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“Sharenting” is an internet trend in which parents report detailed information or repeatedly post pictures, videos, and other content about their children on social media. Due to the duality of sharenting, which takes place online but has offline consequences, it is essential to understand the implications of sharenting for real-world parenting and child development. The present work analyzes references in the existing literature and links among published articles to better understand sharenting, evidence for it, and major topics associated with it and to uncover the gaps in the literature. Citation analysis of the current literature mainly focuses on risks and benefits related to sharenting practices, especially for the children, and on ethical and privacy concerns. Future studies should investigate the psychological mechanisms that drive sharenting-related behaviors in parents and multidisciplinary approaches to the phenomenon. With a broader perspective on these issues, practitioners and professionals in family studies will be able to delineate guidelines for informative interventions to increase awareness about the causes and consequences of publicly sharing child content. Ministry of Education (MOE) Published version This research was supported by a grant from the Ministry of Education, Singapore, under its Academic Research Fund Tier 1 (RG55/18) (A.L. and G.E.) and by a grant from the Italian Ministry of University and Research (Excellence Department Grant awarded to the Department of Psychology and Cognitive Science, University of Trento, Italy) (I.C. and G.E.).

With the global COVID-19 pandemic, governments from many countries in the world implemented various restrictions to prevent the SARS-Cov-2 virus's spread, including social distancing measures, quarantine, in-home lockdown, and the closure of services and public spaces. This led to an in-creased use of social media platforms to make people feel more connected, but also to maintain physical activity while self-isolating. Concerns about physical appearance and the desire to keep or reach a muscular and toned ideal body, might have further reinforced the engagement in fitness-related social media activities, like sharing progresses in training achievements or following more fitness contents on popular profiles. To better understand the underlying relation among these factors, the present study investigates 729 responses to the Exercise Addiction Inventory (EAI), the Appearance Anxiety Inventory (AAI), the Self-Compassion Scale (SCS) and their association to social media usage and compares the results cross-culturally in five countries (Spain, Lithuania, United Kingdom, Japan, and Hungary). Findings highlight significant differences between males and females, espe-cially in regard to the time spent online (U = 477.5, p = 0.036). Greater levels of appearance anxiety were associated with the exposure to fitness-related contents on social media. These results strongly confirm the previously highlighted association between fitspiration media and body image anxiety predominantly in females. Clinical implications and future considerations in terms of prevention and treatment in a situation of global emergency are also discussed. Published version This publication is based upon work from the European Network for Problematic Usage of the Internet, supported by COST (European Cooperation in Science and Technology; CA16207). This research was also supported by Fundaç ̃ao para a Ciˆencia e Tecnologia (FCT) through R&D Units funding (UIDB/05210/2020). ZD’s contribution was supported by the Hungarian National Research, Development, and Innovation Office (KKP126835; K134807; ELTE Thematic Excellence Programme, 2020; KP2020-IKA-05). HF’s contribution was supported by “Grant-in-Aid” by the Smoking Research Foundation.

Human social interactions ensure recognition and approval from others, both in offline and online environments. This study applies a model from behavioral genetics on Instagram sociability to explore the impact of individual development on behavior on social networks. We hypothesize that sociable attitudes on Instagram resulted from an interaction between serotonin transporter gene alleles and the individual's social relationship with caregivers. We assess the environmental and genetic components of 57 Instagram users. The self-report questionnaire Parental Bonding Instrument is adopted to determine the quality of parental bonding. The number of posts, followed users ("followings"), and followers are collected from Instagram as measures of online social activity. Additionally, the ratio between the number of followers and followings ("Social Desirability Index") was calculated to estimate the asymmetry of each user's social network. Finally, buccal mucosa cell samples were acquired, and the polymorphism rs25531 (T/T homozygotes vs. C-carriers) within the serotonin transporter gene was examined. In the preliminary analysis, we identified a gender effect on the number of followings. In addition, we specifically found a gene-environment interaction on the standardized Instagram "Social Desirability Index" in line with our predictions. Users with the genotype more sensitive to environmental influences (T/T homozygotes) showed a higher Instagram "Social Desirability Index" than nonsensitive ones (C-carriers) when they experienced positive maternal care. This result may contribute to understanding online social behavior from a gene*environment perspective. Nanyang Technological University Published version This research was supported by grants from the NAP SUG to GE (M4081597, 2015–2021) and from the Italian Ministry of University and Research (Excellence Department Grant awarded to the Department of Psychology and Cognitive Science, University of Trento, Italy) (I.C. and G.E.).

