TY - JOUR A1 - Esser, Günter A1 - Reich, Stefanie A1 - Wagener, Nina A1 - Hösch, Ingrid A1 - Ihle, Wolfgang A1 - Laucht, Manfred T1 - PoKI: Potsdamer Kinder-Interview für 6- bis 12-Jährige BT - Manual Y1 - 2017 PB - Hogrefe CY - Göttingen ER - TY - JOUR A1 - Ehlert, Antje A1 - Poltz, Nadine A1 - Quandte, Sabine A1 - Kohn-Henkel, Juliane A1 - Kucian, Karin A1 - Aster, Michael von A1 - Esser, Günter T1 - Taking a closer look: The relationship between pre-school domain general cognition and school mathematics achievement when controlling for intelligence JF - Journal of Intelligence N2 - Intelligence, as well as working memory and attention, affect the acquisition of mathematical competencies. This paper aimed to examine the influence of working memory and attention when taking different mathematical skills into account as a function of children’s intellectual ability. Overall, intelligence, working memory, attention and numerical skills were assessed twice in 1868 German pre-school children (t1, t2) and again at 2nd grade (t3). We defined three intellectual ability groups based on the results of intellectual assessment at t1 and t2. Group comparisons revealed significant differences between the three intellectual ability groups. Over time, children with low intellectual ability showed the lowest achievement in domain-general and numerical and mathematical skills compared to children of average intellectual ability. The highest achievement on the aforementioned variables was found for children of high intellectual ability. Additionally, path modelling revealed that, depending on the intellectual ability, different models of varying complexity could be generated. These models differed with regard to the relevance of the predictors (t2) and the future mathematical skills (t3). Causes and conclusions of these findings are discussed. KW - intellectual ability KW - intelligence KW - pre-school KW - mathematical development KW - school mathematics KW - longitudinal KW - numerical skills KW - working memory KW - attention Y1 - 2022 U6 - https://doi.org/10.3390/jintelligence10030070 SN - 2079-3200 VL - 10 SP - 1 EP - 23 PB - MDPI CY - Basel, Schweiz ET - 3 ER - TY - JOUR A1 - Poltz, Nadine A1 - Quandte, Sabine A1 - Kohn, Juliane A1 - Kucian, Karin A1 - Wyschkon, Anne A1 - von Aster, Michael A1 - Esser, Günter T1 - Does It Count? Pre-School Children’s Spontaneous Focusing on Numerosity and Their Development of Arithmetical Skills at School JF - Brain Sciences N2 - Background: Children’s spontaneous focusing on numerosity (SFON) is related to numerical skills. This study aimed to examine (1) the developmental trajectory of SFON and (2) the interrelations between SFON and early numerical skills at pre-school as well as their influence on arithmetical skills at school. Method: Overall, 1868 German pre-school children were repeatedly assessed until second grade. Nonverbal intelligence, visual attention, visuospatial working memory, SFON and numerical skills were assessed at age five (M = 63 months, Time 1) and age six (M = 72 months, Time 2), and arithmetic was assessed at second grade (M = 95 months, Time 3). Results: SFON increased significantly during pre-school. Path analyses revealed interrelations between SFON and several numerical skills, except number knowledge. Magnitude estimation and basic calculation skills (Time 1 and Time 2), and to a small degree number knowledge (Time 2), contributed directly to arithmetic in second grade. The connection between SFON and arithmetic was fully mediated by magnitude estimation and calculation skills at pre-school. Conclusion: Our results indicate that SFON first and foremost influences deeper understanding of numerical concepts at pre-school and—in contrast to previous findings –affects only indirectly children’s arithmetical development at school. KW - SFON KW - school mathematics KW - mathematical precursor KW - counting KW - number knowledge KW - magnitude estimation KW - transformation KW - pre-school