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A family history of mood and anxiety disorders is one of the most well-established risk factors for these disorders in offspring. A family history of these disorders has also been linked to alterations in brain regions involved in cognitive-affective processes broadly, and mood and anxiety disorders specifically. Results from studies of brain structure of children of parents with a history of mood or anxiety disorders (high-risk offspring) have been inconsistent. We followed the PRISMA protocol to conduct a scoping review of the literature linking parental mood and anxiety disorders to offspring brain structure to examine which structures in offspring brains are linked to parental major depressive disorder (MDD), anxiety, or bipolar disorder (BD). Studies included were published in peer-reviewed journals between January 2000 and July 2021. Thirty-nine studies were included. Significant associations between parental BD and offspring caudate volume, inferior frontal gyrus thickness, and anterior cingulate cortex thickness were found. Associations were also identified between parental MDD and offspring amygdala and hippocampal volumes, fusiform thickness, and thickness in temporoparietal regions. Few studies have examined associations between parental anxiety and high-risk offspring brain structure; however, one study found associations between parental anxiety symptoms and offspring amygdala structure, and another found similar associations with the hippocampus. The direction of grey matter change across studies was inconsistent, potentially due to the large age ranges for each study and the non-linear development of the brain. Children of parents with MDD and bipolar disorders, or elevated anxiety symptoms, show alterations in a range of brain regions. Results may further efforts to identify children at high risk for affective disorders and may elucidate whether alterations in specific brain regions represent premorbid markers of risk for mood and anxiety disorders.

Homonegativity refers to a series of prejudicial and discriminatory attitudes towards individuals perceived as homosexuals. Previous studies indicated that some person- ality traits (i.e., neuroticism, low openness to experience), as well as specific ideo- logical attitudes (i.e., conservatism, authoritarianism) and higher levels of psychopa- thology make individuals more prone to show homonegative attitudes. However, no studies have compared these three dimensions in order to identify their different role in homonegativity. For this reason, the aim of this study was to simultaneously eval- uate the association of ideological, personality, and psychopathological factors with homonegativity in adults living in Italy. Participants were 307 heterosexual adults (males = 46%) ranging in age between 19 and 66 years (M = 28.74, SD = 10.65), who completed four self-report questionnaires: Modern Homophobia Scale, Right-Wing Authoritarianism Scale, NEO Five-Factor Inventory 3, and Symptom Check List- 90-R. A structural equation model was computed to examine the relation between ideological, personality, and psychopathological factors and homonegativity. Results showed that ideological factors, particularly authoritarian attitudes and religiosity, were mostly related with homonegativity, while lower agreeableness and lower psy- chopathology were significantly albeit more weakly associated with homonegativity in adults living in Italy. Methodological limitations and implications for interven- tions are discussed.

The use of mindfulness interventions have increased in schools with little knowledge of how dispositional mindfulness affects cognitive processes in the developing brain. The primary objective of this research was to investigate the association between dispositional mindfulness and the neural correlates of working memory in adolescents. A secondary objective was to examine the link between adolescent dispositional mindfulness and working memory performance. Adolescents aged 11–18 (M = 13.75, SD = 1.56, n = 83) completed the Adult and Adolescent Mindfulness Scale and a functional magnetic resonance imaging N-back task. The blood oxygen level–dependent signal as well as functional connectivity of the right dorsolateral and ventrolateral prefrontal cortex was contrasted between 2-back versus 0-back conditions. Lower blood oxygen level–dependent signal in the right ventrolateral prefrontal cortex was correlated to higher Attention and Awareness scores, controlling for participants’ experience with a mindfulness practice (k = 112, FWEp = .011). Reduced functional connectivity between right ventrolateral prefrontal cortex and right dorsomedial prefrontal cortex/supplementary motor area during the 2-back compared to 0-back task was associated with higher Nonreactivity, although this did not survive correction for multiple comparisons. Dispositional mindfulness did not correlate to working memory performance. Adolescents with higher levels of Attention and Awareness and Nonreactivity may require less cognitive effort to inhibit distractors for the same level of working memory performance.

While research has linked alterations in functional connectivity of the default mode (DMN), cognitive control (CCN), and salience networks (SN) to depression and anxiety, little research has examined whether these alterations may be premorbid vulnerabilities. This study examined resting state functional connectivity (RSFC) of the CCN, DMN, and SN as markers of risk for developing an onset of a depressive or anxiety disorder in adolescents at high familial risk for these disorders. At baseline, 135 participants aged 11–17 completed resting-state functional magnetic resonance imaging, measures of internalizing symptoms, and diagnostic interviews to assess history of depressive and anxiety disorders. Diagnostic assessments were completed again at 9- or 18-month follow-up for 112 participants. At baseline, increased CCN connectivity to areas of the visual network, and decreased connectivity between the left SN and the precentral gyrus, predicted an increased likelihood of a new onset at follow-up. Increased connectivity between the right SN and postcentral gyrus at baseline predicted first episode onsets at follow-up. Altered connectivity between these regions may represent a risk factor for developing a clinically significant onset of an internalizing disorder. Results may have implications for understanding the neural bases of internalizing disorders for early identification and prevention efforts.

