Paternal absence and increased caregiving independently and interactively shape the development of male prairie voles at subadult and adult life stages.

The influence of maternal caregiving is a powerful force on offspring development. The absence of a father during early life in biparental species also has profound implications for offspring development, although it is far less studied than maternal influences. Moreover, we have limited understanding of the interactive forces that maternal and paternal caregiving impart on offspring. We investigated if behaviorally upregulating maternal care compensates for paternal absence on prairie vole (Microtus ochrogaster) pup development. We used an established handling manipulation to increase levels of caregiving in father-absent and biparental families, and later measured male offspring behavioral outcomes at sub-adulthood and adulthood. Male offspring raised without fathers were more prosocial (or possibly less socially anxious) than those raised biparentally. Defensive behavior and responses to contextual novelty were also influenced by the absence of fathers, but only in adulthood. Offensive aggression and movement in the open field test changed as a function of life-stage but not parental exposure. Notably, adult pair bonding was not impacted by our manipulations. Boosting parental care produced males that moved more in the open field test. Parental handling also increased oxytocin immunoreactive cells within the supraoptic nucleus of the hypothalamus (SON), and in the paraventricular nucleus (PVN) of biparentally-reared males. We found no differences in vasopressinergic cell groups. We conclude that male prairie voles are contextually sensitive to the absence of fathers and caregiving intensity. Our study highlights the importance of considering the ways early experiences synergistically shape offspring behavioral and neural phenotypes across the lifespan.

Effects of paternal deprivation on empathetic behavior and the involvement of oxytocin receptors in the anterior cingulate cortex.

Paternal deprivation (PD) impairs social cognition and sociality and increases levels of anxiety-like behavior. However, whether PD affects the levels of empathy in offspring and its underlying mechanisms remain unknown. The present study found that PD increased anxiety-like behavior in mandarin voles (Microtus mandarinus), impaired sociality, reduced the ability of emotional contagion, and the level of consolation behavior. Meanwhile, PD reduced OT neurons in the paraventricular nucleus (PVN) in both male and female mandarin voles. PD decreased the level of OT receptor (OTR) mRNA in the anterior cingulate cortex (ACC) of male and female mandarin voles. Besides, OTR overexpression in the ACC reversed the PD-induced changes in anxiety-like behavior, social preference, emotional contagion, and consolation behavior. Interference of OTR expression in the ACC increased levels of anxiety-like behaviors, while it reduced levels of sociality, emotional contagion, and consolation. These results revealed that the OTR in the ACC is involved in the effects of PD on empathetic behaviors, and provide mechanistic insight into how social experiences affect empathetic behaviors.

Fathering children aged from 2 to 10: psychometric properties of the IFI-BR-27 / Paternidade com filhos entre 2 e 10 anos de idade: propriedades psicométricas do IFI-BR-27 / Paternidad con hijos de entre 2 y 10 años: propiedades psicométricas del IFI-BR-27

The Inventory of Father Involvement (IFI) was developed to examine paternal involvement among men with children from 5 to 10 years of age. However, father involvement affects child development starting in the child's infancy. In Brazil, a revised version of the instrument (called the IFI-BR-27) was developed to use with fathers of children in a wider age group (2 to 10 years). Thus, in this study we aimed to investigate evidence for validity of this revised version based on internal structure, measurement invariance, and evidence of convergent validity. For this purpose, 572 Brazilian fathers completed a sociodemographic questionnaire, the IFI-BR-27, and either the Father Engagement Questionnaire (FEQ; for fathers of children in early childhood education settings) or the Inventory of Parenting Practices (IPP; for fathers of children in elementary school). Results of confirmatory factor analyses indicated the plausibility of a second-order internal structure for the IFI-BR-27 (χ 2 / df = 3.526; CFI = .937; TLI = .929; RMSEA = .066). Composite reliability for the nine factors varied from .65 to .84. Invariance analyses indicated that the structure is independent of the child's educational setting. Evidence of convergent validity was also found ( r = .67 - FEQ; r = .58 - IPP). Therefore, the IFI-BR-27 is an adequate tool to assess the quality of father involvement for fathers of children in preschool or elementary school. The IFI-BR-27 can contribute to further scientific research, aiding in longitudinal studies, as well as helping professionals to evaluate and encourage specific dimensions of father involvement.(AU)

