RESUMO
Disorganized attachment is an important early risk factor for socioemotional problems throughout childhood and into adulthood. Prevailing models of the etiology of disorganized attachment emphasize the role of highly dysfunctional parenting, to the exclusion of complex models examining the interplay of child and parental factors. Decades of research have established that extreme child birth weight may have long-term effects on developmental processes. These effects are typically negative, but this is not always the case. Recent studies have also identified the dopamine D4 receptor (DRD4) as a moderator of childrearing effects on the development of disorganized attachment. However, there are inconsistent findings concerning which variant of the polymorphism (seven-repeat long-form allele or non-seven-repeat short-form allele) is most likely to interact with caregiving in predicting disorganized versus organized attachment. In this study, we examined possible two- and three-way interactions and child DRD4 polymorphisms and birth weight and maternal caregiving at age 6 months in longitudinally predicting attachment disorganization at 36 months. Our sample is from the Maternal Adversity, Vulnerability and Neurodevelopment project, a sample of 650 mother-child dyads. Birth weight was cross-referenced with normative data to calculate birth weight percentile. Infant DRD4 was obtained with buccal swabs and categorized according to the presence of the putative allele seven repeat. Macroanalytic and microanalytic measures of maternal behavior were extracted from a videotaped session of 20 min of nonfeeding interaction followed by a 10-min divided attention maternal task at 6 months. Attachment was assessed at 36 months using the Strange Situation procedure, and categorized into disorganized attachment and others. The results indicated that a main effect for DRD4 and a two-way interaction of birth weight and 6-month maternal attention (frequency of maternal looking away behavior) and sensitivity predicted disorganized attachment in robust logistic regression models adjusted for social demographic covariates. Specifically, children in the midrange of birth weight were more likely to develop a disorganized attachment when exposed to less attentive maternal care. However, the association reversed with extreme birth weight (low and high). The DRD4 seven-repeat allele was associated with less disorganized attachment (protective), while non-seven-repeat children were more likely to be classified as disorganized attachment. The implications for understanding inconsistencies in the literature about which DRD4 genotype is the risk direction are also considered. Suggestions for intervention with families with infants at different levels of biological risk and caregiving risk are also discussed.
Assuntos
Peso ao Nascer , Interação Gene-Ambiente , Comportamento Materno/psicologia , Relações Mãe-Filho/psicologia , Transtorno Reativo de Vinculação na Infância/genética , Transtorno Reativo de Vinculação na Infância/psicologia , Receptores de Dopamina D4/genética , Alelos , Pré-Escolar , Feminino , Seguimentos , Predisposição Genética para Doença/genética , Genótipo , Humanos , Lactente , Recém-Nascido , Masculino , Polimorfismo Genético/genética , Fatores de RiscoRESUMO
BACKGROUND: Childhood dysregulation, which reflects deficits in the capacity to regulate or control one's thoughts, emotions and behaviours, is associated with psychopathology throughout childhood and into adulthood. Exposures to adversity during the prenatal period, including prenatal depression, can influence the development of dysregulation, and a number of candidate genes have been suggested as moderators of prenatal exposure, including polymorphisms in the promoter region of the serotonin transporter gene (5-HTTLPR). We examined whether prenatal depression and child 5-HTTLPR interact to predict childhood dysregulation. METHOD: Sample of N = 213 mother-child pairs from the Maternal Adversity, Vulnerability and Neurodevelopment (MAVAN) project. Mothers reported the IBQ-R at 3 and 6 months, and the ECBQ at 18 and 36 months, from which measures of dysregulation were extracted. Mothers' self-reported symptoms of depression on the CES-D at 24-36 weeks of gestation, and at 6, 12, 24 and 36 months postnatal. 5-HTTLPR genotype was extracted from buccal swabs. Mixed-model and confirmatory analyses were conducted. RESULTS: Prenatal depression and 5-HTTLPR interacted to predict dysregulation from 3 to 36 months, within a model of strong differential susceptibility. CONCLUSION: Children with S or LG alleles, when exposed to prenatal depression, have higher levels of dysregulation, and when exposed to lower or little prenatal depression, have higher capacity for regulation. Our findings support efforts to identify, support and treat prenatal depression.