Serotonin transporter gene methylation and emotional regulation in preschool children born preterm: A longitudinal evaluation of the role of negative emotionality in infancy.

The aim of the study was to assess the contribution of negative emotionality at 3 months (T1) and serotonin transporter gene (SLC6A4) DNA methylation at 4.5 years of age (T2) to emotion regulation in pre-schoolers born very preterm and full-term. Forty one children (n = 21 born very preterm, n = 20 born full-term) participated in the study. Fretful behavior was assessed at T1 in response to the Face-to-FaceStill-Face (FFSF) paradigm. At T2, SLC6A4 DNA methylation was analyzed and emotion regulation was assessed using an observational procedure (i.e., the Pre-schooler Regulation of Emotional Stress, PRES). The very preterm group displayed higher emotion dysregulation during the PRES Reactivity phase than the full-term group. Higher levels of fretful behavior at 3 months were associated with greater emotional distress only for very preterm children with higher methylation at T2. No significant associations emerged in the full-term group. Despite current findings cannot be generalized owing to the relatively small sample size, this work provides preliminary longitudinal evidence about the link between negative emotionality during infancy, stress-linked epigenetic status at 4.5 years and emotion dysregulation in preschoolers born preterm.

El propósito del estudio fue evaluar la contribución de la emocionalidad negativa a los 3 meses (T1) y la metilación del ADN en el gen transportador de la serotonina (SLC6A4) a los 4 años y medio de edad (T2) a la regulación de la emoción en prescolares nacidos muy antes de la gestación completa o de gestación completa. Cuarenta y un niños (n = 21 nacidos muy antes de la gestación completa, n = 20 nacidos de gestación completa) participaron en el estudio. El comportamiento irritable se evaluó a T1 como respuesta al Cara-a-Cara del paradigma de la Cara Inmóvil (FFSF). A T2, se analizó la metilación de ADN SLC6A4 y se evaluó la regulación de la emoción usando un procedimiento de observación (v.g. La Regulación del Estrés Emocional del Prescolar, PRES). El grupo nacido muy antes de la gestación completa mostró una más alta desregulación durante la fase de Reactividad PRES que el grupo nacido de gestación completa. Los niveles más altos de comportamiento irritable a los 3 meses se asociaron con una mayor angustia emocional solamente para los niños nacidos muy antes de la gestación completa con más alta metilación al T2. Ninguna asociación significativa surgió del grupo nacido de gestación completa. A pesar de que los actuales resultados no se pueden generalizar debido al tamaño relativamente pequeño del grupo muestra, este trabajo ofrece aporta evidencia longitudinal preliminar acerca de la conexión entre la emocionalidad negativa durante la infancia, el estado epigenético relacionado con el estrés a los 4 años y medio y la desregulación de la emoción en prescolares nacidos antes de la completa gestación.

Le but de cette étude était d'évaluer la contribution de l'émotivité négative à 3 mois (T1) et du gène vecteur de la sérotonine (SLC6A4) méthylation de l'ADN à l'âge de 4,5 ans (T2) à la régulation de l'émotion chez les enfants d'âge préscolaire nés très prématurés et à plein terme. Quarante et un enfant (n = 21 nés très prématurés, n = 20 nés à plein terme) ont participé à l'étude. Le comportement agité a été évalué au T1 en réponse au paradigme face-à-face visage inexpressif (abrégé FFSF en anglais). Au T2, la méthylation de l'ADN SLC6A4 a été analysée et la régulation de l'émotion a été évaluée en utilisant un protocole d'observation (à savoir, la Régulation du Stress Emotionnel de l'Enfant d'Age Préscolaire, abrégé en anglais PRES). Le groupe très prématuré a fait état d'une dysrégulation de l'émotion plus élevée durant la phase de Réactivité PRES que le groupe né à plein terme. Des niveaux plus élevés de comportement agité à 3 mois étaient liés à une détresse émotionnelle plus grande uniquement pour les enfants très prématurés avec une méthylation plus élevée au T2. Aucune association importante n'a émergé dans le groupe à plein terme. En dépit du fait que les résultats actuels ne peuvent pas être généralisés à cause de la taille relativement petite de l'échantillon, ce travail offre des preuves longitudinales préliminaires sur le lien entre l'émotivité négative durant la petite enfant, le statut épigénétique lié au stress à 4,5 ans et la dysrégulation de l'émotion chez les enfants d'âge préscolaires nés avant terme.