O Inventory of Father Involvement (IFI) foi desenvolvido para avaliar o envolvimento paterno de homens com filhos de 5 a 10 anos. No entanto, envolvimento paterno afeta o desenvolvimento de crianças desde a primeira infância. No Brasil, uma versão revisada dessa medida (chamada de IFI-BR-27) foi desenvolvida para uso com pais de crianças em uma faixa etária mais ampla (2 a 10 anos). O objetivo deste estudo foi, portanto, investigar evidências de validade dessa versão revisada com base na estrutura interna, invariância de medida e evidências de validade convergente. Para isso, 572 pais brasileiros preencheram um questionário sociodemográfico, o IFI-BR-27 e o Questionário de Engajamento Paterno (QEP; para pais com filhos no Ensino Infantil) e o Inventário de Práticas Parentais (IPP; para pais com filhos no Ensino Fundamental 1). Os resultados de análises fatoriais confirmatórias indicaram a plausibilidade de uma estrutura interna de segunda ordem para o IFI-BR-27 (χ 2 / gl = 3,526; CFI = 0,937; TLI = 0,929; RMSEA = 0,066). A confiabilidade composta para os nove fatores variou de 0,65 a 0,84. Análises de invariância indicaram que a estrutura é independente do ciclo escolar da criança. Também foram encontradas evidências de validade convergente ( r = 0,67 - QEP; r = 0,58 - IPP). Assim, considera-se o IFI-BR-27 uma medida adequada para avaliar a qualidade do envolvimento paterno de pais de crianças do Ensino Infantil ao Fundamental 1. O IFI-BR-27 poderá contribuir para melhorias científicas, viabilizando estudos longitudinais e ajudando profissionais a avaliar e promover dimensões específicas do envolvimento paterno.(AU)

El Inventory of Father Involvement (IFI) se desarrolló para evaluar la participación paterna en la crianza de hijos de entre 5 y 10 años de edad. Es sabido que la participación paterna contribuye al desarrollo infantil desde la primera infancia. En Brasil, una versión brasileña de este instrumento (la IFI-BR-27) se desarrolló para aplicarse a padres con hijos de un grupo de edad más amplio (de 2 a 10 años). Este estudio tuvo por objetivo comprobar evidencia de validez de esta versión revisada con base en la estructura interna, la invariancia del instrumento y la evidencia de validez convergente. Para ello, 572 padres brasileños completaron un cuestionario sociodemográfico, el IFI-BR-27 y el Cuestionario de Involucramiento Paterno (CIP; para padres de niños en el jardín de infantes) y el Inventario de Prácticas Parentales (IPP; para padres de niños en la primaria). Los resultados de los análisis factoriales confirmatorios indicaron la plausibilidad de una estructura interna de segundo orden para el IFI-BR-27 (χ 2 / gl = 3,526; CFI = 0,937; TLI = 0,929; RMSEA =0,066). La confiabilidad compuesta para los nueve factores varió de 0,65 a 0,84. Los análisis de invariancia indicaron que la estructura es independiente del ciclo educativo del niño. También se encontró evidencia de validez convergente ( r =0,67 - CIP; r = 0,58 - IPP). Por lo tanto, el IFI-BR-27 es un instrumento adecuado para evaluar la calidad de participación paterna de padres con hijos en edad preescolar o en la primaria. El IFI-BR-27 permitirá un mayor desarrollo científico, permitiendo estudios longitudinales y ayudando a los profesionales a evaluar y fomentar dimensiones específicas de participación paterna.(AU)

Paternal Deprivation and Female Biparental Family Rearing Induce Dendritic and Synaptic Changes in Octodon degus: II. Nucleus Accumbens.

While the majority of studies on the importance of parental caregiving on offspring behavioral and brain development focus on the role of the mother, the paternal contribution is still an understudied topic. We investigated if growing up without paternal care affects dendritic and synaptic development in the nucleus accumbens of male and female offspring and if replacement of the father by a female caregiver "compensates" the impact of paternal deprivation. We compared (a) biparental rearing by father and mother, (b) monoparental care by a single mother, and (c) biparental rearing by two female caregivers. Quantitative analysis of medium-sized neurons in the nucleus accumbens revealed that growing up without father resulted in reduced spine number in both male and female offspring in the core region, whereas spine frequency was only reduced in females. In the shell region, reduced spine frequency was only found in males growing up in a monoparental environment. Replacement of the father by a female caregiver did not "protect" against the effects of paternal deprivation, indicating a critical impact of paternal care behavior on the development and maturation of neuronal networks in the nucleus accumbens.

Paternal deprivation induces vigilance-avoidant behavior and accompanies sex-specific alterations in stress reactivity and central proinflammatory cytokine response in California mice (Peromyscus californicus).

