Facial emotion recognition in children of parents with a mental illness.

Objective: Facial emotion recognition (FER) is a fundamental social skill essential for adaptive social behaviors, emotional development, and overall well-being. FER impairments have been linked to various mental disorders, making it a critical transdiagnostic mechanism influencing the development and trajectory of mental disorders. FER has also been found to play a role in the transgenerational transmission of mental disorders, with the majority of research suggesting FER impairments in children of parents with a mental illness (COPMI). Previous research primarily concentrated on COPMI of parents with internalizing disorders, which does not cover the full spectrum of outpatient mental health service populations. Furthermore, research focuses on varying components of FER by using different assessment paradigms, making it challenging to compare study results. To address these gaps, we comprehensively investigated FER abilities in COPMI using multiple tasks varying in task characteristics. Methods: We included 189 children, 77 COPMI and 112 children of parents without a diagnosed mental illness (COPWMI), aged 6 to 16 years. We assessed FER using three tasks with varying task demands: an emotional Go/NoGo task, a morphing task, and a task presenting short video sequences depicting different emotions. We fitted separate two-level hierarchical Bayesian models (to account for sibling pairs in our sample) for reaction times and accuracy rates for each task. Good model fit was assured by comparing models using varying priors. Results: Contrary to our expectations, our results revealed no general FER deficit in COPMI compared to COPWMI. The Bayesian models fitted for accuracy in the morphing task and Go/NoGo task yielded small yet significant effects. However, Bayes factors fitted for the models suggested that these effects could be due to random variations or noise in the data. Conclusions: Our study does not support FER impairments as a general feature of COPMI. Instead, individual factors, such as the type of parental disorder and the timing of its onset, may play a crucial role in influencing FER development. Future research should consider these factors, taking into account the diverse landscape of parental mental disorders.

Parent-child interactive behavior in a German sample of parents with and without a mental illness: model replication and adaption of the Coding Interactive Behavior system.

Studies using observational measures often fail to meet statistical standards for both reliability and validity. The present study examined the psychometric properties of the Coding Interactive Behavior (CIB) System within a German sample of parent-child dyads. The sample consisted of 149 parents with and without a mental illness and their children [n experimental group (EG) = 75, n control group (CG) = 74] who participated in the larger Children of Mentally Ill Parents at Risk Evaluation (COMPARE) study. The age of the children ranged from 3 to 12 years (M = 7.99, SD = 2.5). Exploratory factor analysis supported a five-factor model of the CIB with items describing 1) parental sensitivity/reciprocity, 2) parental intrusiveness, 3) child withdrawal, 4) child involvement, and 5) parent limit setting/child compliance. Compared to international samples, the model was reduced by two independent dyadic factors. Testing for predictive validity identified seven items with predictive power to differentiate parental group membership. The CIB factors did not seem to be sufficiently sensitive to illustrate differences in interaction within a sample of parents with various mental illnesses. To apply the CIB to the described sample or similar ones in the future, additional measurement instruments may be necessary.

Empathy and psychopathology in children and adolescents: the role of parental mental illness and emotion regulation.

Objective: Although empathy is known to be a strength, recent studies suggest that empathy can be a risk factor for psychopathology under certain conditions in children. This study examines parental mental illness as such a condition. Further, it aims to investigate whether maladaptive emotion regulation (ER) mediates the relationship between empathy and psychopathological symptoms of children. Methods: Participants were 100 children of parents with a mental illness (55% female) and 87 children of parents without a mental illness (50% female) aged 6 - 16 years and their parents. Results: Greater cognitive empathy was related to more psychopathological symptoms in COPMI, but not in COPWMI. In addition, in COPMI maladaptive ER mediated this relationship. In contrast, greater affective empathy was associated with more psychopathological symptoms regardless of whether parents had a mental illness. Conclusion: Our findings highlight the importance of implementing preventive programs for COPMI that specifically target the reduction of maladaptive ER.

The effect of antepartum depressive and anxiety symptoms on mother-infant interaction: The mediating role of antepartum maternal emotional stress.