It is well established that mothers’ parenting impacts children's adjustment. However, much less is known about how children's psychopathology impacts their mothers’ parenting and how parenting and child symptoms relate either bidirectionally (i.e., a relationship in both directions over two time points) or transactionally (i.e., a process that unfolds over time) to one another over a span of several years. In addition, relatively little research addresses the role of fathers’ parenting in the development of children's symptoms and, conversely, how children may elicit certain types of parenting from fathers. In this study, data were collected from 491 families on mothers’ and fathers’ parenting styles (authoritarianism, authoritativeness, permissiveness, and overprotectiveness) and children's symptoms of psychopathology (attention deficit, oppositional defiant, depression, and anxiety) when children were age 3, 6, and 9 years old. Cross-lagged panel analyses revealed that parents and children affected one another in a bidirectional and transactional fashion over the course of the six years studied. Results suggest that children's symptoms may compound over time partially because they reduce exposure to adaptive and increase exposure to maladaptive parenting styles. Likewise, maladaptive parenting may persist over time due to the persistence of children's symptoms.

We sought to determine the relationship between dispositional mindfulness, Big Five personality traits, and psychopathology in a sample of adolescents at high risk for mood and anxiety disorders. The incremental utility of dispositional mindfulness in predicting psychopathology over and above the Big Five was investigated using a facet-level approach. One hundred and thirty-one adolescents (M = 13.76, SD = 1.65) who had a parent with a history of mood or anxiety disorders completed measures of dispositional mindfulness and facets of mindfulness (i.e., attention and awareness, nonreactivity, nonjudgement, and self-acceptance), the Big Five model of personality, psychopathology (i.e., internalizing, externalizing, and total problems scales), and mindfulness experience. Hierarchical multiple regressions were performed. Controlling for sex, mindfulness experience, and theory driven Big Five factors, higher dispositional mindfulness related to fewer internalizing, externalizing, and total problems. Mindfulness facet self-acceptance was key to this association. Nonreactivity moderated effects of attention and awareness, such that higher attention and awareness correlated to fewer internalizing and total problems only when nonreactivity was also high. Therefore, self-acceptance and nonreactive observing may be unique components of mindfulness that have implications for adolescent psychopathological symptoms, even controlling for well-established personality vulnerability factors. Future adolescent mindfulness intervention research and practice should emphasize techniques that involve observation while concurrently enhancing nonreactivity and self-acceptance.

Youth with chronic pain and their parents face uncertainty regarding their diagnosis, treatment, and prognosis. Given the uncertain nature of chronic pain and high comorbidity of anxiety among youth, intolerance of uncertainty (IU) may be critical to the experience of pediatric chronic pain. This study longitudinally examined major tenets of the Interpersonal Fear Avoidance Model of Pain and included parent and youth IU as key factors in the model. Participants included 152 youth with chronic pain (Mage = 14.23 years; 72% female) and their parents (93% female). At baseline, parents and youth reported on their IU and catastrophic thinking about youth pain; youth reported on their fear of pain, pain intensity, and pain interference; and parents reported on their protective responses to child pain. Youth reported on their pain interference 3 months later. Cross-lagged panel models, controlling for baseline pain interference, showed that greater parent IU predicted greater parent pain catastrophizing, which, in turn, predicted greater parent protectiveness, greater youth fear of pain, and subsequently greater youth 3-month pain interference. Youth IU had a significant indirect effect on 3-month pain interference through youth pain catastrophizing and fear of pain. The results suggest that parent and youth IU contribute to increases in youth pain interference over time through increased pain catastrophizing, parent protectiveness, and youth fear of pain. Thus, parent and youth IU play important roles as risk factors in the maintenance of pediatric chronic pain over time and may be important targets for intervention.

Multiple studies have documented the relationship between child maltreatment and internalizing and externalizing problems. Evidence suggests that the link between child maltreatment and these psychopathological outcomes may be moderated by various factors. Attachment styles may be one such moderating factor in this relationship. This study seeks to explore whether different attachment style profiles are associated with different forms of maltreatment as well as internalizing and externalizing symptoms, and whether attachment styles may moderate the link between different forms of maltreatment and internalizing and externalizing problems. For this purpose, 387 students from Italian public high schools were recruited. We used the Italian version of the Attachment Style Questionnaire (ASQ) to assess different dimensions of attachment, the Italian version of the Childhood Experience of Care and Abuse Questionnaire (CECA.Q) to assess experiences of maltreatment, and the Italian version of the Youth Self-Report (YSR) to assess internalizing and externalizing problems. Results showed that different types of attachment style profiles were specifically associated with maltreatment variables and internalizing/externalizing problems as well as attachment style profiles moderated the relationships between maltreatment and internalizing problems. The findings are discussed in light of the theoretical framework and limitations, and implications for practice and child custody are presented.