RATIONALE: Early-life stress (ELS) can increase anxiety, reduce prosocial behaviors, and impair brain regions that facilitate emotional and social development. This knowledge greatly stems from assessing disrupted mother-child relationships, while studies investigating the long-term effects of father-child relationships on behavioral development in children are scarce. However, available evidence suggests that fathers may uniquely influence a child's behavioral development in a sex-specific manner. Rodent models examining mother-offspring interaction demonstrate relationships among ELS, neuroinflammatory mediators, and behavioral development; yet, the role paternal care may play in neuroimmune functioning remains unreported. OBJECTIVES: Using the biparental California mouse (Peromyscus californicus), we examined to what extent paternal deprivation impairs social and anxiety-like behaviors, augments peripheral corticosterone (CORT) response, and alters central proinflammatory cytokine production following an acute stressor in adulthood. METHODS: Biparentally reared and paternally deprived (permanent removal of the sire 24 h post-birth) adult mice were assessed for sociability, preference for social novelty, social vigilance, and social avoidance behaviors, followed by novelty-suppressed feeding (NSF) testing for general anxiety-like behavior. Following an acute stressor, circulating CORT concentrations and region-specific proinflammatory cytokine concentrations were determined via radioimmunoassay and Luminex multianalyte analysis, respectively. RESULTS: In response to a novel same-sex conspecific, social vigilance behavior was associated with reduced sociability and increased avoidance in paternally deprived mice-an effect not observed in biparentally reared counterparts. Yet, in response to a familiar same-sex conspecific, social vigilance persisted but only in paternally deprived females. The latency to consume during NSF testing was not significantly altered by paternal deprivation. In response to an acute physical stressor, lower circulating CORT concentrations were observed in paternally deprived females. Compared to control-reared males, paternal deprivation increased hypothalamic interleukin-1ß, but decreased hippocampal IL-6 protein concentration. CONCLUSION: Greater social vigilance behavior was demonstrated in paternally deprived mice while they avoided social interaction with a novel same-sex conspecific; however, in response to a familiar same-sex conspecific, paternal deprivation increased social vigilance behavior but only in females. It is possible that different neurobiological mechanisms underlie these observed behavioral outcomes as sex-specific central proinflammatory cytokine and stress responsivity were observed in paternally deprived offspring.

Falsa acusação de abuso sexual na alienação parental: luto ou melancolia? / False accusation of sexual abuse in parental alienation: mourning or melancholia? / Falsa acusación de abuso sexual en la alienación parental: ¿luto o melancolía?

Este artigo apresenta como principal objeto de estudo a falsa acusação de abuso sexual no contexto da alienação parental para, diante dela, estabelecer a seguinte problemática: será possível propor uma eventual correlação entre si e os processos psíquicos do luto e da melancolia? Neste sentido, a partir do recurso teórico ao referencial psicanalítico de Freud e de Laplanche, debate as circunstâncias que norteiam o discurso levado ao Judiciário pelo genitor alienante valorizando em tal movimento não apenas a realidade material da prova, tão importante no campo jurídico, mas também a realidade psíquica ditada pelo inconsciente, a qual se pauta em uma noção de verdade que, na sua vinculação direta com a particularidade de cada sujeito e com o dinamismo das relações específicas que ele estabelece consigo mesmo e com os outros, coloca em xeque as certezas positivistas da norma. Em termos conclusivos, destaca o quanto, a despeito da atual literatura existente sobre alienação parental no Brasil a correlacionar, em regra, a um luto mal elaborado por parte do alienante, é possível e mesmo desejável cogitar também a presença da melancolia - ou, mais especificamente, de traços melancólicos intermediários - na formação e desenvolvimento desse fenômeno.(AU)

This article presents as the main object of study the false accusation of sexual abuse in the context of parental alienation, to establish the following problem: would it be possible to propose a probable correlation between parental alienation and the psychic processes of mourning and melancholia? In this sense, based on the psychoanalytic theoretical framework of Freud and Laplanche, the article discusses the circumstances that guide the discourse taken to the judiciary branch by the alienating parent, valuing in such action not only the material reality of the evidence, which is very important in the legal field, but also the psychic reality dictated by the unconscious, which is guided by a notion of truth that, in its direct connection with the particularity of each subject and with the dynamism of the specific relations that they establish with themselves and others, threatens the positivist certainties of the norm. In conclusive terms, it highlights how, despite the current existing literature on parental alienation in Brazil generally correlates it to a poorly elaborated mourning by the alienating person, it is possible and even desirable to also consider the presence of melancholia-or, more specifically, of intermediate melancholic traits-in the formation and development of this phenomenon.(AU)

Este artículo presenta como principal objeto de estudio la falsa acusación de abuso sexual en el contexto de alienación parental, con el fin de responder al siguiente planteamiento: ¿Es posible proponer una posible correlación entre la alienación parental y los procesos psíquicos de duelo y melancolía? Para ello, desde el marco psicoanalítico de Freud y de Laplanche, se discuten las circunstancias del discurso llevado al Poder Judicial por el padre alienante, que valora en tal movimiento no solo la realidad material de la prueba, tan importante en el campo jurídico, sino también la realidad psíquica dictada por el inconsciente, el cual se guía por una noción de verdad que, en su conexión directa con la particularidad de cada sujeto y con el dinamismo de las relaciones específicas que establece consigo mismo y con otros, pone en jaque las certezas positivistas de la norma. En la conclusión, destaca cómo, a pesar de la literatura actual existente sobre la alienación parental en Brasil, en general, la correlaciona con un duelo mal diseñado por parte de la persona alienante, es posible e incluso deseable considerar la presencia de la melancolía -más específicamente, de rasgos melancólicos intermediarios- en la formación y desarrollo de este fenómeno.(AU)

