The Impact of Parent-Child Relationship on Adolescent Social Adjustment Following Childhood Trauma: Moderation by HPA Axis Multilocus Profile Score

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.

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