Abstract: Parental Depression, Prenatal Distress, and Social Competence in Early Childhood: Using an Adoption Design to Disentangle Genetic and Environmental Influences (Society for Prevention Research 27th Annual Meeting)

Schedule:

Thursday, May 30, 2019

Pacific D/L (Hyatt Regency San Francisco)

* noted as presenting author

Amanda Ramos, MA, Student, The Pennsylvania State University, State College, PA

Amanda M. Griffin, PhD, Post Doctoral Fellow, University of Oregon, Eugene, OR

Daniel S. Shaw, PhD, Professor and Chair, University of Pittsburgh, Pittsburgh, PA

Leslie Leve, PhD, Associate Director of the Prevention Science Institute; Professor of Counseling Psychology and Human Services, Prevention Science Institute, Eugene, OR

David Reiss, MD, Clinical Professor, Yale University, New Haven, CT

Jody M. Ganiban, PhD, Professor, George Washington University, Washington, DC

Misaki N. Natsuaki, PhD, Assistant Professor, University of California, Riverside, Riverside, CA

Jenae M. Neiderhiser, PhD, Distinguished Professor of Psychology, The Pennsylvania State University, University Park, PA

Introduction: Children with higher levels of social competence have fewer negative outcomes (i.e., behavior problems, low academic achievement). Parental depression is associated with lower social competence in early childhood, and indirectly through parenting behaviors. In addition, heritable influences and prenatal distress play a role in development of social competence. This study examined the heritable, prenatal, and rearing environmental influences on social competence at 4.5 years to better understand mechanisms of influence.

Methods: Data came from the Early Growth and Development Study, a longitudinal parent-offspring adoption sample (N= 561), which includes birth parents, adoptive parents, and adopted children followed longitudinally since infancy. Genetic influences were indexed by birth mother depressive symptoms on the Beck Depression Inventory (BDI) at 9 and 18 months. Adoptive parent depressive symptoms were assessed with the BDI and their parenting behaviors were assessed at 27 months with the IOWA warmth and hostility subscales. Prenatal distress was assessed using a subset of items from the BDI and Beck Anxiety Inventory focused on the pregnancy period. Child social competence was assessed with both adoptive parent’s reports using the Social Skills Rating System at 4.5 years old.

Results: Results showed that there were unique genetic and environmental influences of parental depressive symptoms on child social competence. Specifically, birth mother depressive symptoms were associated with lower social competence (B = -.11, p< .05) and prenatal distress (B= .43, p< .05). However, prenatal distress was not associated with child social competence at 4.5 years (B= .05, p> .05). Adoptive mother depressive symptoms were associated with lower child social competence (B= -.14, p< .05), but not adoptive father’s (B= -.05, p> .05). Adoptive mother hostility (B= -.11, p< .05), but not adoptive fathers’ (B= -.04, p> .05), was inversely associated with child social competence. Adoptive father warmth (B= .13, p< .05), but not adoptive mothers’ (B= .07, p> .05), was positively associated with social competence. Indirect effects were found for adoptive mother depressive symptoms on lower social competence through maternal hostility, while adoptive father depressive symptoms had an indirect effect on social competence through low warmth.

Conclusion: These findings demonstrate the importance of applying genetically-informed designs to address confounds of genetic similarity to understand how children’s behaviors develop.

Abstract: Parental Depression, Prenatal Distress, and Social Competence in Early Childhood: Using an Adoption Design to Disentangle Genetic and Environmental Influences (Society for Prevention Research 27th Annual Meeting)

483 Parental Depression, Prenatal Distress, and Social Competence in Early Childhood: Using an Adoption Design to Disentangle Genetic and Environmental Influences