Implicações da prática profissional no acolhimento institucional de crianças: perspectiva de cuidadoras / Implications of professional practice in children's institutional sheltering: caregivers' perspective / Implicaciones de la práctica profesional en el alojamiento institucional de niños: perspectiva de cuidadoras

Este estudo qualitativo teve como objetivo compreender, a partir da teoria de bioecológica de desenvolvimento, as implicações da prática profissional no processo de acolhimento de crianças em uma casa-abrigo, na perspectiva de cuidadoras. As participantes foram 10 profissionais de uma casa-abrigo localizada na região sul do Brasil. Utilizou-se a entrevista semiestruturada e a organização e análise dos dados sustentou-se na Grounded Theory, com auxílio do software Atlas.ti 8.4.14. Os resultados evidenciaram uma centralização das ações de acolhimento e atenção em torno dos cuidados físicos das crianças. As ações para promover suporte e cuidados emocionais dentro da casa-abrigo eram delegadas às profissionais da equipe técnica da instituição. Observou-se que as dificuldades encontradas pelas cuidadoras diziam respeito à falta de segurança e preparação para responder e acolher as demandas emocionais das crianças, as quais estão presentes em diversos momentos do processo de acolhimento. Percebeu-se que as práticas institucionais afetaram decisivamente tanto as ações de acolhimento das participantes e o suporte emocional oferecido às crianças na passagem pela casa-abrigo quanto as cuidadoras, no sentido de vivenciarem no trabalho sentimentos de insegurança. Os resultados tensionam ecologicamente a interação nos processos proximais presentes no desenvolvimento humano. Advoga-se pela reflexão sobre as implicações das práticas institucionais de uma casa-abrigo e o desenvolvimento infantil, visando o cuidado integral dos acolhidos.(AU)

Based on the developmental bioecological theory, this study analyzes the implications of professional practice in children's user embracement at a shelter from the caregivers' perspective. Semi-structured interviews were conducted with 10 professionals from a shelter located in southern Brazil. Data organization and analysis was performed based on Grounded Theory using the Atlas.ti 8.4.14 software. Results showed that embracement and attention focus on the physical care of children. Support and emotional care activities were delegated to the institution's technical team. Caregivers faced difficulties regarding the lack of security and preparation to respond to and accept the children's emotional demands, which arise at different moments in the embracement process. The institutional practices decisively affected both user embracement actions and the emotional support offered to the children, as well as the caregivers, in the sense of experiencing feelings of insecurity. These findings ecologically tension the interaction in the proximal processes present in human development. Further reflections on the implications of institutional shelter-based practices for child development are needed to provide comprehensive care.(AU)

Este estudio cualitativo tuvo como objetivo comprender, desde la perspectiva de la teoría bioecológica del desarrollo, las implicaciones de la práctica profesional en el proceso de acogida de niños en una institución infantil desde la perspectiva de las cuidadoras. Las participantes fueron 10 profesionales de una institución de acogida infantil ubicada en la región Sur de Brasil. Se utilizó la entrevista semiestructurada, y para la organización y análisis de datos se aplicó Grounded Theory, con el uso del software Atlas.ti 8.4.14. Los resultados mostraron que las acciones de recepción y atención se centran en el cuidado físico de los niños. Las acciones de promoción de apoyo y cuidado emocional dentro del alojamiento se asignaron a los profesionales del equipo técnico de la institución. Se observó que las dificultades encontradas por las cuidadoras estaban relacionadas con la falta de seguridad y preparación para responder y aceptar las demandas emocionales de los niños, las cuales se encuentran presentes en diferentes momentos del proceso de acogida. Se notó que las prácticas institucionales afectaron decisivamente tanto las acciones de acogida de las participantes como el apoyo emocional que la institución brinda a los niños durante su paso, así como a las cuidadoras en el sentido de experimentar sentimientos de inseguridad en el trabajo. Estos resultados tensan ecológicamente la interacción en los procesos proximales presentes en el desarrollo humano. Se aboga por reflexionar sobre las implicaciones de las prácticas institucionales en los alojamientos institucionales y el desarrollo infantil, apuntando a la atención integral de los acogidos.(AU)

Poder, norma e ideário na lei da alienação parental / Power, norm and ideology in the law of parental alienation / Poder, norma e ideología en la ley de alienación parental