Objectives Internalizing mental health issues co-occur with pediatric chronic pain at high rates and are linked to worse pain and functioning. Although the field has prioritized anxiety and posttraumatic stress disorder, little is known about co-occurring depression and chronic pain in youth, despite its high prevalence. The purpose of this narrative review was to examine the existing literature on the co-occurrence of pediatric chronic pain and depressive disorders and symptoms and propose a conceptual model of mutual maintenance to guide future research. Methods The literature from both fields of pediatric pain and developmental psychology were searched to review the evidence for the co-occurrence of pediatric chronic pain and depression. Conceptual models of co-occurring mental health issues and chronic pain, as well as child depression, were reviewed. From both literatures, we provide evidence for a number of proposed child, parent, and neurobiological factors that may serve to mutually maintain both conditions over time. On the basis of this evidence, we propose a conceptual model of mutual maintenance and highlight several areas for future research in this area. Results Evidence was found for the prevalence of depression in pediatric chronic pain as well as the co-occurrence of both conditions. The key mutually maintaining factors identified and proposed included neurobiological, intrapersonal (eg, cognitive biases, sleep disturbances, emotion regulation, and behavioral inactivation), and interpersonal (eg, parent mental health and pain, genes, and parenting) factors. Discussion Given the dearth of research on mutual maintenance in this area, this review and conceptual model could drive future research in this area. We argue for the development of tailored treatments for this unique population of youth to improve outcomes.

Background: Cost-efficient and non-invasive predictors of antidepressant response to repetitive transcranial magnetic stimulation (rTMS) are required. The personality vulnerabilities—neuroticism and self-criticism—are associated with antidepressant outcomes in other modalities; however, self-criticism has not been examined in response to rTMS, and the literature on neuroticism and rTMS is inconsistent. Methods: This naturalistic, 4-week study involved daily dorsolateral prefrontal cortex (DLFPC) rTMS for major depression (15 unipolar, 2 bipolar). Participants completed the Big Five Inventory (neuroticism) and the Depressive Experiences Questionnaire (self-criticism) at baseline and at the end of treatment. Changes in depressive symptoms, as rated by the clinician, were quantified using the 21-item Hamilton Depression Rating Scale. Given the inconsistencies in data regarding the stability of neuroticism in patients receiving rTMS, we performed a systematic review and quantitative meta-analysis of trials examining rTMS and neuroticism. Results: rTMS significantly improved depressive symptoms, and this was predicted by higher levels of self-criticism but not neuroticism. Self-criticism was stable over the 4 weeks of rTMS; however, neuroticism decreased, and this was not related to decreases in depressive symptoms. Our quantitative meta-analysis of 4 rTMS trials in major depression ( n = 52 patients) revealed decreases in neuroticism, with a moderate effect size. Limitations: Our results are limited by a small sample size, and the absence of a sham-rTMS group. Our meta-analysis included only 4 trials. Conclusion: Highly self-critical patients appear to benefit more from rTMS than less self-critical patients. Neuroticism, a conceptually similar but distinct personality domain, does not appear to predict antidepressant response, yet this vulnerability factor for depression decreases after rTMS.

COVID-19 restrictions led to reduced levels of physical activity, increased screen usage, and declines in mental health in youth, however, in-depth understandings of the experiences of high school student-athletes have yet to be explored. To describe the experiences of the COVID-19 pandemic on student-athletes’ physical activity, social connection, and mental health, 20 high school student-athletes living in Calgary, Alberta participated in semi-structured interviews, designed using phenomenography. Participants reported variations in physical activity, social connections, and mental health which were influenced by stay-at-home restrictions and weather. Access to resources, changes to routines, online classes, and social support all influenced engagement in physical activity. School and sports provided opportunities for in-person social connections, impacted by the onset of the pandemic. Participants reported their mental health was influenced by social connections, online classes, and physical activity. Findings from this study will inform the development of resources for high school student-athletes amidst COVID-19.

Adverse childhood experiences are significant risk factors in the development of adolescent borderline personality disorder symptoms (BPDs). Theorists have posited that two personality vulnerabilities factors, self-criticism and dependency, may inform our understanding of this relationship. However, no research has examined the associations between early negative experiences, personality vulnerabilities, and adolescent BPDs. The current study aimed to identify profiles of dependency and self-criticism to examine the associations of these profiles with cumulative forms of childhood maltreatment (CM) and BPDs as well as to explore the mediating and moderating role of vulnerable personality profiles in the relationship between cumulative CM and BPDs. Two hundred and forty-one nonclinical and clinical adolescents participated in the study (Mage= 16.37,SD= 1.84). The findings indicated three different profiles: average dependent profile, dependent and self-critical profile, and self-critical profile. Individuals in the average dependent profile presented lower levels of CM and BPDs. Mediation analyses showed that relative to the average dependent profile, a higher cumulative CM history predicted a higher probability of belonging in the dependent and self-critical profile or the self-critical profile and, in turn, this was associated with higher levels of BPDs. No moderating effects of profiles of dependency and self-criticism were found.

