Article
Medicine, General & Internal
Regina L. Triplett, Rachel E. Lean, Amisha Parikh, J. Philip Miller, Dimitrios Alexopoulos, Sydney Kaplan, Dominique Meyer, Christopher Adamson, Tara A. Smyser, Cynthia E. Rogers, Deanna M. Barch, Barbara Warner, Joan L. Luby, Christopher D. Smyser
Summary: This prospective study found that prenatal exposure to maternal social disadvantage is associated with global reductions in brain volumes and cortical folding in newborns, highlighting the importance of addressing parental socioeconomic hardships in preventive interventions for fetal brain development.
Article
Psychiatry
Jose A. Puertas-Gonzalez, Carolina Marino-Narvaez, Maria Isabel Peralta-Ramirez, Borja Romero-Gonzalez
Summary: The study found that the COVID-19 pandemic has psychological effects on pregnant women, particularly in terms of depression, phobic anxiety, and perceived stress. Insomnia and recent loss of a loved one are important factors affecting depression, while fear of COVID-19 infection leads to an increase in phobic anxiety.
PSYCHIATRY RESEARCH
(2021)
Article
Psychology, Clinical
Alison E. Hipwell, Irene Tung, Phillip Sherlock, Xiaodan Tang, Kim McKee, Monica McGrath, Akram Alshawabkeh, Tracy Bastain, Carrie V. Breton, Whitney Cowell, Dana Dabelea, Cristiane S. Duarte, Anne L. Dunlop, Assiamira Ferrera, Julie B. Herbstman, Christine W. Hockett, Margaret R. Karagas, Kate Keenan, Robert T. Krafty, Catherine Monk, Sara S. Nozadi, Thomas G. O'Connor, Emily Oken, Sarah S. Osmundson, Susan Schantz, Rosalind Wright, Sarah S. Comstock
Summary: This study investigated the impact of the COVID-19 pandemic on pregnant women and birth outcomes using a quasi-experimental design. The results showed a small effect of pandemic exposure on shorter gestational age at birth, but no impact on birthweight adjusted for gestational age. Pregnant women during the pandemic reported higher levels of prenatal stress and depressive symptoms.
PSYCHOLOGICAL MEDICINE
(2023)
Article
Psychiatry
Hernan Lopez-Morales, Macarena Veronica del Valle, Lorena Canet-Juric, Maria Laura Andres, Juan Ignacio Galli, Fernando Poo, Sebastian Urquijo
Summary: During the quarantine period of 50 days, all women showed a gradual increase in psychopathological indicators and a decrease in positive affect, with pregnant women exhibiting a more pronounced increase in depression, anxiety, and negative affect than non-pregnant women did. Additionally, pregnant women experienced a more pronounced decrease in positive affect compared to non-pregnant women.
PSYCHIATRY RESEARCH
(2021)
Article
Clinical Neurology
Chiara Penengo, Chiara Colli, Marco Garzitto, Lorenza Driul, Alessia Sala, Matilde Degano, Heidi Preis, Marci Lobel, Matteo Balestrieri
Summary: The study examined the psychometric validity of the Italian version of the Pandemic-Related Pregnancy Stress Scale (PREPS) in evaluating COVID-19-related stress in pregnant women. It found that PREPS exhibited good internal consistency and associations with clinical symptoms of anxiety and depression.
JOURNAL OF AFFECTIVE DISORDERS
(2021)
Article
Psychology, Multidisciplinary
Jennifer E. Khoury, Marc Jambon, Lauren Giles, Leslie Atkinson, Andrea Gonzalez
Summary: This longitudinal study of 304 pregnant women found that distress levels decreased from pregnancy to 15 months postpartum. Higher education, greater social support, and lower negative impact of the pandemic were associated with lower distress levels during pregnancy.
FRONTIERS IN PSYCHOLOGY
(2023)
Article
Public, Environmental & Occupational Health
Liam Wright, Andrew Steptoe, Daisy Fancourt
Summary: Evidence suggests that the COVID-19 pandemic adversely affects mental health. Worries and experiences related to the pandemic are associated with higher levels of anxiety and depression. Interventions to prevent adverse events and support adaptive coping strategies are necessary during lockdown.
JOURNAL OF EPIDEMIOLOGY AND COMMUNITY HEALTH
(2021)
Article
Psychology, Multidisciplinary
Ines M. Tavares, Joana Fernandes, Catarina V. Moura, Pedro J. Nobre, Mariana L. Carrito
Summary: The study investigated the individual and relational well-being of women and men expecting their first child during the COVID-19 pandemic, with men under lockdown reporting higher levels of perceived stress and women reporting higher levels of depression and greater social support. Themes identified from qualitative analysis included Individual Changes and Relational Changes, indicating both personal concerns and relational issues affected by the pandemic.
