Brain development goes through a key stage during childhood and adolescence and environmental factors can have a large impact that is maintained in the long term. A new study has now found that the type of parenting decisively influences this organ and that both rigid parenting and affectionate parenting, at various stages of childhood (early, middle and late), influence brain development during adolescence. and how these changes can predict mental health in the future.
The research has been carried out by experts from the University of Michigan UM (USA), who used an innovative statistical method to identify “sensitive periods” in childhood in which the brain is particularly vulnerable to external influences, and analyzed whether experiences during these periods predicted mental health in stressful situations, such as during the COVID-19 pandemic. They also used advanced neuroimaging techniques to observe how information flows in the developing brain.
“Understanding these sensitive periods can help formulate more effective policies and intervention strategies,” highlighted Luke Hyde, professor of psychology at UM and associate researcher at the Institute for Social Research in a note published by the aforementioned university. Cleanthis Michael, a graduate student at UM and first author of the study, explained that “the findings suggest that early interventions may offer broader benefits for brain development.”
How positive and negative experiences impact the brain
To carry out the study, data were used from a 21-year longitudinal investigation of low-income youth and families residing in Detroit, Chicago and Toledo, Ohio, from the Future of Families and Child Well-being Study. Data was collected between February 1998 and June 2021, with a current sample of 173 youth.
Parents reported their aggressive behaviors, both psychological and physical, and observations of affectionate parenting behaviors (such as responsiveness) were recorded at ages 3, 5, and 9 years. When the children were 15 years old, a neuroimaging substudy was conducted with them. Six years later, during the COVID-19 pandemic, participants reported symptoms of anxiety and depression.
The results have been published in the journal JAMA Pediatrics and indicated that harsh parenting in early childhood affected the general organization of the brain in adolescence, while harsh parenting in late childhood specifically affected the corticolimbic circuit (which includes the amygdala and the frontal cortex and is related to the processing and regulation of emotions).
Warmth parenting was also linked to reduced anxiety and depression 15 years later during the pandemic, due to its effects on the amygdala.
The positive impact of affectionate parenting was also examined and found that in middle childhood it was associated with the differential connection of the amygdala (a small area of the brain related to emotions and response to threats) with other parts of the brain. Warmth parenting was also linked to reduced anxiety and depression 15 years later during the pandemic, due to its effects on the amygdala.
Hyde emphasizes that research shows how positive and negative experiences impact the brain differently, depending on the moment in which they occur. “The study uses new methods to test classic questions in developmental psychology about whether there are sensitive periods in children’s brain development,” Hyde said.
Michael concluded that “as these experiences appear to influence later risk of depression and anxiety, this research highlights periods of vulnerability and opportunities for treatments and policies to promote healthy long-term development. “Interventions and policies to support parents could have a deeper impact in the early stages of life.”
