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Caregiving touch is a crucial component of natural caregiving and constitutes a protective factor with significant impact on infant neurodevelopment. Recent studies highlighted that maternal touch in early life is associated with epigenetic variation between infants. In the current paper, studies that address early caregiving touch in association with DNA methylation will be discussed, positing that mother-infant touch acts as an epigenetic protection mechanism. Understanding how maternal touch and body-to-body contact can shape the epigenome holds the potential to shed light on the mechanisms through which these early tactile experiences advance mental and physical health over the lifetime.

Social touch is closely related to the establishment and maintenance of social bonds in humans and the sensory brain circuit for gentle brushing is already active soon after birth. Brain development is known to be sexually dimorphic, but the potential effect of sex on brain activation to gentle touch remains unknown. Here, we examined brain activation to gentle skin stroking, a tactile stimulation that resembles affective/social touch, in term-born neonates. Eighteen infants aged 11-36 days, recruited from the FinnBrain Birth Cohort Study, were included in the study. During natural sleep, soft brush strokes were applied to the skin of the right leg during functional magnetic resonance imaging (fMRI) at 3cm/s velocity. We examined potential differences in brain activation between males (n = 10) and females (n = 8) and found that females had larger blood oxygenation level dependent (BOLD) responses (brushing vs. rest) in bilateral orbitofrontal cortex (OFC), right ventral striatum and bilateral inferior striatum, pons and cerebellum compared to males. Moreover, the psychophysiological interactions (PPI) analysis, setting left and right OFC as seed regions, revealed significant differences between males and females. Females exhibited stronger PPI connectivity between the left OFC and posterior cingulate/cuneus. Our work suggests that social touch neural responses are different in male and female neonates, which may have major ramifications for later brain, cognitive and social development. Finally, many of the sexually dimorphic brain responses were subcortical, not captured by surface-based neuroimaging, indicating that fMRI will be a relevant technique for future studies.

Affective touch is a crucial component of caregiving in the early life and constitutes a key factor with significant impact on infant later-life outcomes. The Parent-Infant Caregiving Touch Scale (PICTS) allows to quantify and qualify maternal touch behaviors in the first months of infant’ life. In the current study, we contributed to PICTS Italian validation and explored weather early maternal touch could be associated with maternal emotional state, maternal history of affective touch experiences throughout the lifespan, infants’ sex and age. We also explored possible associations between PICTS factor scores and COVID-19 related variables. Data analyses were run on a sample of 377 Italian mothers (Mean age = 33.29; SD = 4.79) participating in an on-line survey. Confirmatory Factor Analysis was applied. The three-dimensional structure of PICTS (i.e., Stroking, Affective Communication, Holding) dropping one item out, resulted in the best model in our sample. Maternal emotional state and COVID-19 related variables did not affect PICTS factor scores while maternal comfort and amount of affective touch experienced during adulthood resulted significantly associated with Stroking, Affective Communication, Holding factors. Regarding infants’ dimensions, infants’ sex and age did not affect PICTS factor scores. Findings suggest that PICTS Italian version is a good measurement of maternal affective touch behaviors in the early infancy and that maternal history of touch is associated with her current use of touch. This suggests that maternal history of touch may represent a key factor in the establishment of infants’ life-long socio-emotional wellbeing.

Mother-infant interactions, including culturally specific features, have been found to predict child socio-emotional development (e.g., social communication and emotion regulation (ER)). However, research is lacking on the specific processes involved. We used a cross-cultural, longitudinal design, and a microanalytic coding approach to address this issue. Fifty-two mother-infant dyads were recruited from the UK ( N = 21) and Italy ( N = 31), representing Northern European and Mediterranean cultures, respectively. While these cultures share core features of parent-child relationships, their values about emotional expressiveness differ. We observed face-to-face mother-infant interactions at 2 months (T1), and coded infant socio-emotional behavior and maternal responses. Children were seen again at 2 years (T2), when their ER in the face of frustration, using the Barrier Task, was assessed, and the occurrence of different “mature” strategies (communicative and autonomous) coded. Results revealed common features of interactions at T1 (infant socio-emotional expressions, and maternal positive responses), but also cultural variation in the frequency of different infant cues (more pre-speech in UK infants, more smiles in Italians), and of maternal responses to them. While greater overall maternal responsiveness at T1 predicted more mature ER in general at T2, cultural differences in early responsiveness to specific infant behaviors predicted later group differences in children’s use of particular ER strategies, with UK children using more communicative strategies, and Italians more autonomous. Findings indicate that positive maternal behaviors that are common across cultures (e.g., responsiveness) promote overall successful child emotion regulation, while culturally specific features of interactions are associated with how child socio-emotional outcomes are expressed.

