Subjects: Psychology >> Developmental Psychology submitted time 2024-04-21
ZENG Zihao
LIU Shuangjin
YANG Qin
WANG Hongcai
LIU Chengzhen
ZHAO Qian
MENG Li
HE Zhen
LIU Xiuru
HUANG Ning
HU Yiqiu
Abstract： Adolescence has been conceptualized as a second ’sensitive period,’ marked by neuroendocrine developmental changes that heighten sensitivity to the environment. Faced with an increase in stressful life events, particularly those involving interpersonal relationships, there is a continuous rise in the incidence of internalizing and externalizing issues during adolescence, which negatively impacts personality development, academic performance, and physical health. Prior research consistently supports that positive and healthy interpersonal relationships significantly enhance adolescents’ social adaptability and levels of well-being. Conversely, negative interpersonal relationships, especially those characterized by danger and hostility, lead individuals to develop negative cognitive patterns and self-assessments, thereby increasing the risk of psychological crises. Additionally, certain genetic traits also influence the adolescent social adjustment. Although the risk of social adjustment is influenced by multiple factors, the potential for interactions between genetics and the environment remains promising, garnering attention from researchers in psychology, psychiatry, and epigenetics. Given this backdrop, this study aims to explore the moderating role of genetic risk in different forms of environmental stress and adolescent social adjustment (including depressive symptoms, prosocial behavior, and self-injure) through the assessment of multilocus genetic variations and the measurement of a critical environmental risk factor, namely, parent-child relationship.
Using questionnaires and DNA typing techniques, 700 adolescents (14.15 ± 0.63 years old) were selected from a junior high school in Hunan Province by whole group sampling. After obtaining informed consent from the school, parent and participants, they completed Parent-child Intimacy Questionnaire, Childhood trauma scale, Short Form of the Center for Epidemiological Studies Depression Scale Prosocial Tendencies Measures and Deliberate Self-Harm Inventory. The genetic samples were sent to a professional biotechnology company for DNA extraction and typing. In study 2: The participants recruited in Study 1 via an experimental flyer. They completed emotional Stroop task and dictator games.
The results indicate the following: 1) HPA axis MGPS was only associated with mother-child relationship, and there were significant bidirectional correlations between parent-child relationships, Childhood trauma, depressive symptoms, prosocial behavior, and self-injure. 2) Utilizing the multilocus genetic profile score (MGPS) approach, in the context of the depression equation, whether in the father-child relationship model or the mother-child relationship model, the interaction effect between parent-child relationships and Childhood trauma strengthens as the HPA axis system’s MGPS increases. 3) The interaction effect of G×E×E was found to impact adolescent prosocial behavior only in the mother-child relationship model. Furthermore, this interaction becomes significant when the standard deviation of the MGPS exceeds -0.14. 4) No G × E × E triadic interaction was detected in the parent-student relationship model. Subsequent binary interaction test between Childhood trauma and MGPS revealed that as MGPS increased, the impact of Childhood trauma on adolescents self-injure increased. 5) Results from three sensitivity analyses also demonstrate that multigene hereditary research exhibits greater efficacy and stability. 6) Supplementary evidence indicates the presence of the main effect of parent-child relationships in accuracy and response time for emotional words. Additionally, the interaction effect of G×E×E was identified in the mother-child relationship model.
In conclusion, this study demonstrates that the HPA axis multilocus genetic profile score moderates the adolescent stress sensitivity. Specifically, the HPA axis MGPS moderates the interaction between Childhood trauma and parent-child relationships, affecting adolescent social adjustment. Moreover, individuals with high genetic sensitivity exhibit a pattern consistent with the differential susceptibility model, wherein they display lower levels of depressive symptoms, self-injure, and higher prosocial behavior in positive environments, while the reverse holds true in adverse environments.
