Early Family Adversity Research Articles

Daytime Cortisol Secretion in 6-Month-Old Twins: Genetic and Environmental Contributions as a Function of Early Familial Adversity

Dysregulation of daytime cortisol activity has been associated with stress-related pathologies. Research suggests that early environmental adversity might shape cortisol activity. However, little is known about the genetic and environmental contributions to early cortisol and how this varies as a function of environmental circumstances. The goals of the study were to estimate the genetic and environmental contributions to daytime cortisol secretion in infant twins and to investigate whether these contributions varied as a function of familial adversity (FA). Participants were 517 6-month-old twins. Salivary cortisol was collected when the infants woke up at home and in the morning, upon arrival at the laboratory. Familial adversity was defined by seven perinatal and postnatal risk factors: maternal smoking during pregnancy, low birth weight, low family income, low maternal education, single parenthood, young motherhood, and maternal hostile/reactive behaviors. Genetic and environment contributions to cortisol activity were estimated for high (three risk factors or more: 21.3% of the sample) versus low FA. Genetic factors accounted for cortisol levels in different ways: a moderate "main effect" of genes was found for home-based awakening cortisol, whereas the contribution of genes to morning cortisol was conditional to FA. Genetic factors accounted for most of the variance in morning cortisol in high family adversity but not in low family adversity. Early FA modulates the heritability of morning cortisol in infants. The results are consistent with the diathesis-stress model, with genetic factors more likely to be expressed in adverse settings.

Errors in Byline and Author Affiliations in: Variations in Heritability of Cortisol Reactivity to Stress as a Function of Early Familial Adversity Among 19-Month-Old Twins

Errors in Byline and Author Affiliations in: Variations in Heritability of Cortisol Reactivity to Stress as a Function of Early Familial Adversity Among 19-Month-Old Twins

Variations in Heritability of Cortisol Reactivity to Stress as a Function of Early Familial Adversity Among 19-Month-Old Twins

Cortisol reactivity is a marker of vulnerability for a variety of stress-related diseases that likely arise from the contributions of both genetic and environmental sources of influence. However, little is known about gene-environment interplay in early cortisol reactivity. To examine the genetic and environmental contributions to early cortisol reactivity in a population-based sample of 19-month-old twins and to determine whether these contributions vary as a function of early familial adversity. A variant of the twin method, with genetic and environment contributions to cortisol reactivity estimated as a function of familial adversity. Familial adversity was defined as the presence of 7 risk factors during perinatal and postnatal development (eg, at 6 and 19 months of age): maternal smoking during pregnancy, low birth weight, low family income, low maternal educational level, single parenthood, young motherhood, and maternal hostile or reactive behaviors. Twins exposed to 4 or more risk factors at either time were considered as having been exposed to high (vs low) familial adversity (23.4% of the sample). Centre de Recherche Fernand-Seguin at the Hôpital Louis-Hyppolite Lafontaine, Montréal, Quebec. Patients Participants were families of twins from the Québec Newborn Twin Study recruited between April 1, 1995, and December 31, 1998, in the greater Montréal area. A total of 346 twins, 130 monozygotic and 216 dizygotic, were included in the study. Salivary cortisol samples were collected before and after the participating twins had been exposed to unfamiliar situations; change in cortisol over time was used as a measure of cortisol reactivity. Distinct patterns of genetic and environmental contributions to cortisol reactivity were evidenced as a function of familial adversity, suggesting a possible gene-environment interplay. In low-familial adversity settings that characterized most families, both genetic and unique but not shared environmental factors accounted for individual differences in cortisol reactivity, with shared genes explaining the similarity observed within twin pairs. By contrast, in conditions of high familial adversity, both shared and unique environmental factors, but not genetic factors, accounted for the variance in cortisol reactivity. This pattern of differing genetic and environmental contributions according to familial adversity suggests that, early in life, high familial adversity may have a programming developmental effect on cortisol reactivity.

Early Family Adversity and Cognitive Performance in Aging: A Lifespan Developmental Model

Abstract While the beneficial impact of positive social relationships on health is well–documented, recent research suggests that family–of–origin relationships can also impact health and physiological responses to stress later in life. Animal studies have shown that the impact of adverse caregiving extends beyond physical health outcomes to exert a long–term effect on cognitive performance. Human studies have related early family adversity to long–term physical health, but have not yet evaluated age–related cognitive outcomes. The current paper considers evidence for a model proposing that early family adversity such as abusive or neglectful parenting can impact cognitive performance in older adulthood through psychosocial, behavioral, and health–related pathways operating across the lifespan. Evidence to support each pathway is discussed, along with limitations and directions for future research.