Aim Although parenting is key to promoting healthy development of at-risk preterm infants, parents have often restricted access to neonatal intensive care units (NICUs). This study aimed to assess the effect of an early parenting intervention on the psychomotor outcome in preterm children at 24 months of corrected age. Methods Forty-two preterm children and their parents were consecutively recruited at a level III NICU in Northern Italy and randomly allocated to early intervention (two educational peer-group sessions and four individual infant observation sessions) or care as usual (no educational or infant observation sessions). During NICU stay, parents provided information on daily holding and skin-to-skin. Psychomotor development was measured at 24 months of corrected age using the Griffith Mental Development Scales. Results There were no significant differences in socio-demographic and clinical variables between early intervention (n = 21; 13 females) and care as usual (n = 21; 12 females) groups. At 24 months of corrected age, children in the early intervention arm had greater scores for global psychomotor development as well as for Hearing-Speech and Personal-Social sub-scales, compared to those in the care as usual group. Conclusion The present NICU parenting intervention was found to be associated with better psychomotor outcomes in preterm children at 24-month age. The effects were especially evident for domains related to language and socio-emotional functioning. Results are promising and should be retested with more heterogeneous and representative preterm sample.

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.

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.

Exploring the contribution of proximal family risk factors on SLC6A4 DNA methylation in children with a history of maltreatment

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.

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.

Event-related mu-rhythm activity has become a common tool for the investigation of different socio-cognitive processes in pediatric populations. The estimation of the mu-rhythm desynchronization/synchronization (mu-ERD/ERS) in a specific task is usually computed in relation to a baseline condition. In the present study, we investigated the effect that different types of baseline might have on toddler mu-ERD/ERS related to an action observation (AO) and action execution (AE) task. Specifically, we compared mu-ERD/ERS values computed using as a baseline: (1) the observation of a static image (BL1) and (2) a period of stillness (BL2). Our results showed that the majority of the subjects suppressed the mu-rhythm in response to the task and presented a greater mu-ERD for one of the two baselines. In some cases, one of the two baselines was not even able to produce a significant mu-ERD, and the preferred baseline varied among subjects even if most of them were more sensitive to the BL1, thus suggesting that this could be a good baseline to elicit mu-rhythm modulations in toddlers. These results recommended some considerations for the design and analysis of mu-rhythm studies involving pediatric subjects: in particular, the importance of verifying the mu-rhythm activity during baseline, the relevance of single-subject analysis, the possibility of including more than one baseline condition, and caution in the choice of the baseline and in the interpretation of the results of studies investigating mu-rhythm activity in pediatric populations.

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).

Aim The main goal of this study was to assess the association between pain-related increase in serotonin transporter gene (SLC6A4) methylation and emotional dysregulation in 4.5-year-old preterm children compared with full-term matched counterparts. Methods Preterm (n = 29) and full-term (n = 26) children recruited from two Italian hospitals were followed-up from October 2011 to December 2017. SLC6A4 methylation was assessed from cord blood at birth from both groups and peripheral blood at discharge for preterm ones. At 4.5 years, emotional regulation (ie, anger, fear and sadness) was assessed through an observational standardised procedure. Results Preterm children (18 females; mean age = 4.5, range = 4.3-4.8) showed greater anger display compared with full-term controls (14 females; mean age = 4.5, range = 4.4-4.9) in response to emotional stress. Controlling for adverse life events occurrence from discharge to 4.5 years and SLC6A4 methylation at birth, CpG-specific SLC6A4 methylation in the neonatal period was predictive of greater anger display in preterm children but not in full-term ones. Conclusion These findings contribute to highlight how epigenetic regulation of serotonin transporter gene in response to NICU pain exposure contributes to long-lasting programming of anger regulation in preterm children.