FRONTIERS IN PSYCHOLOGY
(2021)
Article
Psychology, Multidisciplinary
J. Carola Perez, Daniela Aldoney, Anastassia Vivanco-Carlevari, Soledad Coo, Eugenio J. Guzman, Jaime R. Silva
Summary: The outbreak of the pandemic in March 2020 and the subsequent sanitary regulations and restrictions have caused significant changes in society and families' organization. This study examines the impact of these changes on parental depression and perceived home organization of mothers and fathers in Chile. The findings highlight several factors that moderate the changes in home chaos and parental mental health perception, including financial strain, personality traits, parent-child interaction, stressful events, and number of children. The study provides insights into the effects of the pandemic on the family system and identifies vulnerability indicators.
FRONTIERS IN PSYCHOLOGY
(2022)
Article
Multidisciplinary Sciences
Leslie E. Roos, Marlee Salisbury, Lara Penner-Goeke, Emily E. Cameron, Jennifer L. P. Protudjer, Ryan Giuliano, Tracie O. Afifi, Kristin Reynolds
Summary: The study highlights the importance of supportive parenting during COVID-19 for healthy child development, emphasizing the relationship between household risk factors and parenting quality, particularly the impact of caregiver depression on parenting. The findings suggest a need to focus on caregiver mental health to protect child health.
Article
Psychiatry
Chiara Penengo, Chiara Colli, Maddalena Cesco, Veronica Croccia, Matilde Degano, Alessandra Ferreghini, Marco Garzitto, Marci Lobel, Heidi Preis, Alessia Sala, Lorenza Driul, Matteo Balestrieri
Summary: This study aimed to evaluate the association between anxiety, depressive and obsessive-compulsive symptomatology in Italian women during the second wave of the COVID-19 pandemic and pregnancy-specific stress, pandemic-related stress, and coping strategies.
FRONTIERS IN PSYCHIATRY
(2022)
Article
Multidisciplinary Sciences
Haleema Saeed, Yuan-Chiao Lu, Nickie Andescavage, Kushal Kapse, Nicole R. Andersen, Catherine Lopez, Jessica Quistorff, Scott Barnett, Diedtra Henderson, Dorothy Bulas, Catherine Limperopoulos
Summary: The COVID-19 pandemic has led to increased prenatal maternal distress, which can adversely affect pregnancy outcomes through placental mediation. This study used advanced MRI to examine the impact of the pandemic and maternal distress on in vivo placental development. Results showed that the pandemic cohort had higher maternal stress and depression scores, as well as altered placental morphometry and texture compared to the pre-pandemic controls. Maternal distress was found to mediate the relationship between pandemic status and placental features. This suggests an underappreciated link between disturbances in the maternal environment and perturbed placental development, with long-term effects on offspring currently being investigated.
SCIENTIFIC REPORTS
(2023)
Article
Psychology, Multidisciplinary
Celia Campos-Garzon, Blanca Riquelme-Gallego, Alejandro de la Torre-luque, Rafael A. Caparros-Gonzalez
Summary: During the COVID-19 pandemic, pregnant women have shown increased levels of anxiety and depression symptoms, primarily attributed to fear of contagion and concerns regarding the health of the fetus.
BEHAVIORAL SCIENCES
(2021)
Article
Psychiatry
Elizabeth Kwon, Sycarah Fisher, Hsien-Chang Lin, Steven M. Kogan
Summary: Racial discrimination is associated with depression among Black American men, but it does not uniformly increase the risk for depression. The stress sensitization theory suggests that racial discrimination can be particularly harmful for those who experienced childhood adversity. This study investigated the impact of different dimensions of adverse childhood experiences on the association between racial discrimination and depression. The findings show that the association between racial discrimination and depressive symptoms varied depending on the degree of childhood deprivation, highlighting the importance of considering unique developmental risk and protective factors for Black American men in clinical settings.
PSYCHIATRY RESEARCH
(2023)
Article
Clinical Neurology
Sylvia E. Badon, Lisa A. Croen, Assiamira Ferrara, Jennifer L. Ames, Monique M. Hedderson, Kelly C. Young-Wolff, Yeyi Zhu, Lyndsay A. Avalos
Summary: The study aimed to assess the prevalence of coping strategies for COVID-19 pandemic-related stress and their associations with depression and anxiety symptoms during pregnancy. The findings suggest that physical activity and connecting with others are coping strategies that may be associated with better mental health in pregnant individuals.
JOURNAL OF AFFECTIVE DISORDERS
(2022)
Article
Psychology, Developmental
Jaclyn S. Kirshenbaum, Rajpreet Chahal, Tiffany C. Ho, Lucy S. King, Anthony J. Gifuni, Dana Mastrovito, Sache M. Coury, Rachel L. Weisenburger, Ian H. Gotlib
Summary: The study found that a linear combination of baseline and follow-up psychosocial variables best explained the severity of suicidal ideation (SI). Follow-up analysis showed that graph theory resting-state metrics did not increase the prediction of the severity of SI in adolescents. Attending to internalizing and externalizing symptoms is important in early adolescence.