KW - longitudinal KW - development Y1 - 2022 U6 - https://doi.org/10.3390/brainsci12030313 SN - 2076-3425 VL - 12 SP - 1 EP - 18 PB - MDPI CY - Basel, Schweiz ET - 3 ER - TY - JOUR A1 - Zohsel, Katrin A1 - Holz, Nathalie E. A1 - Hohm, Erika A1 - Schmidt, Martin H. A1 - Esser, Günter A1 - Brandeis, Daniel A1 - Banaschewski, Tobias A1 - Laucht, Manfred T1 - Fewer self-reported depressive symptoms in young adults exposed to maternal depressed mood during pregnancy JF - Journal of Affective Disorders N2 - Background: Depressed mood is prevalent during pregnancy, with accumulating evidence suggesting an impact on developmental outcome in the offspring. However, the long-term effects of prenatal maternal depression regarding internalizing psychopathology in the offspring are as yet unclear. Results: In n=85 young adults exposed to prenatal maternal depressed mood, no significantly higher risk for a diagnosis of depressive disorder was observed. However, they reported significantly lower levels of depressive symptoms. This association was especially pronounced when prenatal maternal depressed mood was present during the first trimester of pregnancy and when maternal mood was depressed pre- as well as postnatally. At an uncorrected level only, prenatal maternal depressed mood was associated with decreased amygdala volume. Limitations: Prenatal maternal depressed mood was not assessed during pregnancy, but shortly after childbirth. No diagnoses of maternal clinical depression during pregnancy were available. Conclusions: Self-reported depressive symptoms do not imply increased, but rather decreased symptom levels in young adults who were exposed to prenatal maternal depressed mood. A long-term perspective may be important when considering consequences of prenatal risk factors. Y1 - 2016 U6 - https://doi.org/10.1016/j.jad.2016.08.059 SN - 0165-0327 SN - 1573-2517 VL - 209 SP - 155 EP - 162 PB - Elsevier CY - Amsterdam ER - TY - JOUR A1 - Holz, Nathalie E. A1 - Boecker-Schlier, Regina A1 - Buchmann, Arlette F. A1 - Blomeyer, Dorothea A1 - Jennen-Steinmetz, Christine A1 - Baumeister, Sarah A1 - Plichta, Michael M. A1 - Cattrell, Anna A1 - Schumann, Gunter A1 - Esser, Günter A1 - Schmidt, Martin A1 - Buitelaar, Jan A1 - Meyer-Lindenberg, Andreas A1 - Banaschewski, Tobias A1 - Brandeis, Daniel A1 - Laucht, Manfred T1 - Ventral striatum and amygdala activity as convergence sites for early adversity and conduct disorder JF - Frontiers in human neuroscience N2 - Childhood family adversity (CFA) increases the risk for conduct disorder (CD) and has been associated with alterations in regions of affective processing like ventral striatum (VS) and amygdala. However, no study so far has demonstrated neural converging effects of CFA and CD in the same sample. At age 25 years, functional MRI data during two affective tasks, i.e. a reward (N = 171) and a face-matching paradigm (N = 181) and anatomical scans (N = 181) were acquired in right-handed currently healthy participants of an epidemiological study followed since birth. CFA during childhood was determined using a standardized parent interview. Disruptive behaviors and CD diagnoses during childhood and adolescence were obtained by diagnostic interview (2–19 years), temperamental reward dependence was assessed by questionnaire (15 and 19 years). CFA predicted increased CD and amygdala volume. Both exposure to CFA and CD were associated with a decreased VS response during reward anticipation and blunted amygdala activity during face-matching. CD mediated the effect of CFA on brain activity. Temperamental reward dependence was negatively correlated with CFA and CD and positively with VS activity. These findings underline the detrimental effects of CFA on the offspring's affective processing and support the importance of early postnatal intervention programs aiming to reduce childhood adversity factors. KW - childhood adversity KW - conduct disorder KW - amygdala KW - ventral striatum KW - fMRI Y1 - 