A recomendação ética do psicólogo para intervir criticamente sobre a demanda vai de encontro com a tarefa de diagnosticar atos de Alienação Parental e, num sentido amplo, com a judicialização das relações privadas. A genealogia de Foucault consiste num método capaz de lançar luz sobre as práticas de poder na base dos discursos relacionados ao tema da alienação parental. O eufemismo pedagógico empregado para designar as sanções da lei tem como finalidade estratégica o convencimento a respeito de supostos benefícios da tutela sobre as famílias, ao mesmo tempo em que lhes são atribuídas alguma patologia disfuncional. Numa perspectiva crítica, a assimetria de gêneros corresponde às relações de poder presentes no problema da alienação parental. Por fim, a inversão dos critérios de identificação da alienação parental revela o distanciamento entre o ideal normativo e a realidade da ruptura conjugal e familiar, apontando para a importância de práticas de cuidado e assistência em vez de judicativas e punitivas.(AU)

The psychologist's ethical recommendation to critically intervene on the demand goes against the task of diagnosing acts of Parental Alienation (AP) and, in a broad sense, with the judicialization of private relations. Foucault's genealogy consists of a method able to shed on the power practices on the basis of discourses related to the theme of Parental Alienation. The pedagogical euphemism used to designate the sanctions of the law has the strategic purpose of convincing about the supposed benefits of guardianship over families, while attributing some dysfunctional pathology to them. From a critical perspective, gender asymmetry corresponds to the power relations present in the Parental Alienation problem. Finally, the inversion of the Parental Alienation's identification criteria reveals the gap between the normative ideal and the reality of marital and family disruption, pointing to the importance of care and assistance practices instead of judicative and punitive ones.(AU)

La recomendación ética del psicólogo de intervenir críticamente sobre la demanda va en contra de la tarea de diagnosticar actos de Alienación Parental (AP) y, en un sentido amplio, con la judicialización de las relaciones privadas. La genealogía de Foucault consiste en un método capaz de arrojar luz sobre las prácticas del poder a partir de discursos relacionados con el tema de la Alienación Parental. El eufemismo pedagógico que se utiliza para designar las sanciones de la ley tiene el propósito estratégico de convencer sobre los supuestos beneficios de la tutela sobre las familias, atribuyéndoles alguna patología disfuncional. Desde una perspectiva crítica, la asimetría de género corresponde a las relaciones de poder presentes en el problema de la Alienación Parental. Finalmente, la inversión de los criterios de identificación de la Alienación Parental revela la brecha entre el ideal normativo y la realidad de la ruptura conyugal y familiar, señalando la importancia de las prácticas de cuidado y asistencia en lugar de las judicativas y punitivas.(AU)

Sex-specific effects of neonatal paternal deprivation on microglial cell density in adult California mouse (Peromyscus californicus) dentate gyrus.

Adverse early-life experiences are risk factors for psychiatric disease development, resulting in stress-related neuronal modeling and neurobehavioral changes. Stressful experiences modulate the immune system, contributing to neuronal damage in higher cortical regions, like the hippocampus. Moreover, early-life stressors dysregulate the function of microglia, the resident immune cells of the brain, in the developing hippocampus. Paternal deprivation, an early-life stressor in many biparental species, facilitates sex-dependent inhibitions in hippocampal plasticity, but parental contributors to these sex-specific outcomes are unknown. Also, neurobiological mechanisms contributing to impairments in hippocampal neuroplasticity are less known. Thus, our goals were to 1) determine whether parental behavior is altered in maternal females following removal of the paternal male, 2) assess the effects of paternal deprivation on dentate gyrus (DG) volume and microglia proliferation, and 3) determine if early-life experimental handling mitigates sex-specific reductions in DG cell survival. California mice were born to multiparous breeders and reared by both parents (biparental care) or by their mother alone (i.e., father removed on postnatal day 1; paternal deprivation). One cohort of offspring underwent offspring retrieval tests for eight days beginning on postnatal day 2. On PND 68, these offspring (and a second cohort of mice without behavioral testing) were euthanized and brains visualized for bromodeoxyuridine (BrdU) and neuron-specific class III beta-tubulin (TuJ-1) or ionized calcium binding adaptor molecule 1 (Iba1). While mate absence did not impair maternal retrieval, paternal deprivation reduced DG volume, but Iba1+ cell density was only higher in paternally-deprived females. Neither sex or paternal deprivation significantly altered the number of BrdU+ or Tuj1+ cells in the DG - an absence of a reduction in cell survival may be related to daily handing during early offspring retrieval tests. Together, these data suggest that paternal deprivation impairs hippocampal plasticity; however, sex and early environment may influence the magnitude of these outcomes.

Early Auditory Experience Modifies Neuronal Firing Properties in the Zebra Finch Auditory Cortex.

