Effects of a brief psychoanalytic intervention for perinatal depression

This pilot study explores the effects of a brief individual psychoanalytic therapy on perinatal depressive symptoms. This intervention is based on the Geneva's mother-infant intervention model. A sample of 129 pregnant women was recruited in Geneva (Switzerland) and screened for depressive symptoms with two instruments: the ‘Edinburgh postnatal depression scale' (EPDS) and the ‘Dépistage anténatal de la dépression postnatale'. A group of 40 women presenting depressive symptoms (treatment group) participated in a four-session intervention called ‘Psychotherapy centred on parenthood (PCP)'. It consists in two antenatal and two postnatal sessions and is focussed on changing problematic representations of parenthood. This treatment group was compared to a control group of 88 women without depressive symptoms and following the usual obstetrical care. The main outcome measure was EPDS at 3 and 6months after delivery. The ‘Global assessment functioning scale' was administered at the end of each therapeutic session. The ‘Parent-infant relationship global assessment scale' was administered at the two postnatal sessions in order to explore if PCP was also effective in preventing the potential negative effects of depression on mother-infant relationship. Results show that in the treatment group (N = 31), EPDS scores dropped from 12.8 to 4.8; none of these women met the EPDS cut-off score of 12 at 3 and 6months postpartum. Mother-infant relationship was well adapted for all 31 dyads at the end of the intervention. These results suggest that PCP is a promising intervention for treating perinatal depression and helping mothers engaging in parentin

Parental Reflective Functioning correlates to brain activation in response to video-stimuli of mother–child dyads: Links to maternal trauma history and PTSD

Parental Reflective Functioning is a parent's capacity to infer mental states in herself and her child. Parental Reflective Functioning is linked to the quality of parent-child attachment and promotes parent-child mutual emotion regulation. We examined neural correlates of parental reflective functioning and their relationship to physical abuse. Participants were mothers with (n = 26) and without (n = 22) history of childhood physical abuse. Parental reflective functioning was assessed by coding transcripts of maternal narrative responses on interviews. All mothers also underwent magnetic resonance imaging while watching video clips of children during mother-child separation and play. Parental reflective functioning was significantly lower among mothers with histories of childhood physical abuse. When mothers without history of childhood physical abuse watched scenes of separation versus play, brain activation was positively correlated with parental reflective functioning in the ventromedial prefrontal cortex, and negatively associated with the dorsolateral prefrontal cortex and insula. These associations were not present when limiting analyses to mothers reporting abuse histories. Regions subserving emotion regulation and empathy were associated with parental reflective functioning; yet these regions were not featured in maltreated mothers. These data suggest that childhood physical abuse exposure may alter the psychobiology that is linked to emotional comprehension and regulation

Violence-related PTSD and neural activation when seeing emotionally charged male-female interactions.

Post-traumatic stress disorder (PTSD) is a disorder that involves impaired regulation of the fear response to traumatic reminders. This study tested how women with male-perpetrated interpersonal violence-related PTSD (IPV-PTSD) differed in their brain activation from healthy controls (HC) when exposed to scenes of male-female interaction of differing emotional content. Sixteen women with symptoms of IPV-PTSD and 19 HC participated in this study. During magnetic resonance imaging, participants watched a stimulus protocol of 23 different 20 s silent epochs of male-female interactions taken from feature films, which were neutral, menacing or prosocial. IPV-PTSD participants compared with HC showed (i) greater dorsomedial prefrontal cortex (dmPFC) and dorsolateral prefrontal cortex (dlPFC) activation in response to menacing vs prosocial scenes and (ii) greater anterior cingulate cortex (ACC), right hippocampus activation and lower ventromedial prefrontal cortex (vmPFC) activty in response to emotional vs neutral scenes. The fact that IPV-PTSD participants compared with HC showed lower activity of the ventral ACC during emotionally charged scenes regardless of the valence of the scenes suggests that impaired social perception among IPV-PTSD patients transcends menacing contexts and generalizes to a wider variety of emotionally charged male-female interactions

The association of maternal exposure to domestic violence during childhood with prenatal attachment, maternal-fetal heart rate, and infant behavioral regulation