Are regulatory problems in infancy precursors of later hyperkinetic symptoms?

Aim: To examine whether regulatory problems in infancy predict later hyperkinetic symptoms in childhood and pre‐adolescence. Methods: In a prospective longitudinal study of 319 children at risk of later developmental problems and psychopathology, hyperkinetic behaviour problems were assessed at the ages of 2, 4.5, 8 and 11 y by means of a standardized parent interview. Infant regulatory problems at the age of 3 mo were determined from multiple sources of information. An observational procedure was used to assess the quality of mother‐infant interaction. Results: At the age of 3 mo, 17% of the infants (n= 55; 27 boys, 28 girls) suffered from multiple regulatory problems. Compared to a control group (n= 264), these children presented more hyperkinetic symptoms throughout childhood. Negativity in the mother‐infant interaction and early family adversity each contributed to later hyperkinetic symptoms. When controlling for family adversity, the association between infant multiple regulatory problems and later hyperkinetic problems was rendered insignificant. Conclusions: These findings suggest that multiple regulatory problems may not be a key variable for later hyperkinetic problems. The impact of early family adversity factors clearly outweighed that of infant psychopathology on later behaviour disorder.

Are regulatory problems in infancy precursors of later hyperkinetic symptoms?

To examine whether regulatory problems in infancy predict later hyperkinetic symptoms in childhood and pre-adolescence. In a prospective longitudinal study of 319 children at risk of later developmental problems and psychopathology, hyperkinetic behaviour problems were assessed at the ages of 2, 4.5, 8 and 11 y by means of a standardized parent interview. Infant regulatory problems at the age of 3 mo were determined from multiple sources of information. An observational procedure was used to assess the quality of mother-infant interaction. At the age of 3 mo, 17% of the infants (n = 55; 27 boys, 28 girls) suffered from multiple regulatory problems. Compared to a control group (n = 264), these children presented more hyperkinetic symptoms throughout childhood. Negativity in the mother-infant interaction and early family adversity each contributed to later hyperkinetic symptoms. When controlling for family adversity, the association between infant multiple regulatory problems and later hyperkinetic problems was rendered insignificant. These findings suggest that multiple regulatory problems may not be a key variable for later hyperkinetic problems. The impact of early family adversity factors clearly outweighed that of infant psychopathology on later behaviour disorder.

Obstetrical complications and violent delinquency: testing two developmental pathways.

This study focused on the interaction between specific obstetrical complications and early family adversity in predicting violent behavior during childhood and adolescence, in a sample of 849 boys from low socioeconomic areas of Montreal, Canada. Obstetrical complication data from medical records were used to create three scales using a nonlinear principal component analysis followed by rotation. Family adversity and teacher-rated physical aggression were assessed when the boys were in kindergarten and self-reports of delinquency were collected when they were 17. Elevated scores on the Deadly Risk Situation scale of obstetrical complications (preeclampsia, umbilical cord prolapse, and induced labor) increased the risk of being violent at both 6 and 17 years of age, only among boys who grew up in high adverse familial environments. Moreover, this interaction partly accounted for the continuity between violence in childhood and adolescence. Interventions for young pregnant women from deprived environments and their babies are discussed in light of these results.

Behavioral Sequelae of Perinatal Insults and Early Family Adversity at 8 Years of Age

This prospective longitudinal study investigated the simultaneous impact of early biological and psychosocial risk factors on behavioral outcome at school age. A cohort of 362 children born between 1986 and 1988 with different biological (perinatal insults) and psychosocial risk factors (family adversity) was followed from birth to school age. When their children were aged 8 years, parents of 89.0% of the initial sample completed the Child Behavior Checklist (CBCL). More externalizing as well as internalizing problems were found in children born into adverse family backgrounds, whereas no differences at broad-band syndrome level were apparent between groups with varying obstetric complications. Children with family risk factors had higher scores on 5 of the 8 CBCL scales (including attention, delinquent, and aggressive problems), whereas children with perinatal risk factors had more social and attention problems than children in the nonrisk groups. With one exception, no interactions between risk factors emerged, indicating that perinatal and family risk factors contributed independently to outcome. The differences between risk groups applied irrespective of gender. The adverse impact of family adversity clearly outweighed the influence of obstetric complications in determining behavioral adjustment at school age.

Supportive parenting, Ecological Context, and Children's Adjustment: A seven-Year Longitudianl Study.