Previous research supports the CBCL/1½-5's DSM-ASD scale (and its precursor, the DSM-PDP scale) as a Level 1 ASD screener. Confirmatory factor analyses (CFAs) with data from population samples in 24 societies (N = 19,850) indicated good measurement invariance across societies, especially for configural and metric invariance. Items 4. 25, 67, 80, and 98 may be especially good discriminators of ASD because they have tend to have low base rates, strong loadings on the ASD latent construct, and the best measurement invariance across societies. Further research is needed to test the discriminative power of these items in predicting ASD, but our strong measurement findings support the international psychometric robustness of the CBCL/1½-5's DSM-ASD scale.

Early brain damage leading to cerebral palsy is associated to core motor impairments and also affects cognitive and social abilities. In particular, previous studies have documented specific alterations of perceptual body processing and motor cognition that are associated to unilateral motor deficits in hemiplegic patients. However, little is known about spastic diplegia (SpD), which is characterized by motorial deficits involving both sides of the body and is often associated to visuospatial, attentional, and social perception impairments. Here, we compared the performance of a sample of 30 children and adolescents with SpD (aged 7-18 years) and of a group of age-matched controls with typical development (TD) at two different tasks tapping on body representations. In the first task, we tested visual and motor imagery abilities as assessed, respectively, by the object-based mental rotation of letters and by the first-person transformations for whole-body stimuli. In the second task, we administered an inversion effect/composite illusion task to evaluate the use of configural/holistic processing of others’ body. Additionally, we assessed social perception abilities in the SpD sample using the NEPSY-II battery. In line with previously reported visuospatial deficits, a general mental imagery impairment was found in SpD patients when they were engaged in both object-centered and first-person mental transformations. Nevertheless, a specific deficit in operating an own-body transformation emerged. As concerns body perception, while more basic configural processing (i.e., inversion effect) was spared, no evidence for holistic (i.e., composite illusion) body processing was found in the SpD group. NEPSY-II assessment revealed that SpD children were impaired in both the theory of mind and affect recognition subtests. Overall, these findings suggested that early brain lesions and biased embodied experience could affect higher-level motor cognition and perceptual body processing, thus pointing to a strict link between motor deficits, body schema alterations, and person processing difficulties.

The co-regulation of the hypothalamic-pituitary-adrenal (HPA) axis in mother-infant dyads is thought to be key for infant and child development. Nonetheless, previous literature presents some inconsistencies that might at least partially be due to the presence of risk conditions and the use of different statistical approaches to measure HPA axis co-regulation. Very preterm (VPT) birth represents one of these risk conditions as the early foundation of mother-infant interaction is disrupted. Both VPT infants and their mothers present evidence of altered HPA axis regulation. Nonetheless, the comparison of mother-infant HPA axis co-regulation in VPT infants compared to full-term (FT) ones has not been previously investigated. In this study, 3-month-old (corrected age) VPT infants and FT counterparts with their mothers took part in a well-validated stress-inducing laboratory task (i.e., double Face-to-Face Still-Face, FFSF paradigm). Salivary cortisol samples were obtained before (Baseline) and after (Early reactivity, Late reactivity and Recovery) the FFSF procedure. Dyadic HPA axis co-regulation was assessed at each sample time-point (i.e., in-moment coupling) as well as across samples (i.e., in-time synchrony). Significant in-moment coupling emerged at Baseline, Late reactivity and Recovery for FT infants’ dyads only. An overlying pattern of salivary cortisol trajectories emerged between mothers and infants in the VPT group, whereas a more complex pattern of reciprocal and complementary co-regulation was found for FT infants’ dyads. Although both groups gave evidence of HPA axis co-regulation, dyads of VPT infants appear to be less able to adapt reciprocally and dynamically to stressful conditions. These findings suggest that multiple approaches to account for dyadic HPA axis co-regulation should be used in order to depict the complex pattern of biological rhythms coordination in mother-infant dyads.