The role of experience in parenting beliefs of British and Italian women during pregnancy.

To understand the role of experience in parenting beliefs about caring for infants, we examined the parenting beliefs of pregnant women who were expecting their first child with those of pregnant women who already had at least one other child. A culturally diverse sample of 550 British and Italian women completed self-report measures evaluating their beliefs about the value of attunement and structure in caregiving, parenting self-efficacy, and home chaos. Psychometric evaluation confirmed the two-factor structure of the Baby Care Questionnaire (BCQ) for measuring attunement and structure but did not support configural invariance across the different samples. Beliefs about attunement and structure were related to parenting experience: pregnant women who already had at least one other child reported stronger beliefs in attunement, whereas pregnant women expecting their first child reported stronger beliefs in structure. Regression analyses revealed that the associations between parenting beliefs and experience remained when controlling for country, age, and education. Despite the limitations imposed by the lack of configural invariance, this cross-sectional, cross-cultural study constitutes an important first step in examining the relations between parenting experience and parenting beliefs during pregnancy.

Para comprender el papel de la experiencia en las creencias de crianza sobre el cuidado de los infantes, examinamos las creencias de crianza de mujeres embarazadas que esperaban su primer niño con aquellas de mujeres embarazadas que ya tenían por lo menos otro niño. Un grupo muestra culturalmente diverso de quinientas cincuenta mujeres británicas e italianas completó medidas auto reportadas de evaluación de sus creencias acerca del valor de la coordinación armónica y la estructura en cuanto al cuidado, la auto efectividad de la crianza, así como el caos en casa. La evaluación sicométrica confirmó la estructura de dos factores del Cuestionario de Cuidado del Bebé (BCQ: Winstanley y Gattis, 2013) para medir la coordinación armónica y la estructura, pero no apoyó la invariabilidad configuracional a través de los diferentes grupos muestra. Las creencias acerca de la coordinación armónica y la estructura se relacionaron con la experiencia de la crianza: las mujeres embarazadas que ya tenían por lo menos otro niño reportaron creencias más fuertes en cuanto a la coordinación armónica, mientras que las mujeres embarazadas que esperaban su primer niño reportaron creencias más fuertes en cuanto a la estructura. Los análisis de regresión revelaron que las asociaciones entre las creencias de crianza y la experiencia se mantenían siendo las mismas cuando se usaron los controles referentes a país, edad y educación. A pesar de las limitaciones impuestas por la falta de la invariabilidad configuracional, este estudio interseccional constituye un importante paso en el examen de las relaciones entre la experiencia de crianza y las creencias sobre la crianza durante el embarazo.