Two major questions regarding the possible impact of early supportive parenting (SP) on children's school adjustment were addressed:(1) Does SP assessed prekindergarten predict grade 6 adjustment after controlling for early barsh parenting (HP)? (2) Does SP moderate (buffer) the impact of early family adversity on grade 6 adjustment? Parenting and family adversity data were drawn from home-visit interviews with 585 mothers conducted prekindergarten. Four SP measure were derived: mother-to-child warmth, proactive teaching, inductive discipline, and positive involvement. HP was indexed as the use of harsh, physical disciple. Family adversity indicators were socioeconomic disadvantage, family stress, and single parenthood. Children 's adjustment (behavior problems, social skills, and academic performance) in kindergarten and grade 6 was assessedvia teacher ratings and school records. SP predicted adjustment in grade 6, even after controlling for kindergarten adjustment and HP. High levels of SP mitigated the effects of family adversity on later behavior problems. These findings implicate both direct (main effect)and indirect (moderator of adversity) processes in the linkage between positive and supportive aspects of parenting and children's school adjustment.

Early family adversity as a precursor to narcotic addiction

This retrospective study examined differences among three groups of urban males in the prevalence of various family risk factors occurring before age 11 and their independent contributions to subsequent deviance. The groups included: narcotic addicts; never-addicted peer controls who were associates of the addicts at age 11; and never-addicted community controls not associated with the addicts. Sixty-four percent of the addicts, compared to slightly under 40% of both control groups, reportedly experienced one or more family risk factors involving deviant behavior among family members and family disruption before age 11. While community controls differed from addicts on both family deviance and disruption in family structure, peer controls differed from addicts only on disruption of family structure. For the total sample, both family deviance and family disruption experienced before age 11 were significantly associated with crime seventy level at age 11. Implications of these findings for future substance abuse research and intervention are discussed.

Childhood Stress and Family Environment

L'etude menee aupres des enfants d'un village rural sur la cote orientale de Dominique montre la relation entre le stress et la composition du groupe domestique (âge, sexe, relation intergenerationnelle, nombre de personnes). Les enfants vivant dans des foyers ou prendre soin d'eux est une attitude frequente et stable ont un niveau de cortisol modere contrairement aux enfants connaissant des evenements familiaux traumatiques

The Relative Value of Reading Ability and IQ as Predictors of Teacher-Reported Behavior Problems

Measures of early family adversity, pre-school-age IQ, school-age IQ, and reading ability were obtained from 779 Dunedin children. The data were used to examine the role of reading ability in the relationship between intellectual performance and teacher-reported behavior problems. Results of regression analyses showed that family adversity and pre-school-age IQ predicted problem behavior during the first year at school. However, reading scores accounted for a larger proportion of the variance in the later behavior problem scores than did school-age IQ scores, and when reading ability was entered in the regression equation before IQ, then reading but not IQ significantly predicted change in problem behavior during the primary school years. The results indicated that the association between IQ scores and problem behavior was mediated by reading ability and that a measure of school-age IQ has limited usefulness for models of primary school-age problem behavior.

A longitudinal study of the interactive effects of perinatal complications and early family adversity on cognitive ability.

The effects of high, medium and low levels of perinatal complications and family adversity on intelligence quotient (IQ) scores were examined in a large sample of Dunedin children tested every second year in the age group 3-13 years. The aim was to test the hypothesis that favourable environmental circumstances attenuate the effects of perinatal complications on later cognitive ability. The results did not support this hypothesis but rather suggested that perinatal complications and family adversity have independent adverse effects on the development of children's cognitive ability.

Parasuicide: interaction between inadequate parenting and recent interpersonal stress.

We report a controlled study in which we searched for links between early family adversity and recent interpersonal stress in parasuicidal patients. Our subjects reported fewer adverse experiences in childhood than did the younger, predominantly female, patients investigated in previous studies. Nevertheless, 47% of our parasuicidal group, as compared to 19% of control subjects, reported a sequential pattern of relationship difficulties starting in childhood. The pattern of early exposure to neglectful and overprotective parenting followed by recent conflict or separations in adulthood was found to discriminate most clearly between the parasuicidal and control groups. We suggest that factors such as low self-esteem, a sense of helplessness in the face of adversity and an abiding insecurity in intimate relationships may variously account for this heightened vulnerability. We conclude that a history of adverse relationships beginning in childhood should alert primary care-givers to the risk of suicidal behaviour in patients who are exposed to distressing separations or interpersonal conflict.

The reliability and validity of interview data obtained from 59 narcotic drug addicts.

The reliability and validity of interview data obtained from 59 narcotic drug addicts.