JOURNAL OF CHILD PSYCHOLOGY AND PSYCHIATRY
(2022)
Article
Psychology, Developmental
Jonas G. Miller, Rajpreet Chahal, Jaclyn S. Kirshenbaum, Tiffany C. Ho, Anthony J. Gifuni, Ian H. Gotlib
Summary: Adolescent mental health during the COVID-19 pandemic is influenced by heart rate variability, with different susceptibility or vulnerability patterns observed. Adolescents with higher heart rate variability are more likely to be affected by COVID-19 stress, while those with lower heart rate variability may be more vulnerable to the impact of family adversity related to COVID-19.
DEVELOPMENT AND PSYCHOPATHOLOGY
(2022)
Article
Psychology, Clinical
Kathryn L. Humphreys, Lucy S. King, Katherine L. Guyon-Harris, Charles H. Zeanah
Summary: Early adversity has heterogeneous effects on children, with many showing resilience. Caregiver regulation of children's emotions is a key modifiable environmental feature that promotes resilience. Interventions targeting caregiver regulation's availability, consistency, and quality can support children's healthy development.
PSYCHOLOGICAL TRAUMA-THEORY RESEARCH PRACTICE AND POLICY
(2022)
Article
Psychology, Developmental
Rajpreet Chahal, Jonas G. Miller, Justin P. Yuan, Jessica L. Buthmann, Ian H. Gotlib
Summary: This three-wave longitudinal study found that different dimensions of adversity can affect the development of functional connectivity within different brain networks. Higher levels of adversity were associated with lower initial levels and more stability in connectivity, which were related to smaller increases in internalizing symptoms.
DEVELOPMENT AND PSYCHOPATHOLOGY
(2022)
Article
Neurosciences
Adina S. Fischer, Bailey Holt-Gosselin, Kelsey E. Hagan, Scott L. Fleming, Akua F. Nimarko, Ian H. Gotlib, Manpreet K. Singh
Summary: This study characterized functional connectivity differences between youth at high familial risk for bipolar disorder (HR-BD), major depressive disorder (HR-MDD), and low-risk youth (LR), and found associations between family dynamics and these connections. Additionally, the study identified connectivity differences related to resilience and conversion to psychopathology. These findings are crucial for understanding the neural underpinnings of mood disorders and developing interventions targeted at the family context.
BIOLOGICAL PSYCHIATRY-COGNITIVE NEUROSCIENCE AND NEUROIMAGING
(2022)
Article
Psychology, Developmental
Virginia C. Salo, Lucy S. King, Ian H. Gotlib, Kathryn L. Humphreys
Summary: The study found that infants tend to initiate conversations with adults, with adult-initiated conversations being longer and containing more adult words on average. Infants who engage more in adult-initiated conversations in infancy showed better expressive language skills at 18 months, even after accounting for the number of infant-initiated conversations at 6 months. This suggests that early interactions with caregivers, particularly the extent to which parents initiate interactions with infants, can have a lasting impact on children's language development.
Article
Multidisciplinary Sciences
Kathryn L. Humphreys, Lucy S. King, Katherine L. Guyon-Harris, Margaret A. Sheridan, Katie A. McLaughlin, Anca Radulescu, Charles A. Nelson, Nathan A. Fox, Charles H. Zeanah
Summary: This study examined the long-term effects of foster care as an alternative to institutional care on cognitive abilities. The results showed that individuals who received high-quality foster care had significantly higher IQ scores compared to those who received care as usual. The findings suggest that early investment in family care can lead to sustained gains in cognitive abilities, and fostering caregiving relationships is an important mechanism for intervention.
PROCEEDINGS OF THE NATIONAL ACADEMY OF SCIENCES OF THE UNITED STATES OF AMERICA
(2022)
Article
Psychology, Developmental
Lucy S. King, Kaylin E. Hill, Elizabeth Rangel, Ian H. Gotlib, Kathryn L. Humphreys
Summary: The study found that caregivers' goals influence their interactions with their children. Directing parents to teach their baby, compared to learning from their baby, resulted in more intrusive caregiving behaviors, such as controlling and adult-centered behaviors.
DEVELOPMENTAL PSYCHOLOGY
(2023)
Article
Neurosciences
Ian H. Gotlib, Jonas G. Miller, Lauren R. Borchers, Sache M. Coury, Lauren A. Costello, Jordan M. Garcia, Tiffany C. Ho
Summary: The COVID-19 pandemic has negatively affected the mental health and brain aging of adolescents, posing challenges for researchers analyzing longitudinal data.
BIOLOGICAL PSYCHIATRY: GLOBAL OPEN SCIENCE
(2023)
Article
Biochemical Research Methods
Alice Morgunova, Pascal Ibrahim, Gary Gang Chen, Sache M. Coury, Gustavo Turecki, Michael J. Meaney, Anthony Gifuni, Ian H. Gotlib, Corina Nagy, Tiffany C. Ho, Cecilia Flores
Summary: Dried blood spots (DBS) are a common method to collect biological samples, especially for newborns and in remote areas. MicroRNAs (miRNAs) play critical roles in diseases and are used as markers and regulators. This protocol provides optimized steps to obtain peripheral miRNA expression profiles from DBS, including key practices and the benefits of standardization.
BIOLOGY METHODS & PROTOCOLS
(2023)