Afin de comprendre le rôle de l'expérience dans les croyances de parentalité sur la manière de prendre soin des bébés, nous avons examiné les croyances de parentalité de femmes enceintes qui attendaient leur premier enfant avec celles de femmes enceintes ayant déjà eu au moins un enfant. Un échantillon culturellement divers de cinq cent cinquante femmes britanniques et italiennes ont rempli des mesures auto-rapportées évaluant leurs croyances concernant la valeur de l'harmonisation et de la structure dans les soins à l'enfant, l'auto-efficacité de parentalité, et le chaos à domicile. L'évaluation psychométrique a confirmé la structure à deux facteurs du Questionnaire du Soin au Bébé (abrégé BCQ en anglais; Winstanley & Gattis, 2013) pour la mesure de l'harmonisation et de la structure mais n'a pas soutenu l'invariance de configuration au travers des différents échantillons. Les croyances sur l'harmonisation et la structure étaient liées à l'expérience de parentalité: les femmes enceintes qui avaient déjà eu un enfant ont fait état de croyances plus fortes dans l'harmonisation, alors que les femmes enceintes attendant leur premier enfant ont fait état de croyances plus fortes dans la structure. Des analyses de régression ont révélé que les liens entre les croyances de parentalité et l'expérience demeuraient quand on contrôlait pour le pays, l'âge et l'éducation. En dépit des limitations imposées par le manque d'invariance de configuration, cette étude transversale et multiculturelle constitue une étape importante dans l'examen des relations entre l'expérience de parentalité et les croyances de parentalité durant la grossesse.

The role of maternal touch in the association between SLC6A4 methylation and stress response in very preterm infants.

Very preterm (VPT) infants requiring hospitalization in the Neonatal Intensive Care Unit (NICU) are exposed to several stressful procedural experiences. One consequence of NICU-related stress is a birth-to-discharge increased serotonin transporter gene (SLC6A4) methylation that has been associated with poorer stress regulation at 3 months of age. Maternal touch is thought to support infants' stress response, but its role in moderating the effects of SLC6A4 methylation changes is unknown. The aim of this study was to assess the role of maternal touch in moderating the association between increased SLC6A4 methylation and stress response in 3-month-old VPT infants. Twenty-nine dyads were enrolled and at 3 months (age corrected for prematurity), participated in the Face-to-Face Still-Face paradigm to measure infants' stress response (i.e., negative emotionality) and the amount of maternal touch (i.e., dynamic and static). Results showed that low level of maternal touch is associated with high level of negative emotionality during social stress. Furthermore, during NICU stay SLC6A4 methylation in VPT exposed to low level of maternal touch at 3 months was associated with increased negative emotionality. Thus, low levels of maternal static touch can intensify the negative effects of SLC6A4 epigenetic changes on stress response in 3-month-old VPT infants.

Barriers and Facilitators to Conducting Kangaroo Mother Care in Italian Neonatal Intensive Care Units.

PURPOSE: This work aimed to investigate obstacles and facilitators for carrying out Kangaroo Mother Care (KMC) across Italian NICUs. DESIGN AND METHODS: A survey that investigated Unit's characteristics, policies toward parents and KMC practice and policies was carried out. Data from 86 NICUs (80.4%) was collected. Descriptive statistics and Multiple Regression Models were computed. RESULTS: Eighty-one NICUs provided KMC. These NICUs had a less restricted parental access policies (chi2 = 7.373, p = .007). More than the 70% of the units did not have adequate facilities for parents. KMC daily length was positively predicted (R2 = 0.18, F = 7.91, p = .001) by repeated sessions and documentation of KMC. CONCLUSION: The implementation of KMC is characterized by different barriers and facilitators that determine the parent's possibility to provide KMC. Structural factors (e.g., adequate space and facilities) can support families in providing KMC. A unique result of this survey is that KMC documentation on medical records appears critical for improving its practice. PRACTICE IMPLICATIONS: Although most of the Italian units provide KMC as a routine practice, improving its practical support would be beneficial to its implementation. A more formalized approach to KMC may strengthen staff habits to consider KMC like a standard care treatment.

What is the role played by pregnancy in the construction of a woman's identity and her association with her child-to-be?