Anxiety disorders, depression, and emotional stress during the antepartum period are interlinked with adverse child development. The quality of the dyadic interaction seems to play a crucial role in the transmission of these effects. In this study, we explored the mediating effect of antepartum maternal emotional stress (assessed via the Prenatal Emotional Stress Index) regarding the relationship of antepartum maternal depressive (assessed via the Edinburgh Postpartum Depression Scale), anxiety symptoms (assessed via the Stat-Trait-Anxiety-Inventory), and depressive and anxiety disorders (assessed according to the DSM-IV-TR) in the antepartum period on postpartum interactive quality in a longitudinal design. The Face-to-Face-Still-Face Paradigm (FFSF) and the Infant and Caregiver Engagement Phases (ICEP-R) coding system were used to assess the postpartum interactive qualities of the mother-infant dyads. The sample consisted of 59 women, 38 in the clinical and 21 in the control group. We found significant indirect effects of antepartum depressive symptoms and maternal diagnostic status on the mother's neutral engagement and on the latency to the first social positive interactive match during the interaction - effects that were mediated by antepartum stress. Moreover, there was an indirect effect of state anxiety on neutral engagement - mediated by antepartum stress. Therapeutic intervention studies focusing on maternal antepartum regulation of emotional stress and postpartum interactive patterns might be crucial to encounter maladaptive developmental trajectories.

Parenting stress in parents with and without a mental illness and its relationship to psychopathology in children: a multimodal examination.

Objective: Children of parents with a mental illness are at heightened risk to develop a mental illness themselves due to genetics and environmental factors. Although parenting stress (PS) is known to be associated with increased psychopathology in parents and children, there is no study investigating PS multimodally in a sample of parents with a mental illness. This study aims to compare PS of parents with and without a mental illness and further to examine the relationship between PS and psychopathology of children. Methods: Participants were parents with a mental illness and parents without a mental illness and their children aged four to sixteen years. We assessed PS multimodally using a questionnaire, parents' evaluation of children's behavior (relational schemas) and psychophysiological arousal of parents during free speech task. Results: Self-reported PS was increased, and evaluation of children's behavior was more negative and less positive in parents with a mental illness compared to parents without a mental illness. Children's psychopathology was associated with self-reported PS and relational schemas of parents. Regarding psychophysiological arousal, parents with a mental illness showed reduced reactivity in heart rate from baseline to free speech task in comparison to parents without a mental illness. Conclusions: Our findings highlight the importance of implementing intervention programs to reduce PS for parents and children. In particular, parents with a mental illness might benefit from specific intervention programs in order to interrupt the transgenerational transmission of mental disorders.

[The parent-child relationship in the context of parental mental illness-Possibilities for intervention]. / Die Eltern-Kind-Beziehung im Kontext elterlicher psychischer Erkrankung ­ Möglichkeiten zur Intervention.

The parent-child relationship is the earliest and one of the most important close social relationships in a person's life. It begins even during pregnancy, is expressed in interactions and is accompanied by many neurobiological processes. A sensitive interaction with the parent who is well-adapted to the needs of the child, is necessary for a healthy child development; however, parents with mental disorders often face more difficulties in parenting than healthy parents. They tend to exhibit more intrusive or withdrawn behavior and report experiencing increased stress in parenting, which in turn can be a risk factor for the mental disorder. At the same time, parenting can be a great resource. Early recognition of stress in parenting is central to healthy child development and also to the parent's mental health. In addition to disorder-specific treatment for parents, parent-child focused interventions can be used in relationship or interaction disorders. This article presents and discusses different prevention and intervention approaches.

Maternal postpartum anxiety and the development of infant attachment: The effect of body sensations on infant attachment.

BACKGROUND: Knowledge about the influences of maternal postpartum anxiety disorders (PAD) on infant development is limited. Aim of this present study is to evaluate the influence of PAD on infant attachment. METHODS: In a longitudinal study, self-reported anxiety symptoms of N = 70 mothers (N = 28 with PAD diagnosed according to the DSM-IV, N = 42 controls) were examined in the postpartum period and one year later. Infants' attachment was observed in the Strange Situation Test (SST) at the age of 12-24 months. RESULTS: Results indicate a strong relationship between PAD and infant attachment: infants of mothers with PAD were significantly more likely to be classified as insecure or disorganized than infants of control mothers. Logistic regression analysis led to a significant model with 76.8 % correct classification of infant attachment dependent on the maternal fear of anxiety associated body sensations (OR = 4.848) in the postpartum period. Including maternal sensitivity and interaction behavior, only maternal intrusiveness was additionally associated with infant attachment (ρ = 0.273, p < .05; OR = 45.021, p = .153). LIMITATIONS: Participants were highly educated. Different anxiety disorders included led to a heterogenous sample. Generalization is diminished. Maternal sensitivity was measured on a global scale, and body tension was self-reported. CONCLUSIONS: PAD plays a crucial role in the development of infant attachment. Interaction-focused interventions, helping mothers to decrease intrusiveness, and body-focused interventions, helping mothers to deal with their fear of anxiety symptoms, might be promising pathways to buffer the influence of PAD on infant attachment.