The ability to interpret and regulate emotions relies on experiences of emotional socialization, obtained firstly through the interaction with the parents, and on genetic features that affect how individuals take on social situations. Evidence from the genetic field states that specific allelic variations of the oxytocin receptor gene polymorphisms regulate physiological modulation of human behavior, especially concerning responses to social cues and affiliative behaviors. Starting from this gene-by-environment interaction frame, we assessed 102 young adults for OXTr rs53576 and rs2254298, recalled parental bonding (using the Parental Bonding Instrument), and recorded participants' neural responses to social stressors using Near InfraRed Spectroscopy (NIRS). The results highlight that higher genetic susceptibility (G/G homozygous) to familiar context and positive early life interactions modulate more optimal neural responses to general social cues, in terms of promptness to action. With regards to the dimensions of parental bonding, we found lateralized effects, with greater activation in the right prefrontal cortex for Care subscales, and on the left side of the prefrontal cortex for Overprotection. Results provide evidence to understand the neurological mechanisms behind the negative impact of poor parenting practices on the child. Ministry of Education (MOE) Nanyang Technological University Published version This work was supported by the NAP Start-up Grant M4081597 (G.E.) from Nanyang Technological University Singapore as well as the Ministry of Education Tier-1 Grant RG55/18 (NS) 2018-T1-001-172 (G.E.). Te founder agencies had no role in the conceptualization, design, data collection, analysis, decision to publish, or preparation of the manuscript.

Irritable bowel syndrome (IBS) is a chronic functional disorder of the gastrointestinal tract and is one of the most frequent gastrointestinal diseases. In IBS multiple pathophysiological mechanisms including alterations in intestinal motility, permeability, nutrient absorption, and intestinal microbiota have been implicated. Foods are commonly reported by patients to be a trigger of symptoms and therefore are likely involved in the generation of symptoms in IBS. Among all possible therapeutic options, a first-line approach to IBS is dietary education and identification of foods potentially responsible for the onset or worsening of symptoms. Dietary approaches include reduction of gas-producing foods (i.e. fermentable oligo-, di-, and monosaccharides and polyols (FODMAPs)), lactose and gluten. Further studies are required to link the ultimate role of diets in different IBS subtypes.

Does work-family conflict influence parental behaviors and parenting-related emotional states? Through an experimental research approach, River and colleagues showed that work-family conflict influences both emotions and parental behaviors, but the effect is moderated by the quality of the intimate relationship. In this commentary, we offer an interpretation of the results congruent with the recent theoretical approaches that stress the need for a multisystem psycho-biological approach to studying the factors that regulate parenting behaviors. In this perspective, we provide complementary explanations of the observed results and suggest possible future directions for research on these topics.

The increased popularity of social media has brought clinicians and researchers to question the potential problematic outcomes of such Internet-based applications. Over the past two decades, an increasing number of studies identified the so-called problematic use of social media (PUSM), which led to the development of various assessment tools requiring constant revisions because of the ever-evolving nature of the Internet. This review summarizes the most frequently used measurement tools in PUSM research while suggesting best practices and directions for future research based on the most recent evidence in the field.

Oxytocin plays an important role in the modulation of social behavior in both typical and atypical contexts. Also, the quality of early parental care sets the foundation for long-term psychosocial development. Here, we review studies that investigated how oxytocin receptor (OXTR) interacts with early parental care experiences to influence the development of psychiatric disorders. Using Pubmed, Scopus and PsycInfo databases, we utilized the keyword “OXTR” before subsequently searching for specific OXTR single nucleotide polymorphisms (SNPs), generating a list of 598 studies in total. The papers were catalogued in a database and filtered for gene-environment interaction, psychiatric disorders and involvement of parental care. In particular, rs53576 and rs2254298 were found to be significantly involved in gene-environment interactions that modulated risk for psychopathology and the following psychiatric disorders: disruptive behavior, depression, anxiety, eating disorder and borderline personality disorder. These results illustrate the importance of OXTR in mediating the impact of parental care on the emergence of psychopathology. Accepted version