Objective: The present work aimed to evaluate: (a) the psychometric properties of the Centrality of Event Scale in Italian primiparous and multiparous women; (b) individual differences in those demographic variables that influence change in women's identity and the maternal role acquisition during pregnancy; (c) the association between the extent to which pregnancy has an impact on woman's life story and identity and prenatal attachment; (c) how the centrality of the pregnancy event is related to the experience of PTSD during pregnancy.Background: Pregnancy is a crucial phase in women's life that involves many changes for a woman's role and identity.Methods 319 pregnant women were assessd during the third trimester of pregnancy.Results: Exploratory Factor Analyses confirmed a one-factor solution of the CES. Moreover, the perception of pregnancy as central in women's lives is significantly related to prenatal attachment. Finally, the perception of pregnancy as central in women's lives is positively correlated to PTSD symptoms.Conclusion: Our findings provide evidence on the validity of the scale with pregnant women samples, which may contribute for a better understanding of the impact of pregnancy on women's identity and life story, as well as the underlying psychological challenges related to pregnancy.

Exploring differences in psychological aspects during pregnancy between cancer survivors and women without a history of cancer.

Young cancer survivors often wish to bear a child after oncological treatments, as they might not have started or completed their families. As young cancer survivors have a higher risk of developing psychological difficulties, this study investigated whether there were significant differences in psychological aspects between pregnant women who received a cancer diagnosis in the past and pregnant women without a history of cancer. A total of 123 pregnant women, of which 36 were cancer survivors and 87 women without a history of cancer, were recruited during their last trimester at different hospitals in Northern Italy. Patients were asked to complete a socio-demographic profile and questionnaires measuring mood states, post-traumatic symptoms, centrality of the pregnancy and cancer event, quality of life, and prenatal attachment. Cancer survivors had significantly higher levels of PTSD symptoms, perceived pregnancy as more central to their identity and life story, perceived lower quality of life and had lower intensity of prenatal attachment compared with the control group. Centrality of the cancer event did not correlate with any psychological variables. Preliminary results suggest that a past cancer diagnosis can influence the mother's psychological functioning and the development of the relationship with their child.

Motherhood during or after breast cancer diagnosis: A qualitative study.

OBJECTIVE: Little is known about the process of becoming a mother in women who experienced a breast cancer diagnosis (BC). In this qualitative study, we investigated maternal representations in pregnant women with experience of BC and those with no oncological history. METHODS: A total of 38 women were recruited, 19 women who experienced a BC diagnosis and 19 who had not. To explore maternal representations, semi-structured interviews were conducted and analysed through thematic analysis. RESULTS: Four main themes were identified: fears and worries, meaning of motherhood, mother-foetus relationship and partner support. Across themes, differences between primiparous and multiparous are reported. Women with gestational breast cancer (GBC) described fear for their own and their child's survival. Women with previous BC recall contrasting emotions. All women with experience of BC perceived breastfeeding as fundamental and inability to do so provoked worry. Relationship with the partner was considered central, while healthy women were projected towards the future triadic relationship. CONCLUSIONS: Finding a mental space during pregnancy for the representation of the future child could be hard for women with GBC. Dissimilarities in the experience of motherhood in cancer patients provide insight into psychological aspects that should be taken into account in clinical practice.

Premature birth: complexities and difficulties in building the mother-child relationship.

AIM: This paper aims to investigate if the dyadic interactive behaviours were influenced by parental stress and feelings both in preterm and full-term mother-child dyads. METHODS: 45 mothers (age = 35.29 ± 5.38) and fathers (age = 36.77 ± 6.89) of preterm infants (GA = 30.25 ± 2.95; BW = 1288.02 ± 488.76), and 36 mothers (age = 32.60 ± 4.56) and fathers (age = 35.54 ± 5.16) of full-term (GA = 39.88 ± 1.38; BW = 3156.39 ± 493.81) were involved. Parents filled out the Impact of Event Scale Revised (IES-R), Profile of Mood States (POMS) and Parenting Stress Index Short Form (PSI-SF) and interactive behaviours (Global Rating Scale) was videotaped after 3 months. RESULTS: Mothers of preterm children showed higher level of Intrusiveness (Mpreterm = 4.07 ± .74, Mfullterm = 4.39 ± .51, t = 2.22, p = .029) and Remoteness (Mpreterm = 4.45 ± .83, Mfullterm = 4.79 ± .34, t = 2.51, p = .015) than mothers of term children. In preterm mothers' lower levels of Sensitivity, higher levels of Intrusiveness, Remoteness and Depression are associated with the presence of negative feelings and parental stress in both parents. Moreover, higher children Distress is associated to parental negative feelings, paternal stress and post-traumatic symptoms. A higher score of parental negative feelings and parental stress predicted lower scores in Global RatingScale dimensions. CONCLUSIONS: Our results underline that preterm birth could be a risk factor for the co-construction of interactive exchanges between mother and premature baby. This study could help practitioners to better consider parental roles and to carry out specific supportive interventions for both parents and children.