From Interactive Regulation in Infancy to Relationship-Focused Interventions.

In interaction with their mother, infants not only learn how human relationships work, but - on an even more basic level - the continuous bidirectional, interactive regulation between mother and infant shapes the infant's socioemotional development. Coordinated interactions alternate with uncoordinated ones, the latter resulting in momentary ruptures during this dyadic exchange. Usually, these are quickly repaired. The mother's capacity for engaging with her infant in a sensitive and appropriate manner is crucial for successful socioemotional development. On a transgenerational level, a mother will draw on her own relational experiences - embodied as implicit memory - when interacting with her baby. Thus, comprehensive and effective treatment of maternal postpartum disorders that often impair the mother's interactive skills and capacity for maternal bonding is of great importance. One aim of modern mother-infant treatment is to target dysfunctional interactive patterns, often with the help of video feedback and microanalysis of behavioral observations. In this paper, after giving an overview of affective regulation in mother-infant dyads and the role of maternal factors and postpartum mental health, we describe relationship-focused approaches to mother-infant treatment. Our focus lies on video feedback and body-oriented interventions. We also explore classical as well as contemporary theoretical underpinnings in mother-infant research and how psychoanalytic concepts like containment and mentalization not only enrich approaches to mother-infant treatment but also adult treatment in general. We conclude that working with and expanding one's own implicit relational knowledge is central for the therapeutic process and can be initiated by video-based interventions or by genuinely experiencing and reflecting on interactions in dyads and groups.

Study protocol of the COMPARE-Interaction study: the impact of maternal comorbid depression and anxiety disorders in the peripartum period on child development.

INTRODUCTION: To date, there are only few studies that compare the consequences of peripartum maternal depressive disorders (PD) versus depressive with comorbid anxiety disorders (PDCA) for infant and child development. As comorbidity is associated with greater impairment and symptom severity related to the primary diagnosis, comorbidity in mothers might raise their offspring's risk of developing internalising or externalising disorders even more than has been noted in conjunction with PD alone. METHODS AND ANALYSIS: This study aims to analyse the impact of parental psychopathology, particularly peripartum depression in mothers with and without comorbid anxiety disorders according to the Diagnostic and Statistical Manual of Mental Disorders (DSM-5) on child cognitive and socioemotional development. Maternal/paternal psychopathology, mother-infant/father-infant interaction and child development are assessed at four measurement points over the first 2 years (T1: 3-4 months postpartum, T2: 12 months postpartum, T3: 18 months postpartum and T4: 24 months postpartum). The mediating role of mother-infant/father-infant interaction and infant stress reactivity in the relationship between PD/PDCA and infant cognitive and socioemotional development will be analysed. In the ongoing study, 174 families (n=58 mothers with PD, n=58 mothers with PDCA and n=58 healthy controls) will be recruited in inpatient and outpatient centres as well as maternity hospitals in Munich and Heidelberg. ETHICS AND DISSEMINATION: This study is implemented in accordance with the current guidelines of the World Medical Association (revised Declaration of Helsinki) and the General Data Protection Regulation of the European Union. The study procedures were approved by the independent ethics committees of the Department of Psychology, Ludwig-Maximilians-University Munich (74_Reck_b) and of the Medical Faculty, University Heidelberg (S-446/2017). Participation is voluntary. A signed written informed consent form must be obtained from each study subject prior to any study-specific procedure. Participants can withdraw from the study at any point in time without giving a reason or being subjected to any future disadvantages. In case of withdrawal from the study, the subject's data and material will be kept unless the participant asks for data removal. Results will be published and disseminated to further the discussion on the effects of maternal PD and PDCA on parent-infant interaction, infant stress reactivity and child development. Furthermore, study results will be presented at international congresses and expert conferences.

Theory of Mind in Pre-school Aged Children: Influence of Maternal Depression and Infants' Self-Comforting Behavior.

