Interplay between children’s biobehavioral plasticity and interparental relationship in the origins of internalizing problems.

Abstract

The present study demonstrates the interplay between interparental relationship satisfaction and child plasticity in the origins of internalizing problems in 99 community mothers, fathers, and children. Our cumulative measure of plasticity integrated genetics (5-HTTLPR polymorphism), psychophysiology (skin conductance level), and observed behavior (inhibition, sadness, joy). The interaction between plasticity and interparental relationship satisfaction reflected differential susceptibility. Compared to low-plasticity peers, high-plasticity children had more internalizing problems from 5.5 to 12 years when the interparental relationship at 4.5 years was acrimonious, but fewer problems when it was harmonious. Further, almost half of the children in this sample were “differentially affected” by the interaction such that greater plasticity was associated with fewer internalizing problems when their parents had a harmonious relationship, a key feature of differential susceptibility.

Interactions Between Child Personality and Parenting in Relation to Child Well-Being: Support for Diathesis–Stress and Differential Susceptibility Patterns

“…If high fearfulness reflects a highly sensitive nervous system, then fearful children may experience more stress and anxiety in response to harsh discipline and punishment, and that may manifest as a high level of internalizing problems. Notably, one recent study provided evidence for the differential susceptibility model, showing that highly sensitive children had relatively more internalizing problems in the context of parental discord, but fewer problems when the relationship between parents was harmonious (Brock et al, 2017 ). In contrast to these findings, our results on the role of fearfulness in internalizing problems support the diathesis–stress model.…”

“…Support for the differential susceptibility hypothesis was initially found in studies examining interactions between temperament and environmental conditions in infancy and toddlerhood (Belsky and Pluess, 2009 ). There is some evidence supporting the differential susceptibility model in later childhood (Slagt et al, 2016b ; Brock et al, 2017 ; Griffith et al, 2020 ). However, it is not yet clear whether the effects of rearing on the development of preschool children are similarly moderated by their individual characteristics and what traits would be the markers of differential susceptibility at different developmental stages (Slagt et al, 2016a ).…”

“…Longitudinal studies have shown that children with difficult temperament and high in negative emotionality had more externalizing problems than other children if they experienced harsh parenting, but fewer problems if they experienced high quality and sensitive parenting (Slagt et al, 2016a ). A study from the United States has shown that compared to low-plasticity peers, children high in biobehavioral plasticity had more internalizing problems at ages 5.5–12 years if there was parental discord at age 4.5, but fewer problems when the relationship between their parents was harmonious (Brock et al, 2017 ). A recent study found that in the context of lower quality guided learning, 5-year-old children high in surgency showed lower levels of executive function skills than their low-surgency peers, but in the context of higher quality guided learning, they showed higher levels of executive function than children low in surgency (Sour et al, 2019 ).…”

Influence of Maternal Health on Mental Development and Health of Children Born Through In Vitro Fertilization, in Longitudinal Study

“…С опорой на данные литературы [36] было рассмотрено предположение о косвенном влиянии показателей психического и психологического компонентов здоровья на выявленные связи. Так, анализ медиации показал, что раздражительность матери, направленная вовне, является опосредующим фактором влияния нарушений репродуктивного здоровья на срок гестации (рис.…”

“…С опорой на данные литературы о влиянии факторов семейной среды [36] и c помощью анализа модерации установлено, что в период младенчества ребенка вклад родительских навыков матери в формирование «скучного» (рис. 4) и «сложного» (рис.…”