Skin-to-Skin Care and Spontaneous Touch by Fathers in Full-Term Infants: A Systematic Review.

A series of studies have shown that mothers' early tactile behaviors have positive effects, both on full-term and preterm infants, and on mothers alike. Regarding fathers, research has focused mostly on paternal skin-to-skin care with preterm infants and has overlooked the tactile behavior effects with full-term newborns on infants' outcomes and on fathers themselves. The current systematic review considered the evidence regarding paternal tactile behaviors with full-term infants, including skin-to-skin care (SSC) and spontaneous touch (ST), during parent-infant interactions, and differentiated biophysiological, behavioral and psychological variables both in fathers and in infants. We also compared fathers' and mothers' tactile behaviors for potential differences. The few available studies suggest that paternal touch-SSC and ST-can have positive effects on fathers and infants alike. They also show that, despite some intrinsic differences, paternal touch is as pleasant as maternal touch. However, given the paucity of studies on the topic, we discuss why this field of research should be further explored.

Stroking in early mother-infant exchanges: The role of maternal tactile biography and interoceptive sensibility.

Caress-like is a crucial component of caregiving and a key factor in mother-infant interactions. Mother's experience of touch during her own childhood (i.e., tactile biography) has been found to be related to maternal actual use of caress-like touch (i.e., stroking) during mother-infant exchanges. Evidence also suggests that maternal interoceptive sensibility (i.e., self-perceived sensitivity to inner-body sensations) might be related to sensitive caregiving abilities. However, further empirical investigation is needed to understand to what extent tactile biography and interoceptive sensibility have an impact on mothers' stroking when interacting with their infants. Using an online survey, this cross-sectional study explored the potential association between maternal tactile biography, interoceptive sensibility and use of touch for interaction with their own infants in a group of 377 Italian mothers (mean age = 33.29; SD = 4.79). We tested and compared a series of multivariate linear mediation models using maternal tactile biography as predictor, maternal use of affective touch as outcome variable and Multidimensional Assessment of Interoceptive Awareness (MAIA) subscale scores as mediators. We found that, if a mother had positive touch experiences in her own childhood, she may be more likely to use touch in a positive and nurturing way with her own infant (i.e., stroking). Furthermore, mothers' interoceptive sensibility in the form of attention regulation, self-regulation and body listening mediates the association between their past experiences of positive touch and their use of caress-like touch in mother-infant exchanges. This study highlights that maternal tactile biography is directly associated with mothers' use of caress-like touch and indirectly linked to it through the mediating role of interoceptive sensibility.

Exploring maternal touch in the infant's first 18 months of Life: A study on an Italian sample.

Affective touch is a crucial component of caregiving in early life and constitutes a key factor with a significant impact on infant later-life outcomes. The Parent-Infant Caregiving Touch Scale (PICTS) allows to quantify and qualify the caregiver's self-perception of touch in the first months of an infant's life. In the current study, we contributed to validation of the PICTS in the Italian language in order to explore whether early maternal touch would be associated with maternal emotional state, maternal history of affective touch experiences throughout the lifespan, and infants' sex and age. Data analyses were run on a sample of 377 Italian mothers (mean age = 33.29; SD = 4.79) participating in an online survey. Confirmatory factor analysis was applied. A three-dimensional structure of PICTS (i.e., stroking, affective communication, and holding) after removing one item out resulted in the best model in our sample. Maternal emotional state did not affect PICTS factor scores while maternal comfort and amount of affective touch experienced during adulthood was significantly associated with the stroking, affective communication, and holding factors. Regarding infants' dimensions, infants' sex and age were not associated with PICTS factor scores. Findings suggest that the PICTS Italian version is a good measurement of caregiver's self-perception of touch in early infancy and that maternal history of touch is associated with a mother's current use of touch.