A milestone of child development is theory of mind (ToM): the ability to attribute mental states, especially beliefs and desires, to other persons and to understand that their behavior is guided by mental states. The learning process about the mental world also takes place in social communication and interaction, beginning in infancy. Infancy is assumed to be a sensitive period for the development of social skills through interaction. Due to limited self-regulatory skills, infants depend on sensitive behavior of their caregivers to regulate affective states and physiological arousal, and in turn, mutually regulated affects allow the infant to gradually acquire the capability to self-regulate negative affective states. Effective and adequate affect regulation is an important prerequisite for environmental interaction and thus for the development of socio-emotional skills. The present study investigated the relation of self-regulatory abilities in infancy and later ToM in pre-school aged children of clinically depressed mothers and healthy controls. The sample comprised of N = 55 mother-child dyads, n = 22 diagnosed with postpartum or lifetime depression according to DSM-IV and n = 33 healthy controls. Mother-infant-interaction was videotaped during the Face-to-Face Still-Face paradigm. At 3 and 42 months postpartum mothers were interviewed with the Structured Clinical Interview for DSM-IV Axis I Disorders (SCID-I) to evaluate maternal psychopathological status according to DSM-IV. At the age of M = 4.0 years, children's ToM abilities were assessed using content-false-belief and location-false-belief tasks. The results of this study show that contrary to our hypotheses, maternal depression did not impair the development of children's ToM-abilities per se. Rather, an interaction effect highlights the role of infant's self-comforting behavior during mother-infant interaction in infancy (3 months postpartum) for ToM-development at pre-school age assessed with the Maxi-task; this association was distinct for female in comparison to male children. The results of this longitudinal study shed light on the discussion, how maternal depression influences child development and point in the direction that self-comforting behaviors in infancy can also be seen as a resource.

Early life maltreatment affects intrinsic neural function in mothers.

Early life maltreatment (ELM) has an impact on brain functions involved in parenting and is associated with impaired maternal sensitivity. Here, we investigated the influence of ELM on intrinsic neural function and its associations with maternal sensitivity in mothers without a current episode of a mental disorder. Twenty-seven mothers with ELM and 29 mothers without ELM were examined using resting-state functional magnetic resonance imaging, followed by Amplitude of Low Frequency Fluctuations, regional homogeneity and seed-based functional connectivity analyses. Videotaped interactions between mothers and their school-aged children were conducted to assess maternal sensitivity based on the Emotional Availability Scales. Regional and functional connectivity measures were used to investigate associations between intrinsic activity and emotional availability. Mothers with ELM showed reduced maternal sensitivity and lower intrinsic neural activity in the right superior frontal gyrus, the left precuneus, the left middle occipital gyrus, and the parietal cortex (left angular and right supramarginal gyrus) compared to mothers without ELM (p < .001, whole-brain). Amplitude of Low Frequency Fluctuations in the superior frontal gyrus was positively associated with maternal sensitivity across all participants (p = .002). The data suggest a behavioral and neural signature of ELM even in currently mentally healthy mothers. In particular, effects of ELM were found in distinct brain regions involved in social cognition and executive control. These ELM-related alterations may be associated with maternal behavior.

Maternal early life maltreatment and psychopathology affect the next generation: Alterations in post-awakening cortisol levels of primary school-aged children.

Early life maltreatment (ELM) has severe and lasting effects on the individual, which might also impact the next generation. On an endocrine level, the hypothalamus-pituitary-adrenal axis has been suggested to play an important role in the interplay between ELM and the development of mental disorders. Several studies have revealed that maternal post-awakening cortisol concentration, maternal sensitivity, maternal ELM and psychopathology are associated with children's cortisol levels. We investigated the post-awakening cortisol concentrations in 6- to 11-year-old children (N = 53) whose mothers either had experienced ELM and had developed a lifetime mental disorder (N = 15 ELM and disorder group), had experienced ELM without developing a mental disorder (N = 12 ELM-only group), or had neither experienced ELM nor developed a mental disorder (N = 26 HC-group). Furthermore, we assessed maternal post-awakening cortisol concentrations, maternal psychopathology, and sensitivity. Multilevel analysis revealed higher cortisol at awakening (S1) levels in children of mothers with ELM and disorder. Maternal cortisol at awakening (S1) also predicted the child's cortisol at awakening (S1), and no effect of maternal sensitivity could be found. The current results replicate an attunement of cortisol levels (S1) between mothers and children and suggest an association between the children's endocrine stress system and maternal factors such as ELM and psychopathology.

