The influence of maternal childhood maltreatment on the neural and endocrinological determinants of maternal caregiving

母亲童年虐待对母亲照顾的神经和内分泌决定因素的影响

• 批准号: 522461514
• 负责人: Professor Dr. Felix Bermpohl
• 金额: --
• 依托单位: Psychiatrische Universitätsklinik
• 依托单位国家: 德国
• 项目类别: Research Grants
• 资助国家: 德国
• 项目状态: 未结题
• 来源: https://gepris.dfg.de/gepris/projekt/522461514?language=en
• 关键词: influence; maternal; childhood; maltreatment; neural

Childhood maltreatment (CM) represents a pernicious stressor with widespread prevalence and devastating short- and long-term health consequences for the exposed individual. Growing evidence suggests that the consequences of exposure to CM are not restricted to the exposed person alone but may also get transmitted to the next generation. Children of CM-exposed mothers are at increased risk for mental and physical health disorders. Unfavorable circumstances experienced during infancy and childhood by the offspring of CM-exposed mothers, including suboptimal maternal caregiving, have been postulated as the primary pathways of intergenerational transmission. Mothers exposed to CM carry a higher risk for parenting problems, which constitute a well-established risk factor for adverse mental and physical health development in the offspring. To allow for sensitive parenting, mothers must be able to understand their children’s cues and to react appropriately. Empathy (the sharing of others’ feelings) and theory of mind (ToM, the representation of others’ mental states) have therefore been discussed as major determinants of sensitive parenting. Pregnancy-related endocrine changes shape these parenting behaviors. Of particular interest in this context is estrogen. Estrogen influences the pregnancy-related neural changes in the maternal brain that facilitate sensitive parenting. Animal models suggest that early life stress can reduce estrogen sensitivity. If the same is true in humans and CM-exposed women have lower estrogen sensitivity, a hypothesis we will test in the current study, the CM-associated reduced estrogen sensitivity may inhibit adaptive peripartal changes in empathy and ToM that prepare for motherhood. To characterize CM-related differences in pregnancy physiology that may drive adaptive neural changes underlying empathy and ToM with consequences for maternal sensitivity, we ask the following questions in the present project: 1) Is the severity of CM associated with empathy and ToM at the behavioral and neural level, and does this association mediate the relationship between CM and sensitive parenting? 2) Does CM-associated variation in estrogen sensitivity during pregnancy mediate the association between CM and empathy and ToM (behavioral and neural level) and, consequently, parenting behavior? 3) Can we identify endocrine and neural patterns or clinical profiles predicting vulnerability versus resilience towards insensitive parenting among CM-exposed mothers? In this project, we seek to promote public health care for women exposed to CM and their offspring. By identifying resilience and vulnerability factors of insensitive parenting in CM-exposed mothers, we will contribute to shaping future interventions and prevention programs to help women at risk of parenting problems to counteract the negative effect of their CM experiences on their own parenting behavior.

儿童期虐待（CM）是一种有害的压力源，具有广泛的流行性和破坏性的短期和长期的健康后果暴露的个人。越来越多的证据表明，暴露于CM的后果不仅限于暴露者，还可能传播给下一代。接触CM的母亲的孩子患精神和身体健康疾病的风险增加。CM暴露母亲的后代在婴儿期和儿童期经历的不利环境，包括次优的母亲生育，已被假定为代际传播的主要途径。接触CM的母亲有较高的养育问题的风险，这构成了一个公认的风险因素，不利的心理和身体健康发展的后代。为了实现敏感的育儿，母亲必须能够理解孩子的暗示并做出适当的反应。因此，移情（分享他人的感受）和心理理论（ToM，他人心理状态的表征）被认为是敏感父母的主要决定因素。与怀孕有关的内分泌变化塑造了这些育儿行为。在这种情况下特别感兴趣的是雌激素。雌激素影响母体大脑中与妊娠相关的神经变化，促进敏感的育儿。动物模型表明，早期生活压力可以降低雌激素敏感性。如果在人类中也是如此，并且接触CM的女性雌激素敏感性较低，我们将在当前研究中测试这一假设，那么CM相关的雌激素敏感性降低可能会抑制为母亲做准备的同情心和ToM的适应性围产期变化。为了描述CM相关的妊娠生理学差异，这些差异可能会驱动移情和ToM背后的适应性神经变化，并对母体敏感性产生影响，我们在本项目中提出以下问题：1） CM的严重程度是否与行为和神经水平上的共情和心理理论相关，这种关联是否介导了CM和敏感父母之间的关系？（二） CM相关的变化，雌激素敏感性在怀孕期间介导CM和移情和心理理论（行为和神经水平）之间的关联，因此，养育行为？第三章 我们能否确定内分泌和神经模式或临床概况预测脆弱性与弹性对不敏感的养育接触CM的母亲？在这个项目中，我们寻求促进对接触CM的妇女及其后代的公共卫生保健。通过识别CM暴露母亲的不敏感养育的弹性和脆弱性因素，我们将有助于塑造未来的干预和预防计划，以帮助有养育问题风险的妇女抵消CM经历对自己养育行为的负面影响。