Mother and father interaction with their 3-month-old infants: Similarities and differences in parenting behaviour in well-resourced parents.

Infancy is characterized by intensive parenting which may affect later child development. However, little is known about similarities and differences in maternal and paternal parenting behaviour, as the majority of the studies have mainly focused on mothers. The present study investigated similarities and differences in mothers' and fathers' parenting behaviour during parent-infant interaction in 56 mothers and 56 fathers of 3-months-old infants in a good-resourced sample. Parent-child interactions were videotaped and coded by the Global Rating Scales. Results suggested similar parenting behaviour in terms of maternal and paternal sensitivity, intrusiveness and remoteness. Moreover, regardless of sex infant's behaviour was similar during interactions with mothers and fathers. The low-risk and non-clinical nature of our sample may have had a positive influence on mother-child and father-child dyadic exchanges. These findings suggest including family system models in research and clinical practice.

Air pollution and neurodevelopmental skills in preschool- and school-aged children: A systematic review.

Early life exposure to air pollution has been associated with neurodevelopmental disorders. Emerging evidence are highlighting a possible impact of air pollution on typically developing children. Thirty papers were included in this review to systematically evaluate the association between air pollutants exposure in prenatal and/or postnatal periods and specific neurodevelopmental skills (i.e. intellective functioning, memory and learning, attention and executive functions, verbal language, numeric ability and motor and/or sensorimotor functions) in preschool- and school-age children. Detrimental effects of air pollutants on children's neurodevelopmental skills were observed, although they do not show clinically relevant performance deficits. The most affected domains were global intellective functioning and attention/executive functions. The pollutants that seem to represent the greatest risk are PM2.5, NO2 and PAHs. Prenatal exposure is primarily associated with child neurodevelopment at pre-school and school ages. Early exposure to air pollutants is related to adverse neurodevelopmental outcomes in the general population of children. Further research is needed to support stronger conclusions.

Monochorionic Twins and the Early Mother-Infant Relationship: An Exploratory Observational Study of Mother-Infant Interaction in the Post-Partum Period.

The extraordinary increase in twin rates and specifically monochorionic twin pregnancies represents a major public health issue due to the associated increased risks for the mother, the child and their relationship. The aim of the present study was to examine the quality of mothers' behaviour during mother-infant interaction in the early postpartum period by comparing mothers of twins and mothers of singletons during face-to-face interaction with their infants. Demographic and clinical information was collected by trained research psychologists from the mothers' and the childrens' clinical records and from interviews with the mothers. At three months (corrected for prematurity), the interactions of the dyads (11 mother-twin infant dyads and 11 mother-singleton dyads) were filmed at participants' homes in accordance with the procedure of the Global Rating Scales. Maternal behaviour during interactions was assessed and rated by two trained research psychologists. With regard to the mothers' interaction with each twin, no differences were found between mothers' scores in every GRS subscale, indicating that mothers did not interact differently with their twins. Comparisons between mothers of MC twins and mothers of singletons showed that the quality of maternal sensitive behaviour during the interactions were lower in mothers of twins (0.35) Mothers of twins were also more distant during interactions with their babies and more likely to experience depression symptoms than mothers of singletons (0.05). Future research should examine mother-infant relationships following twin birth with larger samples. Such research will be especially useful in evaluating the potential benefits of interventions to promote positive mother-infant interactions.