Human and animal models suggest that maternal hormonal and physiological adaptations during pregnancy shape maternal brain functioning and behavior crucial for offspring care and survival. Less sensitive maternal behavior, often associated with psychobiological dysregulation and the offspring’s behavioral and emotional disorders, has been observed in mothers who have experienced adverse childhood experiences. Strong evidence shows that children who are exposed to domestic violence (DV) are at risk of being abused or becoming abusive in adulthood. Yet little is known about the effect of childhood exposure to DV on the expecting mother, her subsequent caregiving behavior and related effects on her infant. Thus, the present study examined the association of maternal exposure to DV during childhood on prenatal maternal attachment, maternal heart rate reactivity to an infant-crying stimulus and post-natal infant emotional regulation. Thirty-three women with and without exposure to DV during childhood were recruited during the first trimester of pregnancy and followed until 6-month after birth. The Maternal Antenatal Attachment Scale (MAAS) was used to measure prenatal attachment of the mother to her fetus during the second trimester of pregnancy, maternal and fetal heart rate reactivity to an infant-crying stimulus was assessed at the third trimester of pregnancy, and the Infant Behavior Questionnaire-Revised (IBQ-R) was used to assess infant emotional regulation at 6-months. Results showed that pregnant women that were exposed to DV during childhood had a poorer quality of prenatal attachment of mother to fetus, regardless of whether they also experienced DV during adulthood. In addition, maternal exposure to DV during childhood was associated with increased maternal heart rate to infant-crying stimulus and worse infant emotional regulation. These findings highlight the importance of prenatal screening for maternal exposure to DV during childhood as a risk factor for disturbances in the development of maternal attachment, dysfunctional maternal behavior and infant emotion dysregulation

Effects of interpersonal violence-related post-traumatic stress disorder (PTSD) on mother and child diurnal cortisol rhythm and cortisol reactivity to a laboratory stressor involving separation

Women who have experienced interpersonal violence (IPV) are at a higher risk to develop posttraumatic stress disorder (PTSD), with dysregulation of the hypothalamic-pituitary-adrenal (HPA) axis and impaired social behavior. Previously, we had reported impaired maternal sensitivity and increased difficulty in identifying emotions (i.e. alexithymia) among IPV-PTSD mothers. One of the aims of the present study was to examine maternal IPV-PTSD salivary cortisol levels diurnally and reactive to their child’s distress in relation to maternal alexithymia. Given that mother-child interaction during infancy and early childhood has important long-term consequences on the stress response system, toddlers’ cortisol levels were assessed during the day and in response to a laboratory stressor. Mothers collected their own and their 12-48 month-old toddlers’ salivary samples at home three times: 30 min after waking up, between 2-3 pm and at bedtime. Moreover, mother-child dyads articipated in a 120-min laboratory session, consisting of 3 phases: baseline, stress situation (involving mother-child separation and exposure to novelty) and a 60-min regulation phase. Compared to non-PTSD controls, IPV-PTSD mothers -but not their toddlers-, had lower morning cortisol and higher bedtime cortisol levels. As expected, IPV-PTSD mothers and their children showed blunted cortisol reactivity to the laboratory stressor. Maternal cortisol levels were negatively correlated to difficulty in identifying emotions. Our data highlights PTSDIPV-related alterations in the HPA system and its relevance to maternal behavior. Toddlers of IPV-PTSD mothers also showed an altered pattern of cortisol reactivity to stress that potentially may predispose them to later psychological disorders

The association of serotonin receptor 3A methylation with maternal violence exposure, neural activity, and child aggression

Background Methylation of the serotonin 3A receptor gene (HTR3A) has been linked to child maltreatment and adult psychopathology. The present study examined whether HTR3A methylation might be associated with mothers' lifetime exposure to interpersonal violence (IPV), IPV-related psychopathology, child disturbance of attachment, and maternal neural activity. Methods Number of maternal lifetime IPV exposures and measures of maternal psychopathology including posttraumatic stress disorder (PTSD), major depression and aggressive behavior (AgB), and a measure of child attachment disturbance known as “secure base distortion” (SBD) were assessed in a sample of 35 mothers and children aged 12–42 months. Brain fMRI activation was assessed in mothers using 30-s silent film excerpts depicting menacing adult male-female interactions versus prosocial and neutral interactions. Group and continuous analyses were performed to test for associations between clinical and fMRI variables with DNA methylation. Results Maternal IPV exposure-frequency was associated with maternal PTSD; and maternal IPV-PTSD was in turn associated with child SBD. Methylation status of several CpG sites in the HTR3A gene was associated with maternal IPV and IPV-PTSD severity, AgB and child SBD, in particular, self-endangering behavior. Methylation status at a specific CpG site (CpG2_III) was associated with decreased medial prefrontal cortical (mPFC) activity in response to film-stimuli of adult male-female interactions evocative of violence as compared to prosocial and neutral interactions. Conclusions Methylation status of the HTR3A gene in mothers is linked to maternal IPV-related psychopathology, trauma-induced brain activation patterns, and child attachment disturbance in the form of SBD during a sensitive period in the development of self-regulation