Songbirds learn to sing much as humans learn to speak. In zebra finches, one of the premier songbird models, males learn to sing for later courtship through a multistep learning process during the developmental period. They first listen to and memorize the song of a tutor (normally their father) during the sensory learning period. Then, in the subsequent sensory-motor learning phase (with large overlap), they match their vocalizations to the memorized tutor song via auditory feedback and develop their own unique songs, which they maintain throughout their lives. Previous studies have suggested that memories of tutor songs are shaped in the caudomedial nidopallium (NCM) of the brain, which is analogous to the mammalian higher auditory cortex. Isolation during development, which extends the sensory learning period in males, alters song preference in adult females, and NCM inactivation decreases song preference. However, the development of neurophysiological properties of neurons in this area and the effect of isolation on these neurons have not yet been explained. Here, we performed whole-cell patch-clamp recording on NCM neurons from juvenile zebra finches during the sensory learning period, 20, 40, or 60 days post-hatching (DPH) and examined their neurophysiological properties. In contrast to previous reports in adult NCM neurons, the majority of NCM neurons of juvenile zebra finches showed spontaneous firing with or without burst firing patterns, and the percentage of neurons that fired increased in the middle of the sensory learning period (40 DPH) and then decreased at the end (60 DPH) in both males and females. We further found that auditory isolation from tutor songs alters developmental changes in the proportions of firing neurons both in males and females, and also changes those of burst neurons differently between males that sing and females that do not. Taken together, these findings suggest that NCM neurons develop their neurophysiological properties depending on auditory experiences during the sensory song learning period, which underlies memory formation for song learning in males and song discrimination in females.

Paternal deprivation impairs social behavior putatively via epigenetic modification to lateral septum vasopressin receptor.

Although it is well appreciated that the early-life social environment asserts subsequent long-term consequences on offspring brain and behavior, the specific mechanisms that account for this relationship remain poorly understood. Using a novel assay that forced biparental pairs or single mothers to prioritize caring for offspring or themselves, we investigated the impact of parental variation on adult expression of nonapeptide-modulated behaviors in prairie voles. We demonstrated that single mothers compensate for the lack of a co-parent. Moreover, mothers choose to invest in offspring over themselves when faced with a tradeoff, whereas fathers choose to invest in themselves. Furthermore, our study suggests a pathway whereby variation in parental behavior (specifically paternal care) may lead to alterations in DNA methylation within the vasopressin receptor 1a gene and gene expression in the lateral septum. These differences are concomitant with changes in social approach, a behavior closely associated with septal vasopressin receptor function.

Revisiting paternal absence: Female alloparental replacement of fathers recovers partner preference formation in female, but not male prairie voles (Microtus ochrogaster).

In prairie voles (Microtus ochrogaster), biparental care of offspring is typical, and paternal absence in the pre-weaning development of offspring alters biobehavioral development. We sought to determine whether this altered development is due to the absence of specific paternal qualities or a general reduction in pup-directed care. We compared the biobehavioral development of pups reared under conditions of biparental (BPC), maternal-plus-alloparental (MPA; i.e., mother and older sister), and maternal only (MON) care. Older sisters provided a quantity of care equal to or greater than that of fathers. Growth rate and developmental milestones were unaffected by family composition, with the exception of earlier fur growth in MON conditions. In adulthood, we tested behaviors on an elevated plus maze, spontaneous alloparental care, and partner preference formation. We found no significant differences on the elevated plus maze and only marginal differences in alloparental care. While both female and male MON individuals showed deficits in partner preference formation, MPA females showed typical partner preference formation. However, the alloparental substitution of fathers was not sufficient for the typical development of partner preference formation in males. We conclude that paternal care plays a differentially important role in the social development of female and male prairie vole offspring.

Early menarche and its relationship to paternal migrant work among middle-school-aged students in China.

Associations have been shown between father's absence and menarcheal age, but most studies have focused on absence resulting from divorce, abandonment or death. Little research has been conducted to evaluate the effect on menarcheal age of paternal absence through migrant work. In a sample of 400 middle school students, this study examined the association between paternal migrant work and menarcheal age against a backdrop of extensive rural-to-urban migration in China. Data were collected through a self-reported questionnaire, including social-demographic characteristics, aspects of family relationships, information about father's migrant work and age at menarche. After adjusting for BMI, parent marital status and perceived relationship with mother, lower self-perceived quality of father-daughter relationship (both 'father present, relationship poor' and 'father absent, relationship poor') and lower frequency of contact with the father were associated with higher odds for early menarche. These findings suggest that the assumption that father's absence for work influences the timing of menarche needs to be examined in the context of the quality of the father-daughter relationship and paternal care, which appear to play a critical role in the timing of menarche. These findings also emphasize the importance of enhancing paternal involvement and improving father-daughter relationships in the development of appropriate reproductive strategy in daughters.

Preweaning Paternal Deprivation Impacts Parental Responses to Pups and Alters the Serum Oxytocin and Corticosterone Levels and Oxytocin Receptor, Vasopressin 1A Receptor, Oestrogen Receptor, Dopamine Type I Receptor, Dopamine Type II Receptor Levels in Relevant Brain Regions in Adult Mandarin Voles.