Humans are evolutionary-driven to adult mating and conceive social expectations on the quality of their affiliations. The genetic susceptibility to adverse environments in critical periods can alter close relationships. The current research investigates how the promoter region of the Serotonin Transporter Gene (5-HTTLPR) and perceived caregiving behavior in childhood could influence the social expectations on close adult relationships. For this purpose, 5-HTTLPR data was collected from the buccal mucosa of 65 Italian individuals (33 males). The participants filled (a) the Parental Bonding Instrument (PBI) to provide the levels of care and overprotection from mother and father, and (b) the Experience in Close Relationships-Revised (ECR-R) to report the social expectations on the intimate relationship assessed in terms of anxiety and avoidance from the partner. An interaction effect between 5-HTTLPR and PBI dimensions on the ECR-R scores was hypothesized. Results confirmed that the interplay between the genetic groups and history of maternal overprotection predicted avoidance experienced in romantic relationships in adulthood. Moreover, both adult anxiety and avoidance felt in an intimate relationship were found to covary as a function of maternal overprotection. The present work proposes further evidence of the genetic and parental mechanisms regulating social expectations involved in close relationships. Ministry of Education (MOE) Nanyang Technological University Published version This research was supported by grants from the NAP SUG (M4081597, 2015-2021) and the Ministry of Education, Singapore, under its Academic Research Fund Tier 1 (RG55/18) to G.E.

Oxytocin is a primary neuropeptide which coordinates affiliative behavior. Previous researchers pointed to the association between genetic vulnerability on Oxytocin Receptor Gene (OXTR) and environmental factors (e.g., social relationships) to comprehend social behavior. Although an extensive knowledge of in-person social interactions has been obtained, little is known about online sociability. A gene-environment perspective is adopted to examine how OXTR and adult attachment moderate Instagram behavior. The genetic factors within the regions OXTR/rs53576 (A/A homozygotes vs G-carriers) and OXTR/rs2254298 (G/G homozygotes vs A-carriers) were assessed. The Experience in Close Relationships-Revised (ECR-R) questionnaire was used to collect participants' (N = 57, 16 males) attachment with a partner. The number of posts, followed people (“followings”) and followers were obtained from Instagram, and the Social Desirability Index (SDI) was calculated as the ratio of followers to followings. Interaction effects between OXTR groups and ECR-R scores on the number of posts and SDI were hypothesized. Results showed an effect of rs53576 on the number of Instagram followings. Specifically, people with A/A OXTR/rs53576 genotype had more followings than G-carriers independent of the anxiety or avoidance felt towards their partner. These preliminary results offer insights into future investigations on social media behavior., Gene*Environment; Adult attachment; Close relationship; Oxytocin Receptor Gene; rs53576; rs2254298; Online behavior; Social media; Social network; Instagram

Social networking sites have determined radical changes in human life, demanding investigations on online socialization mechanisms. The knowledge acquired on in-person sociability could guide researchers to consider both environmental and genetic features as candidates of online socialization. Here, we explored the impact of the quality of adult attachment and the genetic properties of the Serotonin Transporter Gene (5-HTTLPR) on Instagram social behavior. Experiences in Close Relationships-Revised questionnaire was adopted to assess 57 Instagram users’ attachment pattern in close relationships with partners. Genotypes from the 5-HTTLPR/rs25531 region were extracted from the users’ buccal mucosa and analyzed. Users’ Instagram social behavior was examined from four indexes: number of posts, number of followed users (“followings”) and number of followers, and the Social Desirability Index calculated from the followers to followings ratio. Although no interaction between rs25531 and ECR-R dimensions was found, an association between avoidance in close relationships and Instagram number of followings emerged. Post hoc analyses revealed adult avoidance from the partner predicts the Instagram number of followings with good evidence. Moreover, users reporting high avoidance levels displayed fewer followings than users who reported low levels of avoidance. This research provides a window into the psychobiological understanding of online socialization on Instagram. Ministry of Education (MOE) Nanyang Technological University Published version This research was supported by grants from the NAP SUG (M4081597, 2015-2021) and the Singapore Ministry of Education ACR Tier 1 (RG149/16 and RT10/19) to G.E.

