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Background: Perinatal depression (PND) is a debilitating condition affecting maternal well‐being and child development. Allopregnanolone (ALLO) is important to perinatal neuroplasticity, however its relationship with depression severity and postpartum structural brain volume is unknown. Method: We examined perinatal temporal dynamics and bidirectional associations between ALLO and depression severity and the association between these variables and postpartum gray matter volume, using a random intercept cross‐lagged panel model. Results: We identified a unidirectional predictive relationship between PND severity and ALLO concentration, suggesting greater depression severity early in the perinatal period may contribute to subsequent changes in ALLO concentration (β = 0.26, p = 0.009), while variations in ALLO levels during the perinatal period influences the development and severity of depressive symptoms later in the postpartum period (β = 0.38, p = 0.007). Antepartum depression severity (Visit 2, β = 0.35, p = 0.004), ALLO concentration (Visit 2, β = 0.37, p = 0.001), and postpartum depression severity (Visit 3, β = 0.39, p = 0.031), each predicted the right anterior cingulate volume. Antepartum ALLO concentration (Visit 2, β = 0.29, p = 0.001) predicted left suborbital sulcus volume. Antepartum depression severity (Visit 1, β = 0.39, p = 0.006 and Visit 2, β = 0.48, p < 0.001) predicted the right straight gyrus volume. Postpartum depression severity (Visit 3, β = 0.36, p = 0.001) predicted left middle‐posterior cingulate volume. Conclusion: These results provide the first evidence of bidirectional associations between perinatal ALLO and depression severity with postpartum gray matter volume. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Parental factors, including negative parenting practices (e.g., family conflict, low monitoring), parental depression, and parental substance use, are associated with externalizing behaviors among youth. However, the ways in which these parental factors are associated with youth brain function and consequent externalizing behavior has been less studied. Both the dimensional and stress acceleration models provide frameworks for understanding how parental factors may be associated with frontolimbic and frontoparietal networks implicated in emotional attention and regulation processes. The current review builds upon this work by examining how deprivation- and threat-based parental factors are associated with youth neurocircuitry involved in emotional functioning and externalizing behaviors. A systematic review using PRISMA guidelines was completed and included five studies assessing parenting behaviors, six studies assessing parental depressive symptoms and/or diagnosis, and 12 studies assessing parental history of substance use. Synthesis of reviewed studies discusses support for the dimensional and stress acceleration models within the context of deprivation and threat. Further, a limited number of studies tested (i.e., six studies) and supported (i.e., three studies) youth neural structure and function as a mediator of the association between parental factors and youth externalizing behavior. Specific recommendations for future work include more deliberate planning related to sample composition, improved clarity related to parental constructs, consistency in methodology, and longitudinal study design in order to better understand associations between contextual parental influences and youth neural and behavioral functioning. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

While many studies have identified risk and protective factors of substance use (SU), few have assessed the reciprocal associations of child conduct problems (CP) and parenting practices and behaviors in the prediction of SU across development. A greater understanding of how these factors relate over time is needed to improve the timing of targeted prevention efforts. This study examined how child CP, parenting behaviors, and parents' own antisocial behavior relate from preschool to adolescence and eventuate in SU. Participants included 706 youth (70.6% male; 89.7% white) enrolled in the Michigan Longitudinal Study. Data from waves 1 (ages 3–5), 2 (ages 6–8), 3 (ages 9–11), 4 (ages 12–14), and 5 (ages 15–17) were included. A random intercept cross-lagged panel model (RI-CLPM) examined reciprocal associations between parenting practices, parents' antisocial behavior, and child CP over time (waves 1–4) and how these factors contribute to adolescent alcohol, cigarette, and marijuana use (wave 5). At the within-person level, negative parenting and parents' own antisocial behavior had a strong influence in late childhood/early adolescence. Only child CP emerged as a significant predictor of SU. Results highlight the importance of early intervention and the potential influence of parenting and child factors throughout development in the prevention of SU. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Background: Screen media activity (SMA) can negatively affect youth behavioral health. Sleep may mediate this association but has not been previously explored. We examined whether sleep mediated the association between SMA and youth behavioral health among a community sample. Method: Parents completed questions about their child (N = 564) ages 3–17 at Wave 1, Wave 2 (4–8 months later), and Wave 3 (12 months later). Path analyses were conducted to examine links between Wave 1 SMA and Wave 3 behavioral health problems (i.e., internalizing, externalizing, attention, peer problems) through Wave 2 sleep disturbance and duration. Results: SMA was significantly associated with greater sleep disturbance, β =.11, 95% CI [.01,.21] and shorter sleep duration, β = −.16 [−.25, −.06], and greater sleep disturbance was associated with worse youth behavioral health across internalizing, β =.14 [.04,.24], externalizing, B =.23 [.12,.33], attention, β =.24 [.15,.34], and peer problems, β =.25 [.15,.35]. Longer sleep duration was associated with more externalizing, β =.13 [.04,.21], and attention problems, β =.12 [.02,.22], and fewer peer problems, β = −.09 [−.17, −.01], but not with internalizing problems. Lastly, there was a direct effect of SMA on peer problems, β = −.15 [−.23, −.06] such that higher SMA that does not impact sleep may have a positive impact on reducing peer problems. Conclusions: Sleep (i.e., disturbances and shorter duration) may partially account for the small associations observed between SMA and worse behavioral health in youth. To continue expanding our understanding, future research should utilize more diverse representative samples, use objective measures of SMA and sleep, and examine other relevant aspects of SMA, including content, device type, and timing of use. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Experiencing homelessness in infancy has been linked to negative physical and mental health outcomes. Parental well-being and the parent–infant relationship can also be negatively impacted by experiencing homelessness. While numerous parent-based infant mental health programs have been identified by a recent review, the goal of this study was to further determine the extent to which these existing programs were developed and/or examined with at-risk populations such as families experiencing homelessness. Out of 60 programs identified by Hare et al., 2023, only three had been implemented specifically in shelter settings with infants 0–12 months (Parent-Infant Psychotherapy, New Beginnings, and My Baby's First Teacher). Additionally, when examining programs that began in later infancy (after 12 months), only 2 programs were implemented in shelter settings (Incredible Years and Parent–Child Interaction Therapy). Implications for research, policy, and clinicians regarding implementation of evidence-based prevention/treatment programs for parents and their infants experiencing homelessness are discussed. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Although many prevention and treatment programs exist for children and families, there have been no reviews specifically examining their impact on infant mental health at the program level. Therefore, the purpose of the current review was to a) systematically examine prevention and treatment programs targeting infant mental health outcomes (i.e. internalizing problems, externalizing problems, social-emotional development, trauma) or the parent-infant relationship/attachment in children from pregnancy to 2 years; b) classify each program by level of empirical support; and c) highlight strengths and identify gaps in the existing literature to inform future mental health intervention science. From over 121,341 publications initially identified, 60 prevention and treatment programs met inclusion criteria for this review. Each program was reviewed for level of scientific evidence. Of the 60 programs reviewed, 29 (48.33%) were classified as promising, while only six (10.0%) were classified as effective. Lastly, only two programs (3.33%; Attachment and Biobehavioral Catch-Up and Video-feedback Intervention Parenting Program) were classified as evidence-based specific to infant mental health and/or parent-infant relationship/attachment outcomes. Implications related to disseminating evidence-based prevention/treatment programs are discussed. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Background: Early‐onset (3–8 years old) disruptive behavior disorders (DBDs) have been linked to a range of psychosocial sequelae in adolescence and beyond, including delinquency, depression, and substance use. Given that low‐income families are overrepresented in statistics on early‐onset DBDs, prevention and early‐intervention targeting this population is a public health imperative. The efficacy of Behavioral Parent Training (BPT) programs such as Helping the Noncompliant Child (HNC) has been called robust; however, given the additional societal and structural barriers faced by low‐income families, family engagement and retention barriers can cause effects to wane with time. This study extends preliminary work by examining the potential for a Technology‐Enhanced HNC (TE‐HNC) program to improve and sustain parent skill proficiency and child outcomes among low‐income families. Methods: A randomized controlled trial with two parallel arms was the design for this study. A total of 101 children (3–8‐years‐old) with clinically significant problem behaviors from low‐income households were randomized to HNC (n = 54) or TE‐HNC (n = 47). Participants were assessed at pre‐treatment, post‐treatment, 3‐month, and 6‐month follow‐ups. Primary outcomes were parent‐reported and observed child behavior problems. Secondary outcomes included observed parenting skills use (ClinicalTrials.gov Identifier: NCT02191956). Results: Primary analyses used latent curve modeling to examine treatment differences in the trajectory of change during treatment, maintenance of treatment gains, and levels of outcomes at the 6‐month follow‐up. Both programs yielded improvements in parenting skills and child problems at post‐treatment. However, TE‐HNC families evidenced greater maintenance of parent‐reported and observed child behavior and observed positive parenting skills at the 6‐month follow‐up. Conclusions: Our findings contribute to an ongoing line of work suggesting that technology‐enhanced treatment models hold promise for increasing markers of engagement in BPT and sustaining long‐term outcomes among low‐income families. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Adverse childhood experiences (ACEs) put millions of children at risk for later health problems. As childhood represents a critical developmental period, it is important to understand how ACEs impact brain development in young children. In addition, children with attention‐deficit/hyperactivity disorder (ADHD) are more likely than typically developing (TD) peers to experience ACEs. Therefore, the current study examined the impact of ACEs on early brain development, using a cumulative risk approach, in a large sample of children with and without ADHD. We examined 198 young children (Mage = 5.45, 82.3% Hispanic/Latino; 52.5% ADHD) across measures of brain volume, cortical thickness, neurite density index (NDI), and orientation dispersion index (ODI). For the NDI measure, there was a significant interaction between group and cumulative risk (ß =.18, p =.048), such that for children with ADHD, but not TD children, greater cumulate risk was associated with increased NDI in corpus callosum. No other interactions were detected. Additionally, when examining across groups, greater cumulative risk was associated with reduced ODI and volume in the cerebellum, although these findings did not survive a correction for multiple comparisons. Our results highlight the role early cumulative ACEs play in brain development across TD and children with ADHD. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Objective: This study examined associations between temperament (negative affect, effortful control, and surgency) and symptoms of attention-deficit/hyperactivity disorder (ADHD) and oppositional defiant disorder (ODD) within a diverse preschool sample. Interactions between temperament and parenting in the prediction of ADHD/ODD symptoms before and after an 8-week early intervention program (i.e., Summer Treatment Program for Pre-kindergartners; STP-PreK) were also examined. Method: The sample included 215 children (Mage = 5.0, 80.9% male, 84.7% Latinx) with a diagnosis of ADHD and/or ODD who completed the STP-PreK. Temperament was measured via parent report while ADHD/ODD symptoms were assessed via combination of parent and teacher report. Positive and negative parenting were assessed via rating scales and a standardized parent-child interaction observation. Results: Higher surgency was associated with greater symptom severity of ADHD/ODD pre- and post-treatment. Higher negative affect was associated with greater symptom severity of ODD pre- and post-treatment, while higher effortful control was only associated with lower symptom severity of inattention pre-treatment. Positive parenting predicted lower symptom severity of ADHD/ODD post-treatment. Moderation analyses indicated that the benefits of low levels of negative parenting only occurred when paired with low temperament risk for symptoms of hyperactivity and ODD. Additionally, only the combination of high surgency and high observed negative parenting resulted in greater symptom severity of ODD. Finally, decreases in inconsistent discipline predicted decreases across all symptom domains post-treatment. Conclusions: Our findings add to the temperament-based model of ADHD/ODD by highlighting temperament's unique prediction of treatment response as well as important interactions with the caregiving environment. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Background: Peripartum depression (PND) impairs mother-infant boding and perceived social support, yet limited research has examined if women at-risk for PND (AR-PND) also experience impairment. We examined if pregnant women AR-PND, women with PND, and healthy comparison women (HCW) differed in their mother-infant bonding and social support. As PND is highly comorbid with anxiety, we also examined if peripartum anxiety impacted postpartum diagnosis of PND. Methods: A total of 144 pregnant women AR-PND or euthymic were assessed twice antepartum and twice postpartum. We utilized regression models to examine the impact of PND risk group status and diagnostic status on mother-infant bonding and perceived social support postpartum. We conducted a sensitivity analysis using a generalized estimating equations model to determine if anxiety (Hamilton Anxiety Rating Scale, HAM-A) across all four time points was associated with the postpartum diagnosis of PND. Results: Women AR-PND experienced significantly worse mother-infant bonding compared to HCW (p = .03). Women diagnosed with PND experienced significantly worse mother-infant bonding and social support compared to HCW (p = .001, p = .002, respectively) and to those who were at-risk for but did not develop PND (p = .02, p = .008, respectively). HAM-A severity at each visit was associated with PND diagnosis status, where each increase in HAM-A was associated with 15% increased odds of being diagnosed with PND postpartum. Conclusions: Both women AR-PND and those with PND experience worse mother-infant bonding. Peripartum anxiety should also be assessed as it represents a marker for later PND. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Objective: The current study examined the comparative efficacy of a more intensive version of Parent-Child Interaction Therapy (I-PCIT; 5 days/week over 2 weeks) versus a time-limited weekly PCIT format (1 day/week over 10 weeks) in treating early childhood externalizing behavior problems. Method: Using a randomized trial design, 60 young children (mean age [Mage] = 4.33 years; 65% male; 85% Latinx) with clinically elevated levels of externalizing behavior problems and their parents were assigned to either I-PCIT (n = 30) or time-limited PCIT (n = 30). Families completed pre-, post-, and follow-up assessments 6–9 months following treatment completion. Parents completed measures of child behavior, discipline practices, and parenting stress. Observational data on child behavior and parenting were also collected. Results: Noninferiority and multivariate repeated-measures analyses indicated comparable improvements across 6 out of 7 observed and parent-reported outcomes, including parenting skills, discipline practices, and child externalizing behavior problems at posttreatment. Comparable treatment gains remained at follow-up, with the caveat that parents in time-limited PCIT reported lower externalizing behavior problems compared with I-PCIT, although both groups were still significantly better compared with pretreatment. Lastly, moderation analyses indicated that parents experiencing high levels of stress benefited more from I-PCIT in terms of decreasing child externalizing behavior compared with time-limited PCIT. Conclusions: I-PCIT appears to be a viable treatment option for families, especially those experiencing high levels of stress, in terms of targeting early externalizing behavior problems within a short period of time. What is the public health significance of this article?: This study provides evidence that a well-established early intervention program like Parent-Child Interaction Therapy (PCIT) can be delivered in a briefer, more intensive package (I-PCIT) with comparable benefits to time-limited PCIT. Parents with high levels of stress may particularly benefit from I-PCIT. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Depression is the most common perinatal psychiatric disorder, but little is known about how it may impact offspring neurodevelopment, as well as the mechanisms by which it may confer transgenerational psychiatric risk. This review presents imaging studies conducted to evaluate the relationship between perinatal depression (PND) and infant and child neurodevelopment. Altered structural and functional connectivity is implicated in children exposed to PND and anxiety. Overall, there are changes in connectivity between amygdala and the prefrontal cortex. Studies suggest decreased hippocampal growth in the first 6 months after birth, decreased cortical thickness in children, and increased amygdala volumes, that are more pronounced in female offspring. Future research is needed to understand the impact of PND on development so that early interventions which promote mother–infant bonding and cognitive development may improve developmental outcomes in children exposed to PND, reducing later risk of psychopathology. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Assessing parenting practices in a culturally informed manner is critical to clinical practice when working with families. Although many parenting measures have been translated into Chinese, limited evidence for measurement invariance is available. The present study aims to assess the measurement invariance of positive and negative parenting practices across Mandarin-speaking families living in Mainland China and English-speaking families living in the United States. Three thousand seven parents of children ages 6–12 years (770 English-speaking: parent Mage = 35.15 years, SD = 7.96; child Mage = 9.50 years, SD = 4.27; 2,237 Chinese-speaking: parent Mage = 38.46 years, SD = 4.42; child Mage = 9.40 years, SD = 1.78) completed the Multidimensional Assessment of Parenting Scale as a part of two separate research protocols. Multiple-group confirmatory factor analyses (CFAs) were used, and the source of invariance at the factor and item levels was examined. CFA revealed that a seven-factor solution was feasible across both samples, as evidenced by configural and metric invariance. We found a lack of scalar invariance; thus, we constructed a partial scalar invariance model and presented latent means, correlations, and variances of the seven subscales. Item-level parameter estimates and content analyses revealed potentially different item interpretations of the measure. The lack of scalar invariance suggests that researchers should not use mean differences (e.g., from simple t tests) for cross-cultural comparisons using common parenting questionnaires. Instead, we recommend analyzing data utilizing latent variable modeling (e.g., structural equation modeling) and future directions for improving measures as part of larger efforts for promoting inclusive parenting science. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]