BDNF Methylation and Maternal Brain Activity in a Violence-Related Sample

It is known that increased circulating glucocorticoids in the wake of excessive, chronic, repetitive stress increases anxiety and impairs Brain-Derived Neurotrophic Factor (BDNF) signaling. Recent studies of BDNF gene methylation in relation to maternal care have linked high BDNF methylation levels in the blood of adults to lower quality of received maternal care measured via self-report. Yet the specific mechanisms by which these phenomena occur remain to be established. The present study examines the link between methylation of the BDNF gene promoter region and patterns of neural activity that are associated with maternal response to stressful versus non-stressful child stimuli within a sample that includes mothers with interpersonal violence-related PTSD (IPV-PTSD). 46 mothers underwent fMRI. The contrast of neural activity when watching children-including their own-was then correlated to BDNF methylation. Consistent with the existing literature, the present study found that maternal BDNF methylation was associated with higher levels of maternal anxiety and greater childhood exposure to domestic violence. fMRI results showed a positive correlation of BDNF methylation with maternal brain activity in the anterior cingulate (ACC), and ventromedial prefrontal cortex (vmPFC), regions generally credited with a regulatory function toward brain areas that are generating emotions. Furthermore we found a negative correlation of BDNF methylation with the activity of the right hippocampus. Since our stimuli focus on stressful parenting conditions, these data suggest that the correlation between vmPFC/ACC activity and BDNF methylation may be linked to mothers who are at a disadvantage with respect to emotion regulation when facing stressful parenting situations. Overall, this study provides evidence that epigenetic signatures of stress-related genes can be linked to functional brain regions regulating parenting stress, thus advancing our understanding of mothers at risk for stress-related psychopathology

COVID-19 symptoms at hospital admission vary with age and sex: results from the ISARIC prospective multinational observational study

Background: The ISARIC prospective multinational observational study is the largest cohort of hospitalized patients with COVID-19. We present relationships of age, sex, and nationality to presenting symptoms. Methods: International, prospective observational study of 60 109 hospitalized symptomatic patients with laboratory-confirmed COVID-19 recruited from 43 countries between 30 January and 3 August 2020. Logistic regression was performed to evaluate relationships of age and sex to published COVID-19 case definitions and the most commonly reported symptoms. Results: ‘Typical’ symptoms of fever (69%), cough (68%) and shortness of breath (66%) were the most commonly reported. 92% of patients experienced at least one of these. Prevalence of typical symptoms was greatest in 30- to 60-year-olds (respectively 80, 79, 69%; at least one 95%). They were reported less frequently in children (≤ 18 years: 69, 48, 23; 85%), older adults (≥ 70 years: 61, 62, 65; 90%), and women (66, 66, 64; 90%; vs. men 71, 70, 67; 93%, each P < 0.001). The most common atypical presentations under 60 years of age were nausea and vomiting and abdominal pain, and over 60 years was confusion. Regression models showed significant differences in symptoms with sex, age and country. Interpretation: This international collaboration has allowed us to report reliable symptom data from the largest cohort of patients admitted to hospital with COVID-19. Adults over 60 and children admitted to hospital with COVID-19 are less likely to present with typical symptoms. Nausea and vomiting are common atypical presentations under 30 years. Confusion is a frequent atypical presentation of COVID-19 in adults over 60 years. Women are less likely to experience typical symptoms than men

La consultation unique en pédopsychiatrie pour les enfants d’âge préscolaire : intérêts et limites d’un modèle de réponse à des demandes exponentielles

