Identifying Genetic Risk for Maternal Insensitivity and Infant Dysregulation

描述（由申请人提供）：本R21的目的是：(1)确定特定的情绪相关基因型，这些基因型使母亲对婴儿痛苦有更消极的生理、情绪和行为反应；(2)研究特定情绪相关基因型在多大程度上使母亲和婴儿更容易受到积极和消极环境体验的影响。具体来说，我们将研究基因在多大程度上调节以下影响：(a)早期创伤对母亲对婴儿痛苦的生理、情绪和行为反应的影响；(b)母亲对痛苦的敏感性对婴儿早期情绪、行为和生理水平的调节能力的影响。这项工作与儿童的心理健康有关，因为母亲对痛苦的敏感性是儿童积极结果的一个预测因素，但我们对促进婴儿哭泣敏感行为的生物或心理过程知之甚少。确定影响母亲如何对其痛苦婴儿作出反应的过程以及这些过程的起源，将为开发筛查工具提供信息，以确定面临养育困难风险的母亲，并设计量身定制的干预措施，以培养敏感的母亲行为和生命早期积极的社会情感功能。DNA样本将从已有的254名初产母亲（126名欧洲裔美国人，128名非洲裔美国人）和她们的婴儿中收集，这些婴儿在我们的实验室或家中2至3岁。将评估与情绪、注意力和社会过程相关的母婴基因型（即多巴胺受体D1、D2和D4、多巴胺转运体DAT-1、儿茶酚- o -甲基转移酶- comt、血清素转运体- 5-HTTPR和催产素受体- oxtr）。在这次访问中，母亲们将报告她们在童年时期经历创伤和照顾转变的程度，以及她们的婴儿在头两年里经历创伤和照顾转变的程度。本样本的前期相关测量包括：母亲自述育儿经历的问卷调查和成人依恋访谈；全部在产前进行。在产后6个月、1年和2年评估母亲对婴儿窘迫的生理（皮肤传导和迷走神经抑制）、情感和行为反应。在实验室对6个月、1岁和2岁婴儿进行情绪诱导任务时的情绪调节行为和迷走神经调节行为进行评估。在1岁和2岁时，母亲使用B-ITSEA报告婴儿行为问题；在2岁时的依从性任务中观察婴儿的行为调节。结果将扩展我们对在情绪唤起环境中影响母亲敏感性的生物学过程的认识，这是儿童情绪发展的关键环境，并帮助我们确定哪些母亲和婴儿最容易受到早期护理的影响。

DESCRIPTION (provided by applicant): The purpose of this R21 is to: (1) to identify specific emotion-related genotypes that predispose mothers to have more negative physiological, emotional and behavioral responses to infant distress; and (2) to examine the extent to which specific emotion-related genotypes make mothers and infants more or less susceptible to the effect of positive and negative environmental experiences. Specifically, we will examine the extent to which genes moderate the effect of: (a) early trauma on mothers' physiological, emotional and behavioral responses to infant distress; and (b) maternal sensitivity to distress on infants' early regulatory capacity at the emotional, behavioral, and physiological levels. This work is relevant to the mental health of children because maternal sensitivity to distress is a predictor of positive child outcomes, but we know little about the biological or psychological processes that promote sensitive behavior in response to infant crying. Identifying the processes that influence how mothers respond to their distressed infants and the origins of these processes will inform the development of screening tools to identify mothers at risk for parenting difficulties and the design of individually tailored intervention efforts to foster sensiive maternal behavior and positive social emotional functioning early in life. DNA samples will be collected from a pre-existing sample of 254 primiparous mothers (126 European American, 128 African American) and their infants in our laboratory or their home when infants are 2 to 3 years old. Mother and infant genotypes linked with emotional, attention, and social processes will be assessed (i.e., dopamine receptors D1, D2 and D4, dopamine transporter DAT-1, catechol-O- methyltransferase -COMT, serotonin transporter- 5-HTTPR, and oxytocin receptor-OXTR). During this visit, mothers will report on the extent to which they experienced trauma and care giving transitions during their childhood and the extent to which their infant experienced trauma and care giving transitions during each of the first 2 years. Prior relevant measures from this sample include mothers self-reports of childhood care giving experiences on questionnaires and the Adult Attachment Interview; all administered prenatally. Measures of mothers' physiological (skin conductance and vagal suppression), affective, and behavioral responses to infant distress were assessed at 6 months, 1 year and 2 years postpartum. Infant emotion regulation behaviors and vagal regulation were assessed during emotion-eliciting tasks in the laboratory at 6 months, 1 year and 2 years. At 1 and 2 years, mothers reported on infant behavior problems using the B-ITSEA; and infant behavioral regulation was observed during a compliance task at 2 years. Results will extend our knowledge of the biological processes that influence maternal sensitivity in emotionally arousing settings, a critical context for children's emotional development and help us determine which mothers and infants are most susceptible to early care giving influences.