Parenting has been robustly associated with offspring psychosocial development, and these effects are likely reflected in brain development. However, the claim that parenting influences offspring brain development in humans, as measured by structural and functional Magnetic Resonance Imaging (MRI), is subject to numerous methodological limitations. To interpret the state of the parenting and brain development literature, we review these limitations. Four limitations are common. First, most literature has been cross-sectional. Where longitudinal, studies rarely included multiple assessments of brain structure or function, precluding measurement of actual brain development. Second, parenting has largely been measured via selfor parent-report, as opposed to observational assessment. Third, there has been a focus on extreme forms of developmental adversity which do not necessarily lie on a continuum with normative parenting. Fourth, although not a limitation per se, studies have generally focused on negative as opposed to positive parenting behaviours. While not all studies are subject to all these limitations, the study of parenting in relation to offspring brain development is in its infancy.

Epidemiological and cross-sectional studies have shown that post-traumatic stress disorder symptoms (PTSS) are common and impairing in youth with chronic pain. Yet, the co-occurrence of PTSS and pediatric chronic pain has not been examined longitudinally, which has limited understanding of theoretically proposed mechanisms (eg, sleep disturbance) underlying the PTSS-pain relationship over time. This longitudinal study aimed to fill this gap. Participants included 138 youth (Mage = 14.29, 75% girls) referred to a tertiary-level outpatient chronic pain program and one of their parents. At baseline, youth reported their pain intensity and interference, PTSS, and subjective sleep disturbances (ie, sleep quality and insomnia). Youth and parents completed semistructured diagnostic interviews to determine the child's post-traumatic stress disorder diagnostic status, and youth completed an objective assessment of sleep patterns for 7 days using actigraphy. At 3-month follow-up, youth once again completed the diagnostic interview and reported their pain intensity, pain interference, and PTSS. Partially latent cross-lagged structural equation panel models revealed that, controlling for pain intensity, pain interference and PTSS co-occurred at baseline, but not at follow-up (while controlling for baseline levels). Higher levels of baseline PTSS were predictive of increases in pain interference at follow-up. Furthermore, subjective sleep disturbances mediated the relationship between baseline PTSS and follow-up pain interference. These findings lend support to conceptual models of PTSS-pain co-occurrence and highlight a critical need to assess and address trauma and sleep disturbances in youth with chronic pain.

Temperament is a core aspect of children's psychological functioning and is assumed to be at least somewhat stable across childhood. However, little research has assessed the stability of temperament from early childhood to early adolescence. Moreover, few studies have examined the influence of measurement and analytic methods on the stability of early temperament over periods of more than a few years. We obtained laboratory observations and mother and father reports of temperamental negative and positive emotionality and effortful control from 559 three–year–olds. Approximately nine years later, children and both parents completed questionnaire measures of similar temperament constructs. Zero–order correlations revealed greater within–informant than cross–informant stability. In addition, compared with parent reports, early childhood laboratory measures showed greater convergent and divergent validity with child, mother, and father reports at age 12. Finally, latent temperament variables at age 3 composed of laboratory and parent–report measures and latent variables at age 12 composed of parent and child reports showed moderate stability. There was also a weak but significant association of early effortful control with later negative and positive emotionality. Results have implications for assessing temperament and knowledge of the stability of temperament across childhood. Copyright © 2018 European Association of Personality Psychology

Several studies have demonstrated that child maltreatment (psychological, physical, and sexual abuse, and neglect) may be a significant factor in the development of pathological personality traits that increase the risk for suicidal ideation and behavior from adolescence to adulthood. Currently, the challenge is to understand how different forms of early negative experiences render an individual prone to develop specific personality traits and, in turn, be more vulnerable to suicide risk. To understand the relationship between childhood maltreatment and personality dimensions in suicide risk, our study aims to explore the role of self-criticism and dependency, two different pathological personality traits, as potential mediators of the link between different types of childhood maltreatment and suicide risk in young adults. For this purpose, 306 students from three Italian public universities were recruited. We used the Italian version of the Childhood Experience of Care and Abuse Questionnaire (CECA.Q) to assess experiences of lack of care by parents (i.e., antipathy and neglect) as well as psychological and physical abuse before the age of 17 years. The Depressive Experiences Questionnaire (DEQ) was used to assess the personality dimensions of self-criticism and dependency, and the Suicide History Self-Rating Screening Scale was administered to assess suicide risk. Results revealed that lack of care and psychological abuse were significantly associated with suicide risk and this association was partially mediated by the maladaptive personality dimension of self-criticism. These findings suggest that the combined effect of specific forms of dysfunctional parental behavior during childhood and the development of rigid and dysfunctional negative personality traits may increase the risk for suicidal ideation and behavior during adulthood.