Although maternal separation and neonatal paternal deprivation (PD) have been found to exert a profound and persistent effects on the physiological and behavioural development of offspring, whether preweaning PD (PPD; from PND 10 to 21) affects maternal and parental responses to pups and the underlying neuroendocrine mechanism are under-investigated. Using monogamous mandarin voles (Microtus mandarinus), the present study found that PPD increased the latency to approach a pup-containing ball, decreased the total durations of sniffing and contacting a pup-containing ball and walking and increased the total duration of inactivity in both sexes. Moreover, PPD decreased serum oxytocin levels and increased corticosterone levels, but only in females. Furthermore, in both males and females, PPD decreased the expression of oxytocin receptor mRNA and protein in the medial preoptic area (MPOA), nucleus accumbens (NAcc) and medial prefrontal cortex (mPFC), but increased it in the medial amygdala (MeA) and decreased the expression of oestrogen receptor mRNA and protein in the MPOA. PPD increased the expression of dopamine type I receptor in the NAcc, but decreased it in the mPFC. PPD decreased dopamine type II receptor (D2R) in the NAcc both in males and females, but increased D2R in the mPFC in females and decreased D2R protein expression in males. Moreover, PPD decreased vasopressin 1A receptor (V1AR) in the MPOA, MeA and mPFC, but only in males. Our results suggest that the reduction of parental responses to pups induced by PPD may be associated with the sex-specific alteration of several neuroendocrine parameters in relevant brain regions.

Sex-dependent effects of paternal deprivation and chronic variable stress on novel object recognition in adult California mice (Peromyscus californicus).

Early-life stress exposure can confer vulnerability for development of psychiatric illnesses and impaired cognition in adulthood. It is well-known that early-life stress can dysregulate the hypothalamic-pituitary-adrenal (HPA) axis in a sex-dependent manner. Specifically, uniparental rodent models of prolonged disrupted mother-offspring relationships (e.g., maternal separation) have demonstrated greater alterations in stress responsivity in adult males, compared to females. Also, chronic early-life stressors (e.g., limited bedding model) impair cognitive function in males more than females. However, the sex-dependent effects of early-life stress and later-life chronic HPA axis activation on cognition have not been well-characterized. Here, we utilized the biparental California mouse (Peromyscus californicus) to model the early-life adversity of paternal deprivation (PD). Fathers either remained in the nest (biparental care) or were permanently removed (PD) on postnatal day (PND) 1. Adult offspring were exposed to daily handling (control) or chronic variable stress (CVS; three stressors for seven days). Twenty-four hours after the final stressor, the novel object recognition (NOR) task commenced, followed by serum collection for corticosterone (CORT) analysis. Independent of sex or rearing, CVS increased CORT. Exploration during acquisition for the NOR task was increased as a result of CVS and PD. During NOR testing, non-stressed females exhibited greater difference scores (i.e., increased recognition memory), compared to non-stressed males. However, the addition of CVS diminished difference scores in females - an effect not observed in CVS-exposed males. Overall, these data suggest that neonatal paternal experience, sex, and chronic stress contribute to exploratory behavior, cognition, and stress hormone concentrations in a biparental species.

Parental Migration, Children's Safety and Psychological Adjustment in Rural China: A Meta-Analysis.

Studies concerning left-behind children in rural China have shown that parental absence due to migration is associated with greater risk of child victimization and accidental injuries, and a range of psychosocial problems. The authors conducted this meta-analysis to determine the extent to which left-behind children are affected by parental migration, as compared to children in nonmigrant rural families. A comprehensive literature search was conducted, and 90 studies published before 2017 were included in the data synthesis and analysis. The results revealed that compared to non-left-behind children, rural left-behind children are generally more disadvantaged in regard to child safety (d = 0.27) and psychological adjustment (d = 0.25). The effect sizes, though interpreted as small, revealed that children in rural China are significantly affected by parental migration. Children's educational stage was a significant variable that moderated the effect sizes of child safety and psychological adjustment. The findings of the meta-analysis indicated that mother-only migration may have the most harmful effect on children. In terms of implications for interventions, the results suggest more attention should be given to rural left-behind children and to "mother-absent children" in particular. Future research is warranted to explore the association between left-behind children's psychological adjustment and their exposure to injury and victimization.

Barring progress: The influence of paternal incarceration on families' neighborhood attainment.

A growing body of literature has recognized that incarceration has implications beyond the offender, with detrimental effects reverberating onto families. In this study, we use the Fragile Families and Child Wellbeing Study (N = 3288) to investigate the relationships between paternal incarceration and the neighborhood outcomes of the children of incarcerated fathers and their mothers. Specifically, we examine whether children whose fathers are currently and/or have recently been incarcerated experience more residential instability, live in more socioeconomically disadvantaged neighborhoods, and/or live in less socially cohesive neighborhoods. We find that paternal incarceration is associated with moving more frequently, greater socioeconomic neighborhood disadvantage, and lower social cohesion for the children of incarcerated fathers and their mothers, though some of these relationships depend on the timing of paternal incarceration. Our findings have important implications for understanding the societal costs of incarceration, the nature of neighborhood attainment and inequality for families facing paternal incarceration, and the processes through which some families are sorted into their neighborhood contexts.