Subjects: Psychology >> Social Psychology submitted time 2023-03-27 Cooperative journals: 《心理学报》
Abstract： Because of their high incidence as well as high risk, adolescent psychological problems have been a constant pressing topic of governmental, psychological, sociological, and medical interest for research. Adolescent depression, self-injury, and suicidal ideation not only have serious impacts on an individual social functioning, the burden of disease and economic pressures caused by self-harming incidents also make it vital to explore the factors affecting these behaviors and their developmental mechanisms. Ecosystem theory emphasizes the role and significance of the environment in the process of individual development, believing that individual development is the result of one’s interactions with the surrounding environment. As the innermost structure in the ecosystem, family is the environment that is most relevant for individuals, having the greatest influence. In this study, two important components of the parent-child subsystem parent-child relationship (child) and educational involvement (parent) were introduced to explore their combined effects on adolescent depression, self-injury, and suicidal ideation from a binary perspective. The roles of frustration and sense of meaning in life were also investigated from an integrated motivational-volitional model perspective. The current study built a moderated mediation model exploring the combined effects of the parent-child relationship on adolescent depression, self-injury, and suicidal ideation. A total of 930 middle school students (501 boys, 429 girls; average age = 15.24 ± 1.66 years) and their parents participated in this investigation. After given their informed consent, both parents and students completed the Short Form of Center for Epidemiological Studies Depression Scale, the Deliberate Self-Harm Inventory, the Four-item Depressive Symptom Index ? Suicidality Subscale, the Parent-Child Intimacy Questionnaire, Parental Involvement in Primary School Children Education, the Defeat Scale, and the Chinese Meaning in Life Questionnaire. SPSS 26.0, AMOS 23.0, and Mplus 7.0 were used to analyze the data. The results indicated that: (1) Compared to individuals with a low parent-child relationship and low educational involvement, adolescents with a high parent-child relationship and high educational involvement had lower levels of defeat. Compared to adolescents with a low parent-child relationship and high educational involvement, individuals with a high parent-child relationship and low educational involvement showed lower levels of defeat; (2) Defeat partially mediated the relationship between the parent-child relationship and educational involvement and adolescent depression, self-injury, and suicidal ideation; (3) The second half of the mediation model was moderated by meaning in life, that is, with the increase of meaning in life, the effect of defeat on depression, self-injury, and suicidal ideation gradually decreased. Based on ecosystem theory and integrated motivational-volitional model, and using innovative polynomial regression and response surface analysis, the current study investigated the influence of the parent-child relationship and parents' educational involvement on adolescent depression, self-injury, and suicidal ideation, as well as the mediating and moderating effects of defeat and meaning in life. The results providing additional evidence for the relevant developmental theories of depression, self-injury, and suicidal ideation. This study also offers more insight into potential psychological crisis behavioral interventions.
Subjects: Psychology >> Clinical and Counseling Psychology submitted time 2022-06-23
Abstract：
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Because of their high incidence as well as high risk, adolescent psychological problems have been a constant pressing topic of governmental, psychological, sociological, and medical interest for research. Adolescent depression, self-injury, and suicidal ideation not only have serious impacts on an individual social functioning, the burden of disease and economic pressures caused by self-harming incidents also make it vital to explore the factors affecting these behaviors and their developmental mechanisms. Ecosystem theory emphasizes the role and significance of the environment in the process of individual development, believing that individual development is the result of one’s interactions with the surrounding environment. As the innermost structure in the ecosystem, family is the environment that is most relevant for individuals, having the greatest influence. In this study, two important components of the parent-child subsystem parent-child relationship (child) and educational involvement (parent) were introduced to explore their combined effects on adolescent depression, self-injury, and suicidal ideation from a binary perspective. The roles of frustration and sense of meaning in life were also investigated from an integrated motivational-volitional model perspective.
The current study built a moderated mediation model exploring the combined effects of the parent-child relationship on adolescent depression, self-injury, and suicidal ideation. A total of 930 middle school students (501 boys, 429 girls; average age = 15.24 ± 1.66 years) and their parents participated in this investigation. After given their informed consent, both parents and students completed the Short Form of Center for Epidemiological Studies Depression Scale, the Deliberate Self-Harm Inventory, the Four-item Depressive Symptom Index – Suicidality Subscale, the Parent-Child Intimacy Questionnaire, Parental Involvement in Primary School Children Education, the Defeat Scale, and the Chinese Meaning in Life Questionnaire. SPSS 26.0, AMOS 23.0, and Mplus 7.0 were used to analyze the data.
The results indicated that: (1) Compared to individuals with a low parent-child relationship and low educational involvement, adolescents with a high parent-child relationship and high educational involvement had lower levels of defeat. Compared to adolescents with a low parent-child relationship and high educational involvement, individuals with a high parent-child relationship and low educational involvement showed lower levels of defeat; (2) Defeat partially mediated the relationship between the parent-child relationship and educational involvement and adolescent depression, self-injury, and suicidal ideation; (3) The second half of the mediation model was moderated by meaning in life, that is, with the increase of meaning in life, the effect of defeat on depression, self-injury, and suicidal ideation gradually decreased.
Based on ecosystem theory and integrated motivational-volitional model, and using innovative polynomial regression and response surface analysis, the current study investigated the influence of the parent-child relationship and parents' educational involvement on adolescent depression, self-injury, and suicidal ideation, as well as the mediating and moderating effects of defeat and meaning in life. The results providing additional evidence for the relevant developmental theories of depression, self-injury, and suicidal ideation. This study also offers more insight into potential psychological crisis behavioral interventions.
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