title: Early inherited risk for anxiety moderates the association between fathers' child-centered parenting and early social inhibition.
abstract: Studies of the role of the early environment in shaping children's risk for anxiety problems have produced mixed results. It is possible that inconsistencies in previous findings result from a lack of consideration of a putative role for inherited influences moderators on the impact of early experiences. Early inherited influences not only contribute to vulnerabilities for anxiety problems throughout the lifespan, but can also modulate the ways that the early environment impacts child outcomes. In the current study, we tested the effects of child-centered parenting behaviors on putative anxiety risk in young children who differed in levels of inherited vulnerability. We tested this using a parent-offspring adoption design and a sample in which risk for anxiety problems and parenting behaviors were assessed in both mothers and fathers. Inherited influences on anxiety problems were assessed as anxiety symptoms in biological parents. Child-centered parenting was observed in adoptive mothers and fathers when children were 9 months old. Social inhibition, an early temperament marker of anxiety risk, was observed at child ages 9 and 18 months. Inherited influences on anxiety problems moderated the link between paternal child-centered parenting during infancy and social inhibition in toddlerhood. For children whose birth parents reported high levels of anxiety symptoms, greater child-centered parenting in adoptive fathers was related to greater social inhibition 9 months later. For children whose birth parents reported low levels of anxiety symptoms, greater child-centered parenting in adoptive fathers was related to less social inhibition across the same period.
authors: 1Montana State University,Department of Psychology,Bozeman, MT,USA.
authors: R J
authors: RJ
authors: Brooker
authors: 2University of Akron,Department of Psychology,Akron, OH,USA.
authors: K M
authors: KM
authors: Alto
authors: 3Brown University,Center for Alcohol and Addiction Studies,Providence, RI,USA.
authors: K
authors: K
authors: Marceau
authors: 1Montana State University,Department of Psychology,Bozeman, MT,USA.
authors: R
authors: R
authors: Najjar
authors: 4University of Oregon,Department of Counseling Psychology and Human Services,Eugene, OR,USA.
authors: L D
authors: LD
authors: Leve
authors: 5George Washington University,Department of Psychology,Washington DC,USA.
authors: J M
authors: JM
authors: Ganiban
authors: 6University of Pittsburgh,Department of Psychology,Pittsburgh, PA,USA.
authors: D S
authors: DS
authors: Shaw
authors: 7Yale Child Study Center,New Haven, CT,USA.
authors: D
authors: D
authors: Reiss
authors: 8The Pennsylvania State University,Department of Psychology,University Park, PA,USA.
authors: J M
authors: JM
authors: Neiderhiser
mesh_terms: D000275:Adjustment Disorders / Q000209:etiology*; D001007:Anxiety / Q000150:complications*; D002648:Child; D005219:Father-Child Relations; D005220:Fathers / Q000523:psychology*; D005260:Female; D006801:Humans; D007223:Infant; D007266:Inhibition, Psychological; D008297:Male; D016487:Parenting / Q000523:psychology*; D012919:Social Behavior
keywords: development; infancy; mental health; pregnancy