Tactile Biography Questionnaire: A contribution to its validation in an Italian sample.

As the interest in the beneficial effects of positive touch experiences is rapidly growing, having reliable and valid tools to its assessment is essential. The Tactile Biography Questionnaire (TBQ) allows to quantify individual differences in affective touch experiences throughout life. The aim of this article is to present a contribution to its validation in the Italian population. Data analysis were run on a sample of 2040 Italian individuals (Females = 1342, 64%) participating in an on-line survey. Confirmatory Factor Analysis and invariance analyses for gender were applied. Concurrent validity was checked using two specific subscales of the Touch Avoidance Questionnaire (TAQ-i.e., Family and Stranger). The four-dimensional structure of the TBQ was confirmed in the overall sample and by gender. Also, the TBQ showed an excellent internal consistency and a good concurrent validity with TAQ. The present study suggests that the TBQ can be used to support healthcare professionals and researchers to assess experiences of affective touch in different settings.

COPEWithME: The Role of Parental Ability to Support and Promote Child Resilient Behaviors During the COVID-19 Emergency.

The COVID-19 pandemic has led to lockdown in many countries and Italy was the first one interested in Europe. The lockdown strategy is an essential step to curb the exponential rise of COVID-19 cases, but it is very demanding for the population involved and especially for children and their families. The aims of the present study are: (a) to explore the psychometric properties of the COPEWithME questionnaire, a new tool to evaluate parents' ability to support and promote child resilient behaviors, (b) to investigate the relation between parents' resilience and their ability to support and promote child resilient behaviors with child resilience and child stress-related behaviors assessed during the COVID-19 outbreak. Participants (N = 158 mothers, with 6- to 11-years-old children, 53% female), who were volunteers and anonymous, filled out an online questionnaire composed by CD-RISC 25, PMK-CYRM-R, and COPEWithME. With regard to the COPEWithME, validation exploratory factor analyses revealed a one-factor solution of 18 items. The COPEWithME positively correlates both with mothers' resilience and with children's resilience. Mediation analysis showed that the association between mothers' resilience and children's stress-related behaviors was mediated by the mothers' ability to support and promote child resilient behaviors. The COPEWithME, to our knowledge, is the first measure of parents' ability to support and promote resilient behaviors in school-age children, a key parenting skill that may help children in dealing with stressful situations such as the COVID-19 outbreak. These findings represent useful insights to advance mental health interventions in the post-pandemic phases suggesting focusing on a family's resources and resilience processes.

Stress symptoms and resilience factors in children with neurodevelopmental disabilities and their parents during the COVID-19 pandemic.

OBJECTIVE: This study examined the impact of the coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19) pandemic in Italy by specifically looking at the psychosocial response of children/adolescents with neurodevelopmental disabilities (NDD) and their parents, and explored which factors could potentially contribute to increasing or mitigating stress-related behaviors in children/adolescents as well as their parents' stress. METHOD: An online anonymous survey was designed to investigate family demographic characteristics, COVID-19 outbreak and restriction-related variables, children/adolescents' behavioral regulation problems, parental stress, and resilience. Data were collected from 1,472 parents (83.1% mothers) of 1632 NDD children/adolescents (33.7% females). RESULTS: Compared to pre-emergency, parents reported a significant increase in their children's behavioral regulation problems: Anxious/depressed behavior, Attention problems, and Aggressive behavior (p < .001), and they reported feeling more Overwhelmed and Burdened (p < .001) as parents but less Unfulfilled, Numbness, Devastated, and Angry (p < .001). A hierarchical stepwise regression analysis revealed that both behavioral regulation problems in NDD children/adolescents and parental stress are-at least partially-buffered by resilience factors in parents (Perception of self, Planned future, Family cohesion). CONCLUSIONS: Results showed that behavioral regulation problems in children/adolescents with NDD and parental stress increased. However, parental resilience can act as a protective factor, counterbalancing parental difficulties in the care of their NDD children during the emergency. Identifying risk and protective factors impacting the psychosocial response ofchildren/adolescents with NDD and their parents is essential to implement appropriate support interventions both for parents and children/adolescents with NDD during the COVID-19 pandemic. (PsycInfo Database Record (c) 2021 APA, all rights reserved).

