest may affect their ability to have these discussions. Future research should investigate how mental health discussions between providers and families can be refined, especially about common problems like children’s mood, through further insight from caregivers, mental health practitioners, and teachers

A Longitudinal Investigation of Predictors of the Association Between Age 3 and Age 6 Behavioural Inhibition.

Children who exhibit elevated levels of the temperament trait behavioural inhibition (BI) across time may be at greatest risk for anxiety. However, little research has investigated the influence of other temperamental traits, particularly positive emotionality (PE), on the continuity of BI in childhood, nor whether parental overprotection influences associations between early and later child BI. To explore whether PE and overprotection shape associations between early and later BI, this longitudinal study of three-year-olds

Catechol-O-methyltransferase gene val158met polymorphism and depressive symptoms during early childhood

Catechol-O-Methyltransferase (COMT) is a critical regulator of catecholamine levels in the brain. A functional polymorphism of the COMT gene, val158met, has been linked to internalizing symptoms (i.e., depression and anxiety) in adolescents and adults. We extended this research by investigating whether the val158met polymorphism was associated with childhood symptoms of depression and anxiety in two independent samples of young children (Ns=476 and 409). In both samples, preschool-aged children were genotyped for the COMT val158met polymorphism. Symptoms of psychopathology were assessed via parent interviews and primary caregiver reports. In both samples, children homozygous for the val allele had higher levels of depressive symptoms compared to children with at least one copy of the met allele. Our findings extend previous research in older participants by showing links between the COMT val158met polymorphism and internalizing symptoms in early childhood. © 2013 Wiley Periodicals, Inc

The serotonin transporter linked polymorphic region and brain-derived neurotrophic factor valine to methionine at position 66 polymorphisms and maternal history of depression: Associations with cognitive vulnerability to depression in childhood

Preliminary work indicates that cognitive vulnerability to depression may be associated with variants of the serotonin transporter promoter polymorphism (5-HTTLPR) and the valine to methionine at position 66 (val66met) polymorphism of the brain-derived neurotrophic factor (BDNF) gene; however, existing reports come from small samples. The present study sought to replicate and extend this research in a sample of 375 community-dwelling children and their parents. Following a negative mood induction, children completed a self-referent encoding task tapping memory for positive and negative self-descriptive traits. Consistent with previous work, we found that children with at least one short variant of the 5-HTTLPR had enhanced memory for negative self-descriptive traits. The BDNF val66met polymorphism had no main effect but was moderated by maternal depression, such that children with a BDNF methionine allele had a heightened memory for negative self-descriptive traits when mothers had experienced depression during children\u27s lifetimes; in contrast, children with a methionine allele had low recall of negative traits when mothers had no depression history. The findings provide further support for the notion that the 5-HTTLPR is associated with cognitive markers of depression vulnerability and that the BDNF methionine allele moderates children\u27s sensitivity to contextual factors. Copyright © Cambridge University Press 2013

The dopamine D2 receptor gene and depressive and anxious symptoms in childhood: Associations and evidence for gene-environment correlation and gene-environment interaction

ObjectiveS: Research implicates the A1 allele of the dopamine D2 receptor gene (DRD2) Taq1A polymorphism in the development of depression and anxiety. Furthermore, recent papers suggest that children with A1 allele of this gene may receive less positive parenting, and that the effects of this gene on child symptoms may be moderated by parenting. We sought to replicate and extend these findings using behavioral measures in a nonclinical sample of young children. Methods: In a sample of 473 preschool-aged children and their mothers, structured clinical interview measures and maternal reports of child symptoms were collected, and standardized observations of parent-child interactions were conducted. Results: An association was detected between the DRD2 A1 allele and symptoms of depression and anxiety indexed using interview and parent report methods. As found in previous reports, children with the DRD2 A1 allele received less supportive parenting and displayed higher levels of negative emotionality during parent-child interactions. Tests of mediation and moderation were conducted. Conclusion: We found associations between the DRD2 A1 allele and early-emerging anxious and depressive symptoms in a community sample of preschool-aged children, and evidence of a gene-environment correlation and moderation of the main effect of child genotype on child symptoms by parenting. © 2010 Wolters Kluwer Health | Lippincott Williams & Wilkins