Substance use disorder (SUD) is an issue of concern that can have inter- generational impacts. Fathers affected by this disorder can exhibit atypical parenting that leaves pronounced, adverse consequences for the child, espe cially during a critical window for development, such as neonatal life and infancy. However, factors sustaining paternal drug use and its associated health outcomes remain elusive. The present review provides a systematic literature search of the scientific evidence published until February 2021 on PubMed Central, Scopus, PsycInfo, and PubMed databases. Adopting a biopsychosocial model, this review provides comprehensive insights into the issue, detailing: (i) the neurobiological correlates of paternal substance use and atypical parenting mechanisms, (ii) influence of drug consumption on paternal psychological state, and (iii) the social environment modulating the social dynamics central to fathers with SUD. Attention is also paid to the bidirectional relationships between paternal drug abuse and fatherhood, which has been severely neglected so far. Findings shed new light on the importance of paternal contributions to the father-child interaction, supporting the formulation of more targeted multidisciplinary interventions aimed at restoring such a crucial and overlooked relationship. Published version

Adult social interactions are regulated by the mental representation of self and behavioural expectation from the others. Specifically, early interactions with parents affect social experience throughout a lifetime, as a repeated and prolonged perception of different levels of care, independence or control influences the modulation of emotional regulatory processes. Although environmental factors, like early parent-child bonding, affect adult significant social interactions, intrinsic biological predispositions could play a pivotal role in modulating the degrees of susceptibility to the external social context, especially in a sensitive temporal frame like childhood [1]. Among the multiple genetic variants, features related to parenting assets and recalled attachment could be associated with a region of the serotonin transporter gene, namely 5HTT rs25531 [2].

Human beings engage in multiple social interactions daily, both in person and online. There are, however, individual differences in the frequency and quality of these interactions. This exploratory study focuses on online interactions and aims to model these differences by looking at potential environmental and genetic factors. The environmental factor is the childhood parental relationship, as reported by the participants in the dimensions of the Parental Bonding Instrument (N = 57, 41 females). At a genetic level, buccal mucosa cell samples were collected to assess participants&rsquo, genetic susceptibility, and OXTr regions rs2254298 (G/G homozygotes vs. A-carriers) and rs53576 (A/A homozygotes vs. G-carriers) were analyzed. To capture participants&rsquo, online activity, Instagram was probed. The number of people that the individual follows (&ldquo, followings&rdquo, ), followers, and posts were used as a proxy for the quantity of interaction, and a Social Desirability Index (SDI) was computed as the ratio of followers to followings. An interaction between OXTr groups and parental bonding scores on the number of followings and posts was hypothesized. A gene-environment interaction for OXTr/rs2254298 on the number of Instagram posts was identified. In line with the hypothesis, participants with a genetic risk factor (A-carriers) and a history of low paternal care showed fewer Instagram posts than those without this risk factor (G/G genotype). Moreover, an interaction effect between maternal overprotection and OXTr/rs2254298 on the Instagram SDI was detected. These findings could represent an indirect pathway through which genes and parental behavior interact to shape social interactions on Instagram.

Early interactions with significant individuals affect social experience throughout the course of a lifetime, as a repeated and prolonged perception of different levels of care, independence or control influences the modulation of emotional regulatory processes. As many factors play a role in shaping the expectations and features of social interaction, in this study we consider the influence of parental bonding and genetic allelic variation of oxytocin receptor gene polymorphism (rs53576) over levels of experienced anxiety and avoidance in 313 young adults belonging to two different cultural contexts, namely Italy and Singapore. Results highlight a major effect of maternal characteristics, care and overprotection, with differences between the two cultural groups. Additionally, the interaction between rs53576 and maternal overprotection suggest different environmental susceptibility in the Italian sample and the Singaporean one. Implication in clinical work and future steps are described in the conclusion.

In both physical and online environments, human social interactions can represent a means to gain recognition and approval from others. While there is considerable evidence about the interaction between genetics and the environment on social development, studies adopting the same framework to investigate online social interactions are lacking. The present work applies a model from behavioural genetics on Instagram sociability to explore the impact of individual development on social media platforms' behaviour. We hypothesized that social attitudes on Instagram resulted from an interaction between serotonin transporter gene alleles and the individual's remembrance of the interaction with caregivers. We assessed the environmental and genetic components of 57 Instagram users, adopting the Parental Bonding Instrument to determine the perceived parental care and overprotection. The number of posts followed by users ("followings") and followers were collected from participants' Instagram profiles as online social activity indexes. Additionally, the ratio between the number of followers and followings ("Social Desirability Index") was calculated to estimate each user's social network's asymmetry. Finally, information on the polymorphism rs25531 (T/T homozygotes vs C-carriers) within the serotonin transporter gene was extracted from participants' buccal mucosa cell samples. In line with the predictions, we found a gene-environment interaction on the Social Desirability Index": users with the genotype more sensitive to environmental influences (T/T homozygotes) showed a higher Instagram "Social Desirability Index" than less sensitive ones (C-carriers) when positive maternal care was experienced. This result may contribute to the understanding of online social behaviour from a gene*environment perspective.