2016 U6 - https://doi.org/10.1093/scan/nsw120 SN - 1749-5016 SN - 1749-5024 VL - 12 IS - 2 SP - 261 EP - 272 PB - Oxford Univ. Press CY - Oxford ER - TY - JOUR A1 - Pitzer, Martina A1 - Esser, Günter A1 - Schmidt, Martin H. A1 - Hohm, Erika A1 - Banaschewski, Tobias A1 - Laucht, Manfred T1 - Child regulative temperament as a mediator of parenting in the development of depressive symptoms BT - a longitudinal study from early childhood to preadolescence JF - Journal of neural transmission N2 - Child temperament as well as parenting behaviors have been linked to adolescent depression. Beyond their main effects, the interplay between these factors is of interest. For example, in an interactive model, a differential susceptibility of temperamental variants to parenting has been suggested. However, so far, the differential susceptibility hypothesis has mostly been studied with a focus on externalizing disorders. On the other hand, parenting may shape the child’s temperament and vice versa in a transactional process. In a prospective, longitudinal at-risk sample (163 boys, 176 girls), we assessed emotional (easy–difficult) and regulative (self-control) temperament at ages 4.5, and 8 years, respectively, as well as parenting quality at age 4.5 years using the HOME inventory. Hierarchical linear regression analysis was used to investigate the prediction of depressive symptoms at age 11, measured by the Child Depression Inventory, including interaction terms between the temperament variable and parenting. We additionally tested whether parenting was mediated by child temperament. As previously reported, both self-control and parenting were longitudinally associated with preadolescent depressive symptoms. There were no interactive effects between temperament and parenting. However, the effects of parenting were partly mediated by self-control. Our data do not support a differential susceptibility of temperamental variants in the development of preadolescent depression. However, our results are in line with the assumption that parenting may shape young children’s temperament, with positive parenting in the early childhood fostering the development of regulative temperament. KW - Temperament KW - Parenting KW - Children KW - Depression KW - Parent-child-interaction Y1 - 2017 U6 - https://doi.org/10.1007/s00702-017-1682-2 SN - 0300-9564 SN - 1435-1463 VL - 124 SP - 631 EP - 641 PB - Springer CY - Wien ER - TY - JOUR A1 - Moraske, Svenja A1 - Penrose, Anna A1 - Wyschkon, Anne A1 - Kohn, Juliane A1 - Rauscher, Larissa A1 - von Aster, Michael G. A1 - Esser, Günter T1 - Prävention von Rechenstörungen T1 - Prevention of Dyscalculia BT - Kurz- und mittelfristige Effekte einer Förderung der mathematischen Kompetenzen bei Risikokindern im Vorschulalter BT - Short-Term and Intermediate Effects of Stimulating Numerical Competencies for Children at Risk in Preschool JF - Kindheit und Entwicklung N2 - Ziel ist die Überprüfung der kurz- und mittelfristigen Wirksamkeit einer vorschulischen Förderung des Mengen- und Zahlenverständnisses bei Kindern mit einem Risiko für die Entwicklung einer Rechenstörung. Es wurden 32 Risikokinder mit einer Kombination aus den Förderprogrammen Mathematik im Vorschulalter und Mengen, zählen, Zahlen im letzten Kindergartenjahr von den Erzieherinnen trainiert und mit 38 untrainierten Risikokindern verglichen. Hinsichtlich der kurzfristigen Wirksamkeit zeigten sich positive Trainingseffekte auf die numerischen Leistungen im letzten Kindergartenjahr. Es ließen sich keine signifikanten mittelfristigen Trainingseffekte auf die Rechenleistungen im zweiten Halbjahr der 1. Klasse finden. Das eingesetzte vorschulische Präventionsprogramm leistete danach einen wichtigen Beitrag zur kurzfristigen Verbesserung der mathematischen Basiskompetenzen. N2 - A slew of studies has shown that training programs teaching numerical competencies have positive short-term effects on mathematical performance. The results for the intermediate effects are