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.Serotonin-Transporter-Gen-Methylierung und Emotionsregulation bei Kindern im Vorschulalter, die Frühchen waren: Eine longitudinale Evaluation der Rolle negativer Emotionalität im Säuglingsalter Ziel der Studie war es, den Einfluss negativer Emotionalität im Alter von 3 Monaten (T1) und der DNA-Methylierung des Serotonin-Transporter-Gens (SLC6A4) im Alter von 4,5 Jahren (T2) auf Emotionsregulation bei Vorschulkindern zu untersuchen. Die untersuchten Kinder waren entweder als Frühchen oder voll ausgetragen auf die Welt gekommen. Einundvierzig Kinder (n = 21 sehr frühgeborene, n = 20 voll ausgetragen) nahmen an der Studie teil. Unruhiges Verhalten wurde zu T1 durch das Face-to-Face Still-Face-Paradigma (FFSF) untersucht. Zu T2 wurde die SLC6A4-DNA-Methylierung analysiert und die Emotionsregulation mittels eines Beobachtungsverfahrens beurteilt (dem Pre-schooler Regulation of Emotional Stress; PRES). Die Gruppe der Frühchen zeigte während der PRES-Reaktivitätsphase eine stärkere emotionale Dysregulation als die Gruppe der voll ausgetragenen Kinder. Höhere Werte für unruhiges Verhalten nach 3 Monaten waren nur bei Frühchen mit höherer Methylierung zu T2 mit größerem emotionalen Stress verbunden. In der Gruppe der voll ausgetragenen Kinder wurden keine signifikanten Zusammenhänge festgestellt. Obwohl die aktuellen Ergebnisse aufgrund der relativ kleinen Stichprobengröße nicht generalisiert werden können, liefert diese Arbeit vorläufige Längsschnittdaten über den Zusammenhang zwischen negativer Emotionalität im Säuglingsalter, stressbedingtem epigenetischem Status im Alter von 4,5 Jahren und emotionaler Dysregulation bei Vorschulkindern, die Frühchen waren.早産で生まれた未就学児におけるセロトニントランスポーター遺伝子のメチル化と情動調整 乳幼児期の負の情動の果たす役割についての縦断的評価 要約 本研究の目的は、超早産と満期産の未就学児の情動調整において、 (T1) 生後3ヶ月時の負の情動と (T2) 4歳半時のセロトニントランスポーター遺伝子 (SLC6A4) のDNAメチル化の寄与を評価することであった。41人の子ども (n = 21超早産児、n = 20満期産児) が研究に参加した。T1では、Face-to-Face Still-Face (FFSF) パラダイムに対する不快行動が評価された。T2では、SLC6A4 DNAメチル化が分析され、観察法 (すなわち、Pre-schooler Regulation of Emotional Stress, PRES) を用いて情動調整が評価された。超早産児群は、PRES反応期において、満期児群よりも情動調節に困難を示した。生後3ヶ月時におけるより強いレベルの不快行動は、T2においてより高いメチル化を有する超早産児においてのみ、より強い情動的苦痛と関連していた。満期産児群では、有意な関連は認められなかった。今回の結果はサンプル数が比較的少ないため一般化できないが、本研究は、早産児の乳児期における負の情動、4歳半におけるストレスに関連した後成的な状態や未就学児の情動調節の困難との関連について、縦断的な予備的証拠を提供するものである。.该研究的目的是评估3个月时 (T1) 的消极情绪以及4.5岁时 (T2) 血清素转运蛋白基因 (SLC6A4) DNA甲基化对早产和足月出生的学龄前儿童情绪调节的影响。41名儿童(21名极早产, 20名足月出生)参与了这项研究。在T1时, 根据“面对面静止脸” (FFSF) 实验范式评估了烦躁行为。在T2时, 分析SLC6A4 DNA甲基化, 并使用观察程序 (即“学龄前儿童情绪压力调节”, PRES) 评估情绪调节。与足月组相比, 极早产儿组在PRES反应阶段表现出更高的情绪调节障碍。只有在T2阶段甲基化水平较高的极早产儿, 其3个月时较高水平的烦躁行为与更大的情绪困扰有关。在足月组中无显著相关性。尽管由于样本量相对较小, 目前的研究结果还不能广泛应用, 但这项工作提供了初步的纵向证据, 表明了婴儿期的消极情绪、4.5岁时与压力相关的表观遗传状态和早产学龄前儿童情绪失调之间的联系。.المَثْيَلة الجينية لناقل السيروتونين والتنظيم العاطفي في الأطفال قبل سن المدرسة المولودين قبل الأوان: تقييم طولي لدور الانفعالية السلبية في الطفولة كان الهدف من الدراسة هو تقييم مساهمة حالة الانفعالية السلبية عند عمر 3 أشهر (T1) و مثيلة الحمض النووي لجين ناقل السيروتونين (SLC6A4) عند 4.5 سنوات من العمر (T2) في تنظيم العاطفة لدى الأطفال في سن ما قبل المدرسة المولودين قبل الأوان والمولودين بالكامل . شارك واحد وأربعون طفلاً (ن = 21 ولدًا مبتسراً ، ن = 20 ولدًا كامل المدة) في الدراسة. تم تقييم السلوك المزعج عند T1 استجابة لنموذج الوجه الثابت وجهًا لوجه (FFSF). وعند T2 ، تم تحليل مثيلة الحمض النووي لـناقل السيروتونين SLC6A4 وتقييم تنظيم العاطفة باستخدام إجراء الملاحظة (أي ، تنظيم الإجهاد العاطفي في مرحلة ما قبل المدرسة ، PRES). أظهرت المجموعة المبتسرة جدًا عدم تنظيم عاطفي أعلى أثناء مرحلة تفاعلية PRES أكثر من المجموعة كاملة المدة. وارتبطت المستويات الأعلى من السلوك المزعج في عمر ثلاثة أشهر بضيق عاطفي أكبر فقط للأطفال الخدج الذين لديهم مثيلة أعلى عند T2. لم تظهر أي ارتباطات مهمة في المجموعة كاملة المدة. على الرغم من أن النتائج الحالية لا يمكن تعميمها بسبب حجم العينة الصغير نسبيًا ، فإن هذا العمل يوفر أدلة طولية أولية حول العلاقة بين الانفعالات السلبية أثناء الطفولة ، والحالة اللاجينية المرتبطة بالإجهاد عند 4.5 سنوات ، وعدم انتظام العاطفة في الأطفال قبل سن المدرسة المولودين مبتسرين.