From Early Micro-Temporal Interaction Patterns to Child Cortisol Levels: Toward the Role of Interactive Reparation and Infant Attachment in a Longitudinal Study.

Parental mental disorders increase the risk for insecure attachment in children. However, the quality of caregiver-infant interaction plays a key role in the development of infant attachment. Dyadic interaction is frequently investigated via global scales which are too rough to uncover micro-temporal mechanisms. Prior research found that the latency to reparation of uncoordinated dyadic states is associated with infant behavioral and neuroendocrine regulation. We investigated the hypothesis that this interactive mechanism is critical in predicting secure vs. insecure attachment quality in infancy. We also assessed the predictive quality of infant attachment regarding neuroendocrine reactivity later in childhood. A subsample of N = 58 dyads (n = 22 mothers with anxiety disorders, n = 36 controls) from a larger study were analyzed. At 3-8 months postpartum, maternal anxiety disorders were diagnosed via a structured clinical interview as well as dyadic interaction during the Face-to-Face-Still-Face (FFSF) was observed and coded on a micro-temporal scale. Infant attachment quality was assessed with the strange situation paradigm at 12-24 months of age. In an overlapping subsample of N = 39 (n = 13 mothers with anxiety disorder; n = 26 controls), we assessed child cortisol reactivity at 5 to 6 years of age. Generalized linear modeling revealed that longer latencies to interactive reparation during the reunion episode of the FFSF as well as maternal diagnosis at 3-8 months of age predict insecure attachment in children aged 12-24 months. Cox regressions demonstrated that dyads with infants who developed insecure attachment at 12-24 months of age were 48% less likely to achieve an interactive reparation at 3-8 months of age. Mixed models revealed that compared to securely attached children, children who had developed an insecure attachment at 12-24 months of age had an increased cortisol reactivity at 5 to 6 years of age during free play. The results confirm the hypothesis that the development of attachment is affected by experienced micro-temporal interactive patterns besides diagnostic categories. They also showed that infants of mothers with postpartum anxiety disorders have a more than fivefold increased risk of developing an insecure attachment than the infants of the control group. Moreover, results imply that these patterns may influence neurohormonal regulation even in preschool aged children.

The Cycle of Abuse: Emotional Availability in Resilient and Non-Resilient Mothers with Early Life Maltreatment.

BACKGROUND: Early life maltreatment (ELM) has a high risk of transmission across generations, known as "the cycle of abuse." ELM is also an important risk factor for developing mental disorders, and having a mental disorder increases the risk of child abuse. Both the abuse potential in mothers with ELM and in mothers with a history of mental disorders might be associated with a disturbed mother-child interaction. OBJECTIVE: The current study examined differences in emotional availability between mothers with a history of ELM and previous or current mental disorders (non-resilient), mothers with ELM without mental disorders (resilient), and control mothers without ELM and without mental disorders. METHODS: Thirty-three non-resilient mothers, 18 resilient mothers, and 37 control mothers and their 5- to 12-year-old children participated in a standardized mother-child interaction task. Videotaped interactions were rated by three independent, trained raters based on the Emotional Availability Scales (EA Scales) and compared between the groups. RESULTS: The non-resilient mothers and their children showed reduced maternal sensitivity, structuring, non-intrusiveness, non-hostility, responsiveness, and involvement compared to the resilient mothers and their children and the control mothers and their children (p = 0.006, ηp2 = 0.12). No differences on any of the EA Scales were found between resilient mothers and control mothers. CONCLUSIONS: These deficits in mother-child interaction in non-resilient mothers might contribute to mechanisms that could explain the cycle of abuse. Interestingly, resilient mothers, who did not develop a mental disorder despite having experienced ELM, did not show these deficits. Thus, prevention programs promoting resilience might be a key to break the cycle of abuse.

Hair cortisol moderates the association between obstetric complications and child wellbeing.