not consistent and there are only a few studies on this issue. The aim of this investigation was to evaluate the short-term and intermediate effects of a preschool training program stimulating numerical competencies for children at risk of developing dyscalculia (<= 10th percentile). During the last kindergarten year, 32 children at risk were trained with a combination of the intervention Mathematik im Vorschulalter and Mengen, zahlen, Zahlen by their kindergarten teachers, who were trained and supervised. Contents of the preschool training were: counting, number knowledge up to 10, comprehension of quantity concept, visual differentiation, spatial ability, simple arithmetic operation, handling of symbols, realizing abstract-logical correlations, and identifying cause-effect relations. The training lasted 11 weeks and took place twice a week (session duration = 30-40 min). Children who participated in at least 50% of the sessions were included. The control group consisted of 38 untrained children at risk. For measuring numerical competencies in kindergarten, a subtest of the instrument Basisdiagnostik Umschriebener Entwicklungsstorungen im Vorschulalter - Version III (BUEVA-III) was used, and for measuring mathematical performance the test Deutsche Mathematiktest fur erste Klassen (DEMAT 1+) was used. Before the training there were no group differences between the training and control group regarding mathematical performance and overall intelligence. The training showed positive short-term effects for numerical competencies in the last kindergarten year (medium effect size). While trained children could significantly improve their mathematical competencies to an average level (from 34 to 41 t-value points), the performances of the untrained children stayed below average. Unfortunately, there were no significant intermediate effects for mathematical performance in the second half of the first grade. Regarding the diagnosis of dyscalculia as defined by the ICD-10, it was not possible to gather a sufficiently large sample in the first grade fulfilling the criteria to test differences between training and control groups. Methodological limitations of this study were the missing random allocation to treatment conditions, a large drop-out rate, and long testing periods. The preschool training that was used to stimulate numerical competencies contributed significantly toward improving numerical competencies in the short term. Further investigations will determine the long-term effects of the training in the second and third grade. This is particularly important because dyscalculia occurring from the second grade on is a stable phenomenon. KW - developmental dyscalculia KW - numerical competence KW - prevention KW - risk KW - specific developmental disorder KW - Rechenstörung KW - Zahlen- und Mengenverständnis KW - Prävention KW - Risiko KW - Umschriebene Entwicklungsstörung Y1 - 2017 U6 - https://doi.org/10.1026/0942-5403/a000242 SN - 0942-5403 SN - 2190-6246 VL - 27 IS - 1 SP - 31 EP - 42 PB - Hogrefe CY - Göttingen ER - TY - JOUR A1 - Jung, Janis Moritz A1 - Krahé, Barbara A1 - Bondue, Rebecca A1 - Esser, Günter A1 - Wyschkon, Anne T1 - Dynamic progression of antisocial behavior in childhood and adolescence BT - a three-wave longitudinal study from Germany JF - Applied Developmental Science N2 - This longitudinal study from Germany examined the dynamic progression of antisocial behavior in childhood and adolescence based on the social interactional model by Patterson, DeBaryshe, and Ramsey. It examined the link between antisocial behavior, social rejection, academic failure, and affiliation with deviant peers in a sample of 1,657 children and youths aged between 6 and 15 years who were studied at three measurement waves (T1 to T3) over a time period of about 5 years. Teachers rated the children on all variables, parents additionally provided ratings of antisocial behavior and social rejection. Latent structural equation modeling yielded