Neuroimaging and DNA Methylation: An Innovative Approach to Study the Effects of Early Life Stress on Developmental Plasticity.

DNA methylation plays a key role in neural cell fate and provides a molecular link between early life stress and later-life behavioral phenotypes. Here, studies that combine neuroimaging methods and DNA methylation analysis in pediatric population with a history of adverse experiences were systematically reviewed focusing on: targeted genes and neural correlates; statistical models used to examine the link between DNA methylation and neuroimaging data also considering early life stress and behavioral outcomes. We identified 8 studies that report associations between DNA methylation and brain structure/functions in infants, school age children and adolescents faced with early life stress condition (e.g., preterm birth, childhood maltreatment, low socioeconomic status, and less-than optimal caregiving). Results showed that several genes were investigated (e.g., OXTR, SLC6A4, FKBP5, and BDNF) and different neuroimaging techniques were performed (MRI and f-NIRS). Statistical model used ranged from correlational to more complex moderated mediation models. Most of the studies (n = 5) considered DNA methylation and neural correlates as mediators in the relationship between early life stress and behavioral phenotypes. Understanding what role DNA methylation and neural correlates play in interaction with early life stress and behavioral outcomes is crucial to promote theory-driven studies as the future direction of this research fields.

Exploring the Contribution of Proximal Family Risk Factors on SLC6A4 DNA Methylation in Children with a History of Maltreatment: A Preliminary Study.

The cumulative effects of proximal family risk factors have been associated with a high number of adverse outcomes in childhood maltreatment, and DNA methylation of the serotonin transporter gene (SLC6A4) has been associated with child maltreatment. However, the relationships between proximal family risk factors and SLC6A4 methylation remains unexplored. We examined the association among cumulative family risk factors, maltreatment experiences and DNA methylation in the SLC6A4 gene in a sample of 33 child victims of maltreatment. We computed a cumulative family risk (CFR) index that included proximal family risk factors, such as drug or alcohol abuse, psychopathology, parents' experiences of maltreatment/abuse in childhood, criminal history, and domestic violence. The majority of children (90.9%) experienced more than one type of maltreatment. Hierarchical regression models suggested that the higher the CFR index score and the number of maltreatment experiences, and the older the children, the higher the SLC6A4 DNA methylation levels. Although preliminary, our findings suggest that, along with childhood maltreatment experiences per se, cumulative proximal family risk factors are seemingly critically associated with DNA methylation at the SLC6A4 gene.

Understanding the role and function of maternal touch in children with neurodevelopmental disabilities.

During the first years of life, maternal touch can serve different functions including facilitation of child's gaze orientation to faces which is a key precursor for social attention. Although children with neurodevelopmental disability (ND) may have reduced social skills, the role of maternal touch in contributing to gaze orientation to maternal face has not been explored in previous research. In the present study, we investigate the functions of maternal touch in dyads of mothers and children with ND, compared to dyads of children with typical development (TD). Micro-analytic 2-s coding of maternal touch (i.e., affectionate, playful, facilitating, holding, no touch) and children's gaze orientation (i.e., mother-oriented, object-oriented, non-oriented) occurred during 5-minute interactions between mothers and their 12-to-24-month-old ND and TD children. Dyads were paired for children chronological age and sex. Mothers of children with ND used more touch - especially facilitating and holding types -, compared to mothers of TD peers. Children with ND exhibited more non-orientated gaze compared to TD counterparts. Playful touch associated with increased mother-oriented gaze in children with ND, whereas affectionate and holding touch associated with greater mother-oriented gaze in TD children. Findings suggest that specific types of touch support children's attention to social partners.