Background Previous cross-sectional findings from adolescents and adults with Bulimia Nervosa (BN) suggest disturbances in fronto-striatal and cingulo-opercular task control circuits that support self-regulatory processes, including the resolution of cognitive conflict. Herein, we used longitudinal data to examine the developmental trajectories of such disturbances and how the functioning of these circuits relates to changes in BN symptoms over adolescence. Methods Thirty-two adolescent females with BN symptoms and 28 healthy control (HC) adolescents participated in the study. Functional magnetic resonance images (fMRI) during performance of a Simon task were acquired at three time points within 2-year intervals over adolescence. From the initial sample, 70% and 30% of the participants completed the second and third time points, respectively. Participants who completed all study time points did not differ from those lost to attrition on baseline demographic characteristics or any outcome measures. Using a region-of-interest approach, growth curve models tested group differences in the trajectory of conflict-related activation in task control circuits over time. Cross-lagged panel models examined transactional relationships between conflict-related activation in the same regions and BN symptoms over time. Results Growth curve models revealed different trajectories of conflict-related activation in right task control regions across BN and HC adolescents, such that HC but not BN adolescents showed activation decreases over time. These group differences were greatest when including only the BN adolescents whose symptoms remitted over time. Cross-lagged panel models revealed that less frequent bulimic episodes at first follow-up predicted later increases in conflict-related activation in bilateral task control regions. Conclusions These longitudinal findings suggest overengagement of task control circuits in BN adolescents, especially those most resilient to persistent illness. Such overengagement may compensate for regulatory disturbances, allowing them to regulate eating behaviors over development. Thus, task control circuits may constitute targets for early interventions that enhance self-regulatory control.

There is substantial evidence that personality traits, such as self-criticism and dependency, predict the development of depression and anxiety symptoms, as well as depressive episodes. However, it is unknown whether self-criticism and dependency predict the first onset of depressive and anxiety disorders, and unclear how to characterize dynamic mechanisms by which these traits, stressful life events, and psychopathology influence one another over time. In this study, 550 female adolescents were assessed at baseline, 528 and 513 of whom were assessed again at Waves 2 and 3, respectively, over the course of 18 months. Self-criticism and dependency were assessed with self-report inventories, depressive and anxiety disorders were assessed with diagnostic interviews, and stressful life events were assessed via semistructured interview. Logistic regression analyses showed that self-criticism and dependency significantly predicted the first onset of nearly all depressive and anxiety disorders (significant polychoric rs ranged from .15-.42). Subsequent path analyses focused on prediction of depression, and supported several conceptual models of personality-stress-psychopathology relationships. In particular, Personality × Stress interactions were evident for both dependency and self-criticism. These interactions took the form of dual vulnerability, such that stressful life events predicted an increased probability of a later depressive disorder only at low levels of each trait. Results suggest the traits of self-criticism and dependency are important to consider in understanding who is at risk for depressive and anxiety disorders. (PsycINFO Database Record

Evidence suggests that parenting is associated cross-generationally and that children’s genes may elicit specific parenting styles (evocative gene-environment correlation). This study examined whether the effect of children’s genotype, specifically 5-HTTLPR, on mothers’ parenting behaviors was moderated by her own parenting experiences from her mother. Two independent samples of three-year-olds (N = 476 and 405) were genotyped for the serotonin transporter gene, and observational measures of parenting were collected. Mothers completed measures of the parenting they received as children. The child having a short allele on 5-HTTLPR was associated with more maternal hostility (sample 1 and 2) and with less maternal support (sample 1), but only if the mother reported lower quality grandmothers’ parenting (abuse and indifference in Sample 1 and lower levels of grandmother care in Sample 2). Results support the possibility of a moderated evocative gene-environment correlation.

Self-criticism has been shown to be a vulnerability factor that can lead to and maintain depression. We examined the moderating effect of fear of receiving compassion from others on the positive association between self-criticism and depression. Self-report measures were administered to four separate samples (total N = 701) varying in age (students and community adults) and cultural context (Canada, England, and Portugal). Two different measures of self-criticism and of depression were administered to investigate the generalizability of results. Self-criticism, depression, and fear of compassion from others were positively related to one another in all samples. As predicted, fear of compassion from others exerted a moderating effect on the relationship between self-criticism and depression. Low fear of compassion from others weakened the depressogenic effect of self-criticism, while high fear of compassion from others exacerbated the effect. Thus, a self-critic's ability to be open and responsive to care and support from others protected against depression. The aggregate moderating effect across the four studies was of medium size (d + = .53) and highly significant, indicating a robust phenomenon. Implications for working with self-critical depressed patients are discussed.

