Parenting stress, maternal depression and child mental health in a Melbourne cohort before and during the COVID‐19 pandemic

Aim This paper aims to examine the maternal and child mental health and parenting outcomes in the context of COVID-19 pandemic conditions using a sample from Melbourne, Australia – a city exposed to one of the longest lockdowns world-wide in response to the pandemic. Methods This study utilises observational data from a prospective, pregnancy cohort, Mercy Pregnancy Emotional Wellbeing Study and includes 468 women and their children followed up in Melbourne to 3–4 years postpartum pre-COVID pandemic and compared to those followed up during the COVID-19 pandemic. Results When compared to mothers followed up at 3–4 years postpartum pre-pandemic, those followed up during the COVID-19 pandemic showed higher depressive symptoms with a steep incline in their symptom trajectory (EMMdifference = 1.72, Bonferroni-corrected P < 0.01, d = 0.35) and had a three times higher risk of scoring 13 or above on the EPDS (aRR = 3.22, Bonferroni-corrected P < 0.01). Although this increase was not associated with the variation in the duration of exposure to pandemic conditions, the steep increase in depressive symptoms was more pronounced in those with pre-existing depressive disorders. There was no difference in parenting stress or adjusted childhood mental health symptoms or disorder. Conclusions Our findings highlight the vulnerability of those with pre-existing clinical mental health disorders and the need for adequate clinical care for this vulnerable group. Equally, our study indicates the possibility that parenting and early childhood mental health outcomes, at least in the short term, may be resilient

Heritability of neural reactions to social exclusion and prosocial compensation in middle childhood

Experiencing and observing social exclusion and inclusion, as well as prosocial behavior, are important aspects of social relationships in childhood. However, it is currently unknown to what extent these processes and their neural correlates differ in heritability. We investigated influences of genetics and environment on experiencing social exclusion and compensating for social exclusion of others with the Prosocial Cyberball Game using fMRI in a twin sample (aged 7–9; N = 500). Neuroimaging analyses (N = 283) revealed that experiencing possible sel

Diffusion enhancement in on/off ratchets

We show a diffusion enhancement of suspended polystyrene particles in an electrical on/off ratchet. The enhancement can be described by a simple master equation model. Furthermore, we find that the diffusion enhancement can be described by a general curve whose shape is only determined by the asymmetry of the ratchet repeat unit. The scaling of this curve can be explained from an analytical expression valid for small off-times. Finally, we demonstrate how the master equation model can be used to find the driving parameters for optimal particle separation. (C) 2013 American Institute of Physics

Distinctive heritability patterns of subcortical-prefrontal cortex resting state connectivity in childhood: A twin study

Connectivity between limbic/subcortical and prefrontal-cortical brain regions develops considerably across childhood, but less is known about the heritability of these networks at this age. We tested the heritability of limbic/subcortical-cortical and limbic/subcortical-subcortical functional brain connectivity in 7- to 9-year-old twins (N = 220), focusing on two key limbic/subcortical structures: the ventral striatum and the amygdala, given their combined influence on changing incentivised behavior during childhood and adolescence. Whole brain analyses with ventral striatum (VS) and amygdala as seeds in genetically independent groups showed replicable functional connectivity patterns. The behavioral genetic analyses revealed that in general VS and amygdala connectivity showed distinct influences of genetics and environment. VS-prefrontal cortex connections were best described by genetic and unique environmental factors (the latter including measurement error), whereas amygdala-prefrontal cortex connectivity was mainly explained by environmental influences. Similarities were also found: connectivity between both the VS and amygdala and ventral anterior cingulate cortex (vACC) showed influences of shared environment, while connectivity with the orbitofrontal cortex (OFC) showed heritability. These findings may inform future interventions that target behavioral control and emotion regulation, by taking into account genetic dispositions as well as shared and unique environmental factors such as child rearing.Development Psychopathology in context: famil

Secure base script knowledge and video-feedback intervention to promote positive parenting-sensitive discipline

This preregistered randomized controlled study investigated the effects of Video-Feedback Intervention to promote Positive Parenting and Sensitive Discipline (VIPP-SD) on parents’ secure base script knowledge (SBSK). Furthermore, we examined whether effects of VIPP-SD on sensitive caregiving and sensitive discipline behavior and parents’ attitudes toward these behaviors were moderated by SBSK at baseline. Families (n = 445) with preand school-aged children (n = 890) were randomized to receive VIPP-SD or telephone calls. Results showed no effects of VIPP-SD on SBSK. Furthermore, there was no moderation of effects on sensitive caregiving or sensitive discipline behavior by SBSK. VIPP-SD promoted positive attitudes toward sensitive caregiving and sensitive discipline behavior. The latter effect was moderated by SBSK: parents with lower SBSK showed the strongest improvements in positive attitudes toward sensitive discipline behavior. This effect was driven by a subgroup of younger children. These findings highlight the potential importance of tailoring interventions to meet the specific needs of parents with varying levels of SBSKinfo:eu-repo/semantics/publishedVersio

Attachment – public and scientific discourse

In her rather scathing review of ‘The predictive power of attachment’ (January 2017) Elizabeth Meins takes aim at misguided opinions about attachment that circulate in the policy arena. Certainly, policy makers, in an attempt to secure public money that children, families, and schools badly need, tend to exaggerate claims about the critical importance of early experience. The public discourse however should be sharply differentiated from the scientific discourse. Here we focus on Meins’s critique of attachment research. We list some of her comments about the evidence and show that they are largely mistaken

Unresolved/Unclassifiable responses to the Adult Attachment Interview: Predictable from Unresolved States and Anomalous Beliefs in the Berkeley-Leiden Adult Attachment Questionnaire

FSW - Gezinsopvoeding - Ou