Abstract
BackgroundExtant research has demonstrated that parenting behaviour can be a significant contributor to the development of brain structure and mental health during adolescence. Nonetheless, there is limited research examining these relationships during late childhood, and particularly in the critical period of brain development occurring between 8 and 10 years of age. The effects of the family environment on the brain during late childhood may have significant implications for later functioning, and particularly mental health. The Families and Childhood Transitions Study (FACTS) is a multidisciplinary longitudinal cohort study of brain development and mental health, with two waves of data collection currently funded, occurring 18-months apart, when child participants are aged approximately 8- and 10-years old.Methods/designParticipants are 163 children (M age [SD] = 8.44 [0.34] years, 76 males) and their mothers (M age [SD] = 40.34 [5.43] years). Of the 163 families who consented to participate, 156 completed a video-recorded and observer-coded dyadic interaction task and 153 completed a child magnetic resonance imaging brain scan at baseline. Families were recruited from lower socioeconomic status (SES) areas to maximise rates of social disadvantage and variation in parenting behaviours. All experimental measures and tasks completed at baseline are repeated at an 18-month follow-up, excluding the observer coded family interaction tasks. The baseline assessment was completed in October 2015, and the 18-month follow up will be completed May 2017.DiscussionThis study, by examining the neurobiological and mental health consequences of variations in parenting, has the potential to significantly advance our understanding of child development and risk processes. Recruitment of lower SES families will also allow assessment of resilience factors given the poorer outcomes often associated with this population.
Highlights
Extant research has demonstrated that parenting behaviour can be a significant contributor to the development of brain structure and mental health during adolescence
This study, by examining the neurobiological and mental health consequences of variations in parenting, has the potential to significantly advance our understanding of child development and risk processes
The effects of the family environment on the brain during late childhood may have significant implications for later functioning. These effects may be important to investigate in the context of social disadvantage, given that the stressors associated with disadvantage may lead to sub-optimal parenting behaviours and other domestic stressors for children [14], and given the evidence that parenting behaviours are a critical mediator between social disadvantage and poor child outcomes [15]
Summary
Studies investigating maltreatment in adult populations have found that early childhood maltreatment is associated with quite different effects on brain structure and function than are seen in youth maltreated in early childhood [34, 35] This highlights that the effects of family environments on the brain may not be static but likely change across the life span. While the hippocampus and PFC are known to mediate an inhibitory effect of glucocorticoids on stress-induced HPA activity [37], the amygdala is thought to be critical in activating the HPA axis in response to threat [36] Despite these known links, there is currently limited work that has investigated associations between HPA axis function and brain structure in young individuals [95,96,97].
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