Many recent studies have explored the potential links between attachment style dimensions, personality vulnerability factors for psychopathology, and psychological and behavioral problems, particularly those along the internalizing and externalizing spectrum. However, previous studies have not examined these links within a structural equation model that can examine multiple predictors and outcomes, and therefore have not fully investigated the specificity of links between these factors. This cross-sectional study examined the mediating role of self-criticism in the relationship between attachment style dimensions and internalizing and externalizing problems. The sample included 420 nonclinical adolescents aged 14–20 years who were recruited in school settings and completed self-reported measures of attachment style dimensions (Attachment Style Questionnaire), self-criticism (Depressive Experiences Questionnaire), and internalizing and externalizing problems (Youth Self-Report). Structural equation modeling was used to test the proposed mediation model and to ascertain direct and indirect effects among study variables. Results shown that self-criticism mediated the link between both attachment avoidance and anxiety, and internalizing problems. Results were not moderated by gender. Results suggest that self-criticism is associated with psychopathology during adolescence, and accounts for the associations of attachment style dimensions with internalizing and externalizing problems.

Seventy-nine 3-year olds and their mothers participated in a laboratory-based task to assess maternal hostility. Mothers also reported their behavioral regulation of their child. Seven years later, functional magnetic resonance imaging data were acquired while viewing emotional faces and completing a reward processing task. Maternal hostility predicted more negative amygdala connectivity during exposure to sad relative to neutral faces with frontal and parietal regions as well as more negative left ventral striatal connectivity during monetary gain relative to loss feedback with the right posterior orbital frontal cortex and right inferior frontal gyrus. In contrast, maternal regulation predicted enhanced cingulo-frontal connectivity during monetary gain relative to loss feedback. Results suggest parenting is associated with alterations in emotion and reward processing circuitry 7-8 years later. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Several studies have demonstrated that child maltreatment (psychological, physical, and sexual abuse, and neglect) may be a significant factor in the development of pathological personality traits that increase the risk for suicidal ideation and behavior from adolescence to adulthood. Currently, the challenge is to understand how different forms of early negative experiences render an individual prone to develop specific personality traits and, in turn, be more vulnerable to suicide risk. To understand the relationship between childhood maltreatment and personality dimensions in suicide risk, our study aims to explore the role of self-criticism and dependency, two different pathological personality traits, as potential mediators of the link between different types of childhood maltreatment and suicide risk in young adults. For this purpose, 306 students from three Italian public universities were recruited. We used the Italian version of the Childhood Experience of Care and Abuse Questionnaire (CECA.Q) to assess experiences of lack of care by parents (i.e., antipathy and neglect) as well as psychological and physical abuse before the age of 17 years. The Depressive Experiences Questionnaire (DEQ) was used to assess the personality dimensions of self-criticism and dependency, and the Suicide History Self-Rating Screening Scale was administered to assess suicide risk. Results revealed that lack of care and psychological abuse were significantly associated with suicide risk and this association was partially mediated by the maladaptive personality dimension of self-criticism. These findings suggest that the combined effect of specific forms of dysfunctional parental behavior during childhood and the development of rigid and dysfunctional negative personality traits may increase the risk for suicidal ideation and behavior during adulthood.

Little research has examined the effect of subtypes of social withdrawal on the development of psychopathology across childhood. Parents of 493 children (220 females) completed a measure of their child's conflicted shyness and social disinterest as well as the Child Behaviour Checklist (CBCL) when their child was age 3, and again at age 6. When children were age 9, parents completed the CBCL. From 3 to 6, conflicted shyness predicted increases in anxiety symptoms in boys and girls, and predicted depressive symptoms in boys. From 6 to 9, social disinterest predicted increases in anxiety symptoms in girls and boys, and predicted increases in depressive symptoms in boys. In addition, in boys, conflicted shyness at age 6 predicted increases in externalizing symptoms at age 9. Conflicted shyness appears to be particularly problematic in early to middle childhood, while social disinterest appears to be more maladaptive in later childhood, with some differences by gender.

According to Blatt (2004; Blatt & Luyten, 2009) and others (e.g., Beck, Epstein, Harrison, & Emery, 1983), establishing positive self-definition and mature relatedness to others represent core lifespan developmental tasks. In a sample of emerging adults, this study examined the effects of the quality of one close friendship and changes in romantic relationship status on the development of maladaptive personality traits from each domain (self-criticism and neediness and connectedness), and the effects of changes in these personality factors on the development of depressive symptoms. Participants consisted of 82 (13 male) emerging adults ( Mage = 19.00, SD = 0.75) and a single corresponding close friend. At baseline, participants and their friends completed measures of the quality of their relationship (i.e., acceptance and autonomy support). At baseline and again 12 months later, participants completed measures of self-criticism, neediness, connectedness, depressive symptoms, and current romantic relationship status. Adjusting for gender and baseline age, structural equation models showed that better friendship quality predicted decreases in self-criticism, which in turn predicted lower levels of depressive symptoms. Entering into a romantic relationship predicted increases in connectedness. Connectedness was unrelated to depression, although increases in neediness over time predicted increases in depressive symptoms. Results highlight the role of one close friend and changes in romantic relationship status in the development of self-definition and relatedness during emerging adulthood, and the role of those personality factors in the development of depression.