BACKGROUND Healthcare providers working in neonatal intensive care units (NICUs) are considered at high risk for psychological work-related stress. PURPOSE To evaluate both perceived and biological measures of work-related stress in neonatal healthcare professionals and to compare professionals working in the NICU with their colleagues working in less critical environments (ie, neonatal wards [NWs]). METHODS The salivary cortisol level at the beginning (CORT-B) and at the end (CORT-E) of a daily work shift was collected once a week for 6 weeks and a psychological questionnaire was submitted to NW and NICU workers of a tertiary university center. RESULTS No differences emerged in the overall cortisol secretion between professionals (NW 45 vs NICU 28), but the decrease in the mean cortisol values between CORT-B and CORT-E was less pronounced in NICU professionals (P < .001) who had greater psychological stress (P < .001). Lack of correlation between perceived and biological indexes was observed. IMPLICATIONS FOR PRACTICE NICU professionals reported greater levels of self-perceived psychological stress, especially in terms of professional self-doubt and the complexity of interactions with infants and their parents.The disconnection between psychological and biological indexes raises the issue that work-related stress might be covert to the professionals themselves. Dedicated resources should be developed to address quality of life and the work environment of NICU professionals. IMPLICATIONS FOR RESEARCH The absence of a correlation between perceived and biological indexes highlights the need to incorporate multidimensional physiological and biological measurements in evaluating burnout levels in neonatal healthcare providers.

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.

Item does not contain fulltext Television exposure in early childhood has increased, with concerns raised regarding adverse effects on social-emotional development, and emerging self-regulation in particular. The present study addressed television exposure (i.e., amount of time watching TV) and its associations with toddler behavioral/emotional dysregulation, examining potential differences across 14 cultures. The sample consisted of an average of 60 toddlers from each of the 14 countries from the Joint Effort Toddler Temperament Consortium (JETTC; Gartstein & Putnam, 2018). Analyses were conducted relying on the multi-level modeling framework (MLM), accounting for between- and within-culture variability, and examining the extent to which TV exposure contributions were universal vs. variable across sites. Effects of time watching TV were evaluated in relation to temperament reactivity and regulation, as well as measures of emotional reactivity, attention difficulties, and aggression. Results indicated that more time spent watching TV was associated with higher ratings on Negative Emotionality, emotional reactivity, aggression, and attention problems, as well as lower levels of soothability. However, links between TV exposure and both attention problems and soothability varied significantly between cultures. Taken together, results demonstrate that increased time spent watching television was generally associated with dysregulation, although effects were not consistently uniform, but rather varied as a function of culturally-dependent contextual factors. 15 p.

