EEG frontal alpha asymmetry mediates the association between maternal and child internalizing symptoms in childhood

IF 7 1区医学 Q1 PSYCHIATRY Journal of Child Psychology and Psychiatry Pub Date : 2025-02-16 DOI:10.1111/jcpp.14129

Dashiell D. Sacks, Yiyi Wang, Asja Abron, Kaitlin M. Mulligan, Caroline M. Kelsey, Wanze Xie, Charles A. Nelson, Michelle Bosquet Enlow

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Abstract

Background

Anxiety and depression are highly prevalent in youth and can cause significant distress and functional impairment. The presence of maternal anxiety and depression are well-established risk factors for child internalizing psychopathology, yet the responsible mechanisms linking the two remain unclear.

Methods

We examined the potential mediating and moderating roles of EEG frontal alpha asymmetry (FAA) in the intergenerational transmission of internalizing symptoms in a longitudinal sample of N = 323 mother–child dyads. Self-report maternal internalizing symptoms were evaluated at child age 3 years and 5 years, child EEG at 5 years, and parent-report child internalizing symptoms at age 7 years. Mediation was evaluated via bootstrapped (N = 5,000) confidence intervals.

Results

We found significant associations among maternal internalizing (anxiety, depressive) symptoms when their children were ages 3 and 5 years, child FAA at age 5 years, and child internalizing symptoms at age 7 years. There was a significant mediation effect, whereby greater maternal anxiety and depressive symptoms at age 3 years were significantly associated with FAA (greater relative right cortical activation) in children at age 5 years, which, in turn, was significantly associated with greater child internalizing symptoms at age 7 years (ps < .001). There was no moderating effect of FAA on the association between maternal internalizing symptoms at age 5 years and child internalizing symptoms at age 7 years.

Conclusions

Greater right frontal asymmetry may be a neurophysiological mechanism that mediates the intergenerational transmission of internalizing symptoms.

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脑电图额叶α不对称介导了母亲和儿童儿童期内化症状之间的关联

背景焦虑和抑郁在年轻人中非常普遍，并可能导致严重的痛苦和功能障碍。母亲焦虑和抑郁的存在是儿童内化精神病理的危险因素，但两者之间的联系机制尚不清楚。方法通过对323对母子纵向抽样，探讨脑电额叶α不对称（FAA）在内化症状代际传递中的潜在中介和调节作用。在儿童3岁和5岁时评估自我报告的母亲内化症状，在儿童5岁时评估儿童脑电图，在儿童7岁时评估父母报告的儿童内化症状。通过bootstrap （N = 5,000）置信区间评估中介作用。结果我们发现母亲在孩子3岁和5岁时的内化（焦虑、抑郁）症状、5岁时的儿童FAA和7岁时的儿童内化症状有显著的相关性。存在显著的中介效应，即母亲在3岁时的焦虑和抑郁症状与5岁儿童的FAA（相对右皮质激活较大）显著相关，而FAA又与7岁儿童的内化症状显著相关(ps <；措施)。FAA对5岁母亲内化症状与7岁儿童内化症状之间的关系无调节作用。结论大右额叶不对称可能是内化症状代际传递的神经生理机制。

本文章由计算机程序翻译，如有差异，请以英文原文为准。

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来源期刊

Journal of Child Psychology and Psychiatry 医学-精神病学

CiteScore

13.80

自引率

5.30%

发文量

169

审稿时长

1 months

期刊介绍： The Journal of Child Psychology and Psychiatry (JCPP) is a highly regarded international publication that focuses on the fields of child and adolescent psychology and psychiatry. It is recognized for publishing top-tier, clinically relevant research across various disciplines related to these areas. JCPP has a broad global readership and covers a diverse range of topics, including: Epidemiology: Studies on the prevalence and distribution of mental health issues in children and adolescents. Diagnosis: Research on the identification and classification of childhood disorders. Treatments: Psychotherapeutic and psychopharmacological interventions for child and adolescent mental health. Behavior and Cognition: Studies on the behavioral and cognitive aspects of childhood disorders. Neuroscience and Neurobiology: Research on the neural and biological underpinnings of child mental health. Genetics: Genetic factors contributing to the development of childhood disorders. JCPP serves as a platform for integrating empirical research, clinical studies, and high-quality reviews from diverse perspectives, theoretical viewpoints, and disciplines. This interdisciplinary approach is a key feature of the journal, as it fosters a comprehensive understanding of child and adolescent mental health. The Journal of Child Psychology and Psychiatry is published 12 times a year and is affiliated with the Association for Child and Adolescent Mental Health (ACAMH), which supports the journal's mission to advance knowledge and practice in the field of child and adolescent mental health.