The Depressive Experiences Questionnaire (DEQ) is a self-report measure that assesses self-criticism and dependency, 2 personality traits that confer vulnerability to depression (Blatt, 2004). Over several decades, different, shortened versions of the DEQ have been constructed to offer an alternative to the complex scoring procedure of the original DEQ. This study explores the factor structure as well as the construct and convergent validity of the DEQ by comparing a clinical and nonclinical sample. We also compared the original DEQ with 5 shortened versions. There were 621 participants (358 university students and 263 outpatients). Fit indexes for models of the original DEQ did not meet minimum fit criteria. Moreover, the only versions with satisfactory fit were the Theoretical Depressive Experiences Questionnaire – 21 (TDEQ –21) and the Theoretical Depressive Experiences Questionnaire – 12 (TDEQ–12), which also showed acceptable construct and convergent validity. Finally, the diagnostic and clinical applicability of the DEQ is discussed.

The link between parental depressive history and parenting styles is well established, as is the association of parenting with child psychopathology. However, little research has examined whether a depressive history in one parent predicts the parenting style of the other parent. As well, relatively little research has tested transactional models of the parenting–child psychopathology relationship in the context of parents' depressive histories. In this study, mothers and fathers of 392 children were assessed for a lifetime history of major depression when their children were 3 years old. They then completed measures of permissiveness and authoritarianism and their child's internalizing and externalizing symptoms when children were 3, 6, and 9 years old. The results showed that a depressive history in one parent predicted the other parent's permissiveness. Analyses then showed that child externalizing symptoms at age 3 predicted maternal permissiveness and authoritarianism and paternal permissiveness at age 6. Maternal permissiveness at age 6 predicted child externalizing symptoms at age 9. No relationships in either direction were found between parenting styles and child internalizing symptoms. The results highlight the importance of considering both parents' depressive histories when understanding parenting styles, and support transactional models of parenting styles and child externalizing symptoms.

The current study evaluated the psychometric properties of the Italian validation of the Depressive Experiences Questionnaire (DEQ), conceived as a measure of self-criticism and dependency, i.e. two personality factors acting, according to Blatt (2004), as risk factors for depression in particular and psychopathology in general. A series of standardized measures [Beck Depression Inventory-II (BDI-II), DEQ, Symptom Checklist-90-R (SCL-90-R), Millon Clinical Multiaxial Inventory, 3rd edition (MCMI-III)] was administered to three samples (i.e., students, community and clinical). Factorial validity was evaluated along with convergent and predictive validity. In order to evaluate the reliability and internal consistency, a specific subgroup of participants was retested on the DEQ and BDI-II. Results showed correlations between DEQ dimensions and some personality traits of the MCMI-III. The traditional three-factor model of the DEQ structure as identified by principal component analysis appears to be as stable factors as typically found in American samples, although some items showed elevated cross-loading or low loadings on any factor. Clinical and diagnostic implications of the findings will be discussed.

Objective Cross-sectional data suggest functional and anatomical disturbances in inferior and orbital frontal regions in bulimia nervosa (BN). Using longitudinal data, we investigated whether reduced cortical thickness (CT) in these regions arises early and persists over adolescence in BN, independent of symptom remission, and whether CT reductions are markers of BN symptoms. Method A total of 33 adolescent females with BN symptoms (BN or other specified feeding or eating disorder) and 28 healthy adolescents participated in this study. Anatomical magnetic resonance imaging and clinical data were acquired at 3 time points within 2-year intervals over adolescence, with 31% average attrition between assessments. Using a region-of-interest approach, we assessed group differences in CT at baseline and over time, and tested whether between- and within-subject variations in CT were associated with the frequency of BN symptoms. Results Reduced CT in the right inferior frontal gyrus persisted over adolescence in BN compared to healthy adolescents, even in those who achieved full or partial remission. Within the BN group, between-subject variations in CT in the inferior and orbital frontal regions were inversely associated with specific BN symptoms, suggesting, on average over time, greater CT reductions in individuals with more frequent BN symptoms. Conclusion Reduced CT in inferior frontal regions may contribute to illness persistence into adulthood. Reductions in the thickness of the inferior and orbital frontal regions may be markers of specific BN symptoms. Because our sample size precluded correcting for multiple comparisons, these findings should be replicated in a larger sample. Future study of functional changes in associated fronto-striatal circuits could identify potential circuit-based intervention targets.