Increased anxiety and decreased sociability induced by paternal deprivation involve the PVN-PrL OTergic pathway.

Early adverse experiences often have devastating consequences. However, whether preweaning paternal deprivation (PD) affects emotional and social behaviors and their underlying neural mechanisms remain unexplored. Using monogamous mandarin voles, we found that PD increased anxiety-like behavior and attenuated social preference in adulthood. PD also decreased the number of oxytocin (OT)-positive neurons projecting from the paraventricular nucleus (PVN) and reduced the levels of the medial prefrontal cortex OT receptor protein in females and of the OT receptor and V1a receptor proteins in males. Intra-prelimbic cortical OT injections reversed the PD-induced changes in anxiety-like behavior and social preferences. Optogenetic activation of the prelimbic cortex OT terminals from PVN OT neurons reversed the PD-induced changes in emotion and social preference behaviors, whereas optogenetic inhibition was anxiogenic and impaired social preference in naive voles. These findings demonstrate that PD increases anxiety-like behavior and attenuates social preferences through the involvement of PVN OT neuron projections to the prelimbic cortex.

Alteration in oxytocin levels induced by early social environment affects maternal behavior and estrogen receptor alpha in mandarin voles (Microtus mandarinus).

Many studies have shown that the early social environment exerts long-term effects on the brain and also the parental behavior of adults. Oxytocin (OXT) is one of the most important neurotransmitters that regulate social behavior; howerve, whether the early social environment affects parental behavior via OXT remains unclear. Using socially monogamous adult mandarin voles (Microtus mandarinus), the present study found that 1) both paternal deprivation and early social deprivation significantly decreased OXT expression in both the paraventricular hypothalamic nucleus (PVN) and the supraoptic nucleus (SON) of F2 generation offspring; 2) systemic neonatal OXT injection in naïve animals promoted maternal but not paternal behavior in adult F2 offspring; 3) systemic neonatal OXT injection significantly increased ERα expression in both the medial preoptic area (MPOA) and the ventro medial hypothalamic nucleus (VMH) in female but not in male mandarin voles; 4) systemic neonatal administration of an OXT antagonist significantly reduced ERα expression in the bed nucleus of the stria terminalis (BNST), VMH, and the arcuate hypothalamic nucleus (Arc) in females and in all examined brain regions in males. In summary, the obtained data demonstrate that the early social environment could affect OXT level, which in turn leads to long-term effects on ERα expression in relevant brain regions, consequently affecting maternal behavior but not paternal behavior.

Associations between early life parent-child separation and shortened telomere length and psychopathological outcomes during adolescence.

BACKGROUND: Given the ethical limitations of exposing children to experimentally manipulated adverse experiences, evidence of the effects of parent-child separation on subsequent psychopathology are based mostly on animal studies. Left-behind children phenomenon resulting from rural-urban mobility in China offers unique "natural experiments" to explore the long-term physical and mental health consequences of parent-child separation in childhood. OBJECTIVE: To test the associations between parent-child separation with telomere length (TL) and psychopathology during adolescence. METHOD: A total of 710 adolescents (age: M = 16.86, SD = 1.52) were recruited from local schools in rural area of Fuyang, one of the top inland areas for outward migration in Anhui province, China. Parent-child separation was collected through face to face interview. The MacArthur Health & Behavior Questionnaire (HBQ) was used to assess internalizing and externalizing symptoms. Quantitative polymerase chain reaction was used to measure buccal TL. RESULTS: Nearly 60% (399/695) of the participants experienced separation from both parents. Childhood or persistent separation from parents was associated with increased internalizing symptoms (childhood: ß = 0.13, 95% CI: 0.02, 0.23; persistent: ß = 0.23, 95% CI: 0.14, 0.31), increased externalizing symptoms (childhood: ß = 0.17, 95% CI: 0.03, 0.32; persistent: ß = 0.23, 95% CI: 0.10, 0.35) and shorter telomere length (childhood: ß = -0.16, 95% CI: -0.26, -0.05; persistent: ß = -0.13, 95% CI: -0.22, -0.03). Shortened TL was estimated to explain 15.2% and 12.7% of the total effect of separation on internalizing and externalizing symptoms, while internalizing and externalizing symptoms explained 23.4% and 12.3% of the effect of separation on shortened TL. CONCLUSION: Childhood and persistent parent-child separation, as experienced by rural left-behind children in China, associates with increased vulnerability for psychopathological symptoms and makers of cellular aging. The challenge for future research is to determine whether short telomere length is in fact a long-term consequence or an underlying vulnerability factor for future mental disorders.