Maternal immune and affiliative biomarkers and sensitive parenting mediate the effects of chronic early trauma on child anxiety.
Psychol Med
; 48(6): 1020-1033, 2018 04.
Article
em En
| MEDLINE
| ID: mdl-28889808
ABSTRACT
BACKGROUND:
Chronic early trauma alters children's stress reactivity and increases the prevalence of anxiety disorders; yet the neuroendocrine and immune mechanisms underpinning this effect are not fully clear. Animal studies indicate that the mother's physiology and behavior mediate offspring stress in a system-specific manner, but few studies tested this external-regulatory maternal role in human children exposed to chronic stress.METHODS:
We followed a unique cohort of children exposed to continuous wartime trauma (N = 177; exposed; N = 101, controls; N = 76). At 10 years, maternal and child's salivary immunoglobulin A (s-IgA) and oxytocin (OT), biomarkers of the immune and affiliation systems, were assayed, maternal and child relational behaviors observed, mother and child underwent psychiatric diagnosis, and child anxiety symptoms assessed.RESULTS:
War-exposed mothers had higher s-IgA, lower OT, more anxiety symptoms, and their parenting was characterized by reduced sensitivity. Exposed children showed higher s-IgA, more anxiety disorders and post traumatic stress disorder, and more anxiety symptoms. Path analysis model defined three pathways by which maternal physiology and behavior impacted child anxiety; (a) increasing maternal s-IgA, which led to increased child s-IgA, augmenting child anxiety; (b) reducing maternal OT, which linked with diminished child OT and social repertoire; and (c) increasing maternal anxiety, which directly impacted child anxiety.CONCLUSIONS:
Our findings, the first to measure immune and affiliation biomarkers in mothers and children, detail their unique and joint effects on children's anxiety in response to stress; highlight the relations between chronic stress, immune activation, and anxiety in children; and describe how processes of biobehavioral synchrony shape children's long-term adaptation.Palavras-chave
Texto completo:
1
Coleções:
01-internacional
Base de dados:
MEDLINE
Assunto principal:
Ansiedade
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Saliva
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Transtornos de Estresse Pós-Traumáticos
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Imunoglobulina A
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Ocitocina
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Poder Familiar
Tipo de estudo:
Diagnostic_studies
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Observational_studies
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Prognostic_studies
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Risk_factors_studies
Limite:
Adult
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Child
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Child, preschool
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Female
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Humans
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Infant
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Male
Idioma:
En
Revista:
Psychol Med
Ano de publicação:
2018
Tipo de documento:
Article