Exposure to harsh parenting during the preschool years can have far-reaching effects on the organization of communication throughout the brain. Subsequent exposure affects specific brain areas.
A new study from the University of Michigan published in JAMA Pediatrics explores how strict and warm parenting in early, middle, and late childhood affects brain development in adolescence and whether these changes may influence later mental health. We emphasized how to predict.
Researchers are investigating whether there is a “sensitive period” in childhood, when the brain is especially susceptible to external influences, and whether the experience of this sensitive period can lead to psychological changes during stressful times like the COVID-19 pandemic. We used a new statistical method to determine whether it predicts health. They also used advanced brain imaging techniques to investigate how information flows through the developing brain.
Understanding these sensitive periods can inform more effective policies and intervention strategies. ”
Luke Hyde, UM Professor of Psychology and Associate Professor at the Institute for Social Research
“The results of this study demonstrate that early intervention may have broad benefits for brain development,” said Kleandis Michael, a UM graduate student and lead author of the study. .
Data are from a 21-year longitudinal birth cohort study of low-income youth and families in Detroit, Chicago, and Toledo, Ohio. The data comes from the Family Futures and Child Wellbeing Survey and was collected from February 1998 to June 2021. The current study sample included analysis of 173 youth.
Parents reported their harsh behavior, i.e., psychological and physical aggression, and observers recorded warm parenting (reactivity) toward their 3-, 5-, and 9-year-old children. A neuroimaging follow-up substudy was conducted in 15-year-olds. Participants reported symptoms of anxiety and depression due to the coronavirus disease (COVID-19) pandemic.
The results of this study showed that strict parenting during early childhood affects the overall organization of the brain during adolescence. However, harsh parenting in late childhood more specifically affects corticocortical circuits, specific parts of the brain including the amygdala and frontal lobes, involved in emotional processing and regulation.
Researchers also investigated the positive aspects of parenting and how warm parenting during middle childhood may influence the amygdala, a small part of the brain involved in processing emotions and threats, different from other parts of the brain. I discovered that it is related to whether there is a bond or not. Importantly, they predicted that parental warmth would reduce anxiety and depression through its effect on the amygdala during the COVID-19 pandemic 15 years later.
Hyde said this study shows that the effects of positive and negative experiences on the brain may differ depending on when in life those experiences occur.
“This uses a new method to test a long-standing question from developmental psychology about whether children have sensitive periods of brain development,” he said.
Michael said: “These experiences appear to influence the risk of depression and anxiety later in life, so this study highlights the importance of this period of vulnerability and the need to promote healthy long-term development.” “It highlights opportunities for treatment and policy.” Parental interventions and policies that support parents can have more profound effects earlier in life. ”
Other co-authors of the study are Arianna Gard, Scott Tillem, Felicia Hardy, Erin Dunn, Andrew Smith, Vonnie McLoyd, Jean Brooks-Gunn, Colter Mitchell, and Christopher Monk.
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Reference magazines:
Michael, C., et al. (2024). Developmental timing of associations between parenting, brain structure, and mental health. JAMA Pediatrics. doi.org/10.1001/jamapediatrics.2024.4376.