the predicted positive paths from antisocial behavior at T1 to social rejection and academic failure at T2. As predicted, affiliation with deviant peers at T2 was positively associated with social rejection and academic failure at the same measurement point. Finally, affiliation with deviant peers at T2 significantly predicted antisocial behavior at T3. Y1 - 2016 U6 - https://doi.org/10.1080/10888691.2016.1219228 SN - 1088-8691 SN - 1532-480X VL - 22 IS - 1 SP - 74 EP - 88 PB - Routledge, Taylor & Francis Group CY - Abingdon ER - TY - JOUR A1 - Wyschkon, Anne A1 - Schulz, Franziska A1 - Gallit, Finja Sunnyi A1 - Poltz, Nadine A1 - Kohn-Henkel, Juliane A1 - Moraske, Svenja A1 - Bondue, Rebecca A1 - von Aster, Michael G. A1 - Esser, Günter T1 - 5-Jahres-Verlauf der LRS T1 - 5-year course of dyslexia BT - Stabilität, Geschlechtseffekte, Schriftsprachniveau und Schulerfolg BT - Persistence, sex effects, performance in reading and spelling, and school-related success JF - Zeitschrift für Kinder- und Jugendpsychiatrie und Psychotherapie N2 - Fragestellung: Untersucht wird der Verlauf von Kindern mit Lese-Rechtschreibstörungen (LRS) über gut 5 Jahre unter Berücksichtigung des Einflusses des Geschlechts der Betroffenen. Außerdem werden Auswirkungen der LRS auf das spätere Schriftsprachniveau und den Schulerfolg überprüft. Methodik: Eingangs wurden 995 Schüler zwischen 6 und 16 Jahren untersucht. Ein Teil dieser Kinder ist nach 43 sowie 63 Monaten nachuntersucht worden. Eine LRS wurde diagnostiziert, wenn für das Lesen bzw. Rechtschreiben das doppelte Diskrepanzkriterium von 1.5 Standardabweichungen zur nonverbalen Intelligenz und dem Mittelwert der Klassenstufe erfüllt war und gleichzeitig keine Minderbegabung vorlag. Ergebnisse: Die LRS weist über einen Zeitraum von 63 Monaten eine hohe Störungspersistenz von knapp 70 % auf. Der 5-Jahres-Verlauf der mittleren Lese- und Rechtschreibleistungen wurde nicht vom Geschlecht beeinflusst. Trotz durchschnittlicher Intelligenz blieben die LRS-Schüler in der Schriftsprache mindestens eine Standardabweichung hinter durchschnittlich und etwa 0.5 Standardabweichungseinheiten hinter unterdurchschnittlich intelligenten Kindern zurück. Der Schulerfolg der LRS-Schüler glich dem unterdurchschnittlich intelligenter Kinder und fiel deutlich schlechter aus als bei durchschnittlich intelligenten Kontrollkindern. Schlussfolgerungen: Eine LRS stellt ein erhebliches Entwicklungsrisiko dar, was frühzeitige Diagnostik- und Therapiemaßnahmen erfordert. Dafür sind reliable und im Hinblick auf die resultierenden Prävalenzraten sinnvolle, allgemein anerkannte Diagnosekriterien essenziell. N2 - Objective: The study examines the 5-year course of children with dyslexia with regard to their sex. Furthermore, the study investigates the impact of dyslexia on the performance in reading and spelling skills and school-related success. Method: A group of 995 6- to 16-year-olds were examined at the initial assessment. Part of the initial sample was then re-examined after 43 and 63 months. The diagnosis of dyslexia was based on the double discrepancy criterion using a standard deviation of 1.5. Though they had no intellectual deficits, the children showed a considerable discrepancy between their reading or writing abilities and (1) their nonverbal intelligence and (2) the mean of their grade norm. Results: Nearly 70 % of those examined had a persisting diagnosis of dyslexia over a period of 63 months. The 5-year course was not influenced by sex. Despite average intelligence, the performance in writing and spelling of children suffering from dyslexia was one standard deviation below a control group without dyslexia with average intelligence and 0.5 standard deviations below a group of children suffering from intellectual deficits. Furthermore, the school-related success of the dyslexics was significantly lower than those of children with average intelligence. Dyslexics showed similar school-related success rates to children suffering