This paper reviews theory and research on the developmental origins of several widely studied personality vulnerabilities to psychopathology that represent the self-definitional (self-criticism, autonomy, and perfectionism) or relatedness (dependency and sociotropy) domains identified in Blatt's (2008) , Blatt and Shichman's (1983) , and Beck's ( Beck et al., 1983 ) 2-polarities models of personality. We examine the evidence for the effects of both parenting and peer relationships. We conclude that there is a robust relationship between negative parenting behaviors and the 5 personality vulnerabilities reviewed here which pertain to both self-definition and relatedness, with recent evidence suggesting a possible effect of peer relationships over and above parents. The available evidence suggests that all of the negative developmental experiences studied to date contribute to the development of all the personality vulnerabilities reviewed here. In light of this, we suggest possible mechanisms through which adverse developmental experiences may affect personality factors pertaining to self-definition and relatedness. We also suggest that there may be commonalities across the developmental experiences, such that they result in similar developmental consequences. Although there is now much research on the development of these personality factors, there is still relatively little research examining the roles of factors other than parents and peers, including siblings, romantic partners, environmental changes, and genetics, and we conclude by proposing a revised model of the development of self-definition and relatedness in order to outline future directions for this research field.

Higher levels of the personality traits of self-criticism and neediness and lower levels of connectedness predict symptoms of psychopathology as well as interpersonal behaviors and outcomes. These personality characteristics may relate not only to mean levels of interpersonal behavior, but also to within-person variability in behavior. This study prospectively examined individual differences in the variability about the mean of individuals' interpersonal behaviors (Flux), as well as individuals' dispersion in the display of interpersonal behaviors (Spin) across events (Moskowitz & Zuroff, 2004). One hundred and thirteen adult community members completed a 20-day event-contingent recording procedure in which they recorded their interpersonal behaviors in the domains of dominance, submissiveness, agreeableness, and quarrelsomeness after interactions of over five minutes. Self-criticism, Neediness, and Connectedness were measured at baseline. Models adjusted for individuals' mean levels of behavior as well a...

Considerable research exists documenting the relationship between maternal mood disorders, primarily major depressive disorder (MDD), and a variety of negative child outcomes. By contrast, research exploring the reverse pathway whereby child traits are associated with later maternal mood disorders is much more limited. We examined whether young children’s temperament and psychopathology predicted maternal mood disorders approximately 6 years later. Child temperament and symptoms were assessed at age three using semi-structured diagnostic interviews and parent-report inventories. Maternal psychopathology was assessed with semi-structured interviews when children were three and nine years old. Mothers also reported on their marital satisfaction when children were three and six years old. Child temperamental negative affectivity (NA), depressive symptoms, and externalizing behavior problems significantly predicted maternal mood disorders over and above prior maternal mood, anxiety, and substance disorders. The link between children’s early externalizing symptoms and maternal mood disorders 6 years later was mediated by maternal marital satisfaction 3 years after the initial assessment. These findings suggest that early child temperament and psychopathology contribute to risk for later maternal mood disorders both directly and through their impact on the marital system. Research indicates that effective treatment of maternal depression is associated with positive outcomes for children; however, this study suggests that treating early child problems may mitigate the risk of later maternal psychopathology.

This study examined whether the personality traits of self-criticism and dependency respectively moderated the effects of perceived inferiority and emotional insecurity on negative affect during interpersonal interactions in individuals with borderline personality disorder (BPD). A sample of 38 patients with BPD and matched community comparison participants completed event-contingent record forms after each significant interaction for a 20-day period. Multilevel models showed that, controlling for baseline levels of depressive symptoms and neuroticism, as well as lagged negative affect, event-level elevations in perceived inferiority and emotional insecurity were related to more negative affect in both groups. Event-level perceived inferiority was more strongly associated with negative affect in patients with BPD who reported higher levels of self-criticism, while event-level perceived emotional insecurity was more strongly associated with negative affect in patients with BPD who reported higher levels of dependency. No significant interactions emerged for the comparison group. These findings further our understanding of differences among patients with BPD and support the application of personality-vulnerability or diathesis-stress models in predicting negative affect in BPD. Results have implications for the design of therapies for patients with BPD.

This study tested Belsky's determinants of parenting, namely maternal characteristics, child characteristics, and contextual issues, namely the mother's perception of the husband as a father, husband, and person. Three hundred and seventy-nine mothers first investigated by Sears, Maccoby, and Levin completed a standardised interview to assess their parenting attitudes and behaviours, as well as their five-year-old child's (202 boys, 177 girls) behaviours. Rejecting mothers had lower maternal self-esteem and higher academic expectations of their children, who showed less conscience and less similarity to the mother, and perceived their husbands as being colder towards the child. Furthermore, mothers with low self-esteem were more rejecting of girls with a difficult temperament, but less rejecting of boys with a difficult temperament. Controlling mothers were more educated and had higher academic expectations for their children, while their children were less likely to dominate their relationship, but only ...