Obstetric complications (OC) may have implications for later health outcomes. However, there is a lack of research examining the association between OC and behavior problems or quality of life (HRQoL). We aimed to close this gap and further investigate functioning of the hypothalamus-pituitary-adrenal (HPA)-axis as a potential physiological vulnerability moderating the association between OC and behavior problems and HRQoL. We investigated 232 mothers and their five to 12-year-old children. Presence of OC during the pre-, peri-, and postnatal phases was determined by interviewing mothers. Children's behavior problems (CBCL, TRF) and HRQoL (Kidscreen rated by mothers and children) were assessed. Children gave 3 cm strands of hair for analysis of hair cortisol (HC). Structural equation modeling analyses with a latent variable of child outcome ("distress"), OC as predictor and HC as a potential moderator were conducted. OC significantly predicted distress (ß = .33, p < .01). The model showed a good fit to the data: χ2(14)=15.66, p < .33, CFI=.99, TLI=.99, RMSEA=.02, 90 %CI [.00, .06], SRMR=.04. In addition, HC moderated the association between OC and distress (ß=-.32, p < .01). The moderation model also showed a good fit: χ2(14) =7.13, p = .93, CFI=1.00, TLI=1.06, RMSEA=.00, 90 %CI [.00, .02], SRMR=.03. Results indicated that the association between OC and distress was significant only when children had low HC-levels. This was also the case for both externalizing and internalizing behavior problems. Our results underline the notion of OC as a risk factor for child behavior problems and wellbeing and point to an important role of the children's physiological set-up such as HPA-functioning.

Steroid Hormone Sensitivity in Reproductive Mood Disorders: On the Role of the GABAA Receptor Complex and Stress During Hormonal Transitions.

Women worldwide are two to three times more likely to suffer from depression in their lifetime than are men. Female risk for depressive symptoms is particularly high during the reproductive years between menarche and menopause. The term "Reproductive Mood Disorders" refers to depressive disorders triggered by hormonal fluctuations during reproductive transitions including the perimenarchal phase, the pre-menstrual phase, pregnancy, the peripartum period and the perimenopausal transition. Here we focus on reproductive mood disorders manifesting in adult life. We propose a research agenda that draws together several reproductive mood disorders and investigates which genetic, endocrinological, neural, and psychosocial factors can explain depressive symptoms during phases of hormonal transitions in women. Based on current research it is assumed that some women experience an increased sensitivity to not only fluctuations in reproductive steroids (estrogen and progesterone), but also stress-related steroids. We integrate both dynamics into the concept of "steroid hormone sensitivity," expanding on the concept of "reproductive hormone sensitivity." We suggest that a differential response of the stress steroid system including corticosteroids, neurosteroids, like allopregnanolone and the GABA-A Receptor complex, as well as a differential (epi)genetic risk in serotonergic and GABAergic signaling, are moderators or mediators between changes in the reproductive steroid system and the physiological, affective, and cognitive outcomes manifesting in reproductive mood disorders. We point to the lack of research on the role of psychosocial factors in increasing a woman's stress level and at some point also the sensitivity of her stress steroid system within the etiology of Reproductive Mood Disorders. Drawing together the evidence on various reproductive mood disorders we seek to present a basis for the development of more effective pharmacological, social, and psychological treatment interventions and prevention strategies for women susceptible to these disorders. This could pave the way for new research as well as medical and psychological teaching and practice- such as a new type of Practice for Gynecological Psychoneuroendocrinology- with the aim of working on and ultimately offering more integrative forms of support not yet available to women suffering from depression during hormonal transitions. In medical history women have been left alone with this integrative challenge.

Emotional Stress During Pregnancy - Associations With Maternal Anxiety Disorders, Infant Cortisol Reactivity, and Mother-Child Interaction at Pre-school Age.