En pédopsychiatrie, le modèle classique de prise en charge, les consultations thérapeutiques, implique la continuité du suivi par le même thérapeute dès le premier entretien. Ce modèle nécessite toutefois des ressources en personnel qui ne sont souvent plus disponibles dans nos systèmes de soins. Selon le lieu, les enfants attendent plusieurs mois à plusieurs années avant d’obtenir un premier rendez-vous avec un spécialiste. À Genève, une unité pédopsychiatrique ambulatoire pour enfants d’âge préscolaire propose depuis plusieurs années une approche différente dans laquelle les familles sont d’abord vues par un pédopsychiatre expérimenté lors d’une consultation unique (CU), avec pour objectifs de réduire le temps d’attente avant le premier rendez-vous, soulager l’anxiété parentale, donner un premier conseil et/ou avis et orienter si nécessaire les familles vers un autre thérapeute au sein de la même unité ou vers une autre structure. À travers une étude observationnelle menée entre mars 2019 et février 2020 auprès de 79 familles ayant bénéficié de ce modèle, nous avons cherché à évaluer sa pertinence, son acceptation par les familles et les thérapeutes ainsi que ses avantages et inconvénients. Les données ont été collectées dans une unité de pédopsychiatrie ambulatoire pour enfants d’âge préscolaire, la Guidance infantile, qui fait partie des Hôpitaux Universitaires de Genève. Les résultats de cette étude ont montré la pertinence de ce modèle et son acceptabilité par les familles nécessitant une aide psychiatrique pour leurs enfants en âge préscolaire. La majorité des familles apprécie la rapidité de la prise en charge, plus importante à leurs yeux que la continuité des soins par le même thérapeute. Les cliniciens, qui au début émettaient des réserves quant au changement de thérapeute, sont eux aussi satisfaits par ce modèle, soulignant notamment l’apport positif de la CU à l’établissement de l’alliance thérapeutique. Ce modèle devrait cependant pouvoir être utilisé avec une certaine flexibilité. Il semble en effet opportun que le thérapeute de la CU puisse dans certains cas prévoir une deuxième séance afin d’approfondir l’évaluation initiale, et également qu’il puisse continuer lui-même le suivi s’il estime lors de la CU que la famille est à risque de rupture de soins en cas de changement de thérapeute ou de délai d’attente supplémentaire.Introduction: In child psychiatry, the classic model of care, which is the therapeutic consultations, implies a continuity of care by the same therapist from the first session. The strong emotional charge which emerges from this first consultation favours the therapeutic alliance. This model requires staff resources which are often no longer available in our care systems. Depending on the area, children have to wait several months to several years to get a first appointment with a specialist. A Geneva outpatient child psychiatric unit for preschool children has experimented a different approach in which families are first seen by an experienced child psychiatrist for a single consultation (SC) with the following objectives: to reduce the waiting time before the first appointment, to relieve parental anxiety, to give initial advice and to refer families to care with another therapist if needed, either within the same unit or to another structure. Objectives: In this article, we examine, through an observational study, the relevance of this model, its acceptance by families and therapists, as well as its advantages and limitations. Methods: An observational study was conducted between March 2019 and February 2020 among 79 families who benefited from this model. The data were collected in an outpatient child psychiatry unit for preschool children, the Guidance infantile, which is part of the Geneva University Hospitals. Exclusion criteria were: no French speaking, the presence of a legal third party during the session (minor protection service, lawyer), or a known clinical contraindication to a change of therapist. Four questionnaires were distributed along the study. The first and second were respectively completed by the family and the therapist immediately after the SC. The third was filled out by the family by telephone two months after the SC and the fourth was completed by the second therapist in charge of the therapy after the SC, if therapy took place in the same unit.</p

Video Feedback in Parent-Infant Treatments Video feedback interventions Parent-infant interactions Parent-infant treatments Infant pre-attachment Caregiver sensitivity

Studies focusing on parent-infant interactions have developed considerably since the 1970s and have led to an understanding that disturbances in interactive behavior underlie much of infant psychopathology. This understanding has facilitated the development of interventions that focus on the quality of the infant-parent relationship using video feedback analysis of mother-infant interaction. Video feedback has been used in several therapeutic approaches with families that include young children as a way of engaging parents to focus with the clinician on interactive behavior with their child. Several studies have shown that the thoughtful use of this therapeutic tool can improve the quality of interactions in a short period of time. 1-6 Video feedback interventions that focus on attachment quality have also been shown to result in a notable increase in maternal sensitivity. 7-9 Video feedback has been used in different therapeutic models. Several adaptations to particular settings have been developed using this therapeutic tool, albeit with different goals and targeting a large variety of outcome variables. This article describes how video feedback techniques are used in parent-infant interventions, with attention to their different treatment goals and their different ways of effecting change. Four clinical approaches representing the most important video feedback-based interventions are presented: (a) the attachment-based approach (ie, interventions that seek to enhance parental sensitivity at a behavioral level); (b) the psychoanalytically oriented approach (ie, interventions designed to develop parental reflective functioning and representations using the parents ability to observe and process nonverbal interactions); (c) the systemic approach (ie, interventions tha