Item does not contain fulltext This study advances the cross-cultural temperament literature by comparing temperament ratings of toddlers from 14 nations. Multilevel modeling (MLM) procedures were utilized to regress negative emotionality (NE) and component subscales on Hofstede's cultural value dimensions while controlling for age and gender. More individualistic values were associated with lower NE, and component discomfort, fear, motor activity, perceptual sensitivity, and soothability scales. The discomfort subscale was negatively associated with power distance and positively associated with masculine cultural values. Higher ratings of shyness were related to a more long-term cultural orientation. Results illustrate the feasibility of an MLM approach to cross-cultural research and provide a new perspective on the intersection of culture and temperament development. Limitations and future implications are discussed. 8 p.

Behavioral epigenetics is revealing biochemical pathways that contribute to the programming of later-in-life detrimental outcomes by embedding biomarkers of early adversity exposures in the developing biology and phenotype of an individual. Preterm birth and the hospitalization in the Neonatal Intensive Care Unit (NICU) constitute one of the major adverse events in infancy. During NICU stay, preterm infants face a number of stressful and neuroprotective exposures that may inform the epigenetic machinery and contribute to developmental post-natal programming. Here we will review the recent advances in the application of the epigenetic lens to the field of preterm studies (i.e., Preterm Behavioral Epigenetics, PBE) highlighting evidence of the epigenetic correlates of prematurity- and NICU-related stress and adversities and future directions for translational science will be discussed.

Background The admission of a newborn infant to a neonatal intensive care unit (NICU) due to preterm birth or high-risk conditions, such as perinatal injury, sepsis, hypoxia, congenital malformation, or brain injury, is a stressful experience for mothers. There is currently a lack of research on maternal perceived stress and support in Egyptian NICUs and no validated Arabic tool to investigate this further. Purpose To determine the reliability and validity of the Arabic language versions of the Parental Stressor Scale: NICU (PSS:NICU) and the Nurse Parental Support Tool (NPST). Methods Egyptian mothers completed the PSS:NICU and the NPST at the time of their infants' discharge from the NICU. Reliability was assessed with Cronbach α and Spearman-Brown coefficient. The multifactorial structure of the PSS:NICU Arabic version was tested. Associations with sociodemographic and clinical variables were explored with bivariate correlations and t tests. Results Sixty-eight mothers of preterm (PT) infants and 52 mothers of ill full-term (IFT) infants completed the study. Mothers of PT and IFT infants did not differ for sociodemographic variables. High internal consistency (α range between .93 and .96) emerged for both tools. Spearman-Brown coefficients ranged between 0.86 and 0.94. The multidimensional structure of the PSS:NICU was confirmed and 3 core dimensions explained up to 71.48% of the variance. Perceived nursing support did not diminish the effects of stress in mothers of infants admitted to the NICU, regardless of PT or IFT infants' status. A longer NICU stay was associated with greater stress in mothers of PT infants. The presence of comorbidities was significantly associated with stress of mothers of IFT infants. Implications for research Future research is needed to develop evidence-based support for mothers whose infants are admitted to a NICU in Egypt. The availability of validated and reliable PSS:NICU and NPST scales in Arabic will facilitate cross-country and cross-cultural research on maternal stress in the NICU. Implications for practice Neonatal care nurses in Egypt will be able to increase their understanding of the stressors experienced by mothers of infants admitted to the NICU. This will in turn enable the introduction of neonatal care policies aimed at reducing specific stressors and provide improved maternal support.

Recent studies demonstrated that in adults and children recognition of face identity and facial expression mutually interact (Bate, Haslam,Hodgson, 2009; Spangler, Schwarzer, Korell,Maier-Karius, 2010). Here, using a familiarization paradigm, we explored the relation between these processes in early infancy, investigating whether 3-month-old infants' ability to recognize an individual face is affected by the positive (happiness) or neutral emotional expression displayed. Results indicated that infants' face recognition appears enhanced when faces display a happy emotional expression, suggesting the presence of a mutual interaction between face identity and emotion recognition as early as 3 months of age.