There is growing evidence that even milder forms of maternal stress or anxiety during pregnancy affect the fetus causing possible long-term consequences for infant and child development. The mechanisms through which prenatal maternal stress may affect the unborn are not yet entirely clarified. Due to limited self-regulatory skills after birth, infants depend on sensitive behavior of their parents to regulate affective states and physiological arousal. Dyadic affect regulation has been linked to various developmental patterns up to adolescence and thereby represents a key element of early social relationships. Aim of the study was to evaluate possible long-term consequences of emotional stress during pregnancy and postpartum anxiety disorders, as well as infant postpartum cortisol reactivity on mother-child-interaction at pre-school age. The sample comprised of N = 63 mother-infant dyads at study entry, n = 28 diagnosed with postpartum anxiety disorders according to the Diagnostic and Statistical Manual of Mental Disorders IV (DSM-IV), n = 35 were healthy controls. Mothers were interviewed with the Structured Clinical Interview for DSM-IV Disorders at an average infant age of M = 4.1 months and filled out a questionnaire regarding emotional stress during pregnancy. Further, they were videotaped during the Face-to-Face-Still-Face paradigm (FFSF), a widely used mild socio-emotional stressor for infants. To determine infant stress-reactivity, infant salivary cortisol was collected before, immediately after and 20 min after the FFSF. Missing values were estimated by multiple imputations. At the age of M = 5.3 years, mother-child-interaction was re-assessed in a follow-up sample of n = 30 dyads via a free-play situation. Moreover, dimensional measures for anxiety were assessed. Mothers in the clinical group reported significantly higher stress scores than the control group. Infant stress reactivity in the early postpartum period and maternal anxiety symptoms at the 5-year follow-up assessment were significantly associated with dyadic interaction quality at pre-school age. Even though maternal stress during pregnancy did not directly predict mother-child interaction quality at pre-school age, it was significantly correlated with infant cortisol reactivity during postpartum period. Nevertheless, caution should be taken when interpreting the results considering the small sample size.

The NeMo real-time fMRI neurofeedback study: protocol of a randomised controlled clinical intervention trial in the neural foundations of mother-infant bonding.

INTRODUCTION: Most mothers feel an immediate, strong emotional bond with their newborn. On a neurobiological level, this is accompanied with the activation of the brain reward systems, including the striatum. However, approximately 10% of all mothers report difficulties to bond emotionally with their infant and display impaired reward responses to the interaction with their infant which might have long-term negative effects for the child's development. As previous studies suggest that activation of the striatal reward system can be regulated through functional MRI (fMRI)-based neurofeedback (NFB), we have designed and investigate fMRI-NFB training to treat maternal bonding difficulties. METHODS AND ANALYSIS: In the planned trial, mothers will be presented pictures of their infant and real-time fMRI (rtfMRI), peripheral measures, neural, endocrine, psychophysiological and behavioural measures will be assessed. Mothers with bonding difficulties (n=68) will be randomised to one of two double-blind intervention groups at 4-6 months postpartum. They will participate in three repeated NFB training sessions with rtfMRI-NFB training to increase activation of (a) the ventral striatum or (b) the anterior cingulate. Interview data and real-time mother-infant interaction behaviour pre-intervention, post-intervention and at follow-up will serve as clinical outcome measures. ETHICS AND DISSEMINATION: Study procedures are in line with the recommendations of the World Medical Association (revised Declaration of Helsinki) and were approved by the Ethics Committee of the Medical Faculty, s-450/2017, Heidelberg University. All participants will provide written informed consent after receiving a detailed oral and written explanation of all procedures and can withdraw their consent at any time without negative consequence. Results will be internationally published and disseminated, to further the discussion on non-pharmacological treatment options in complex mental disorders. TRIAL REGISTRATION NUMBER: DRKS00014570; Pre-results.

Childhood adversity and parenting behavior: the role of oxytocin receptor gene polymorphisms.

Previous research revealed experiences of childhood adversity (CA) to be related to less favorable parenting behavior. It can further be expected that maternal oxytocin receptor (OXTR) genes may influence parenting behavior and moderate relationships between CA and parenting behavior. Moreover, associations between the OXTR gene and plasma oxytocin (OT) have been discussed. The present study investigated main effects of the OXTR gene on parenting behavior and plasma OT of mothers, and moderating effects of the OXTR gene on the relationship between mothers' experiences of CA and parenting behavior. We relied on a sample of 193 mothers and their on average 8-year-old children. Maternal experiences of CA were assessed using a standardized interview. A questionnaire for the assessment of child abuse potential and observations of mother-child interaction were used as indicators of parenting behavior. For mothers, we analyzed three polymorphisms (rs53576, rs1042778, rs2254298) of the OXTR gene and plasma OT. Only the rs53576 was associated with mothers' parenting behavior, specifically with maternal sensitivity. The rs2254298 significantly moderated relations between mothers' experiences of CA and parenting behavior. Significant relations could be found only for mothers who were homozygous for the G allele. The G allele of the rs2254298 was further related to increased plasma OT levels. Our findings underline the importance of considering genetic variation when investigating consequences of CA and developing intervention programs that are adapted to an individual's needs.