Humans are inherently social beings, whose behaviour is regulated by multiple interactions between genetic predispositions and environmental influences [1]. In-person social interactions represent the first mean to share ideas and make comparisons with others. Nowadays, communication has rapidly spread trough new environments like social networks sites (SNSs). However, the quality and the frequency of online and offline interactions may vary across individuals. In this research, we probed these differences in online interactions through the lens of behavioural genetics. Our question was if the personal expectations of social behaviour could affect the frequency in the online sociability of users genetically sensitive to experiences [2]. Accepted version

Both expectations towards interactions with conspecifics, and genetic predispositions, affect adults׳ social behaviors. However, the underlying mechanisms remain largely unknown. Here, we report data to investigate the interaction between genetic factors, (oxytocin receptor (OXTR) and serotonin transporter (5-HTTLPR) polymorphisms), and adult interactional patterns in shaping physiological responses to social distress. During the presentation of distress vocalizations (cries of human female, infants and bonobos) we assessed participants׳ (N = 42 males) heart rate (HR) and peripheral nose temperature, which index state of arousal and readiness to action. Self-reported questionnaires were used to evaluate participants’ interactional patterns towards peers (Attachment Style Questionnaire, Feeney et al., 1994 [1]), and the quality of bond with intimate partners (Experiences in Close Relationships Scale, Fraley et al., 2000 [2]). To assess participants׳ genetic predispositions, the OXTR gene (regions rs53576, and rs2254298) and the 5-HTTLPR gene (region SLC6A4) were genotyped. The data set is made publicly available to enable critical or extended analyzes. Keywords: Adult interaction, Oxytocin receptor gene, Social abilities, Gene*environment, Physiological responses to social distress

Healthful dietary patterns and bioactive compounds supplementation can be adopted as simple and easy intervention to prevent, attenuate or cure clinical disorders, especially when it comes to degenerative and chronic diseases. In the recent years, a growing body of evidence indicates Aquaporins (AQPs), a family of membrane channel proteins widely expressed in the human body, among the targets underlying the beneficial action played by some food nutrients and phytochemical compounds. Here, we provide an overview of what is known regarding the AQP modulation exerted by healthful dietary patterns and plant polyphenols.

Background and objectiveFamilial Mediterranean fever (FMF) is the most common monogenic autoinflammatory disease (AID) worldwide. The disease is caused by mutations in the MEFV gene encoding the inflammasome sensor Pyrin. Clinical diagnosis of FMF is complicated by overlap in symptoms with other diseases, and interpretation of genetic testing is confounded by the lack of a clear genotype–phenotype association for most of the 340 reported MEFV variants. In this study, the authors designed a functional assay and evaluated its potential in supporting FMF diagnosis.MethodsPeripheral blood mononuclear cells (PBMCs) were obtained from patients with Pyrin-associated autoinflammation with an FMF phenotype (n=43) or with autoinflammatory features not compatible with FMF (n=8), 10 asymptomatic carriers and 48 healthy donors. Sera were obtained from patients with distinct AIDs (n=10), and whole blood from a subset of patients and controls. The clinical, demographic, molecular genetic factors and other characteristics of the patient population were assessed for their impact on the diagnostic test read-out. Interleukin (IL)-1β and IL-18 levels were measured by Luminex assay.ResultsThe ex vivo colchicine assay may be performed on whole blood or PBMC. The functional assay robustly segregated patients with FMF from healthy controls and patients with related clinical disorders. The diagnostic test distinguished patients with classical FMF mutations (M694V, M694I, M680I, R761H) from patients with other MEFV mutations and variants (K695R, P369S, R202Q, E148Q) that are considered benign or of uncertain clinical significance.ConclusionThe ex vivo colchicine assay may support diagnosis of FMF and functional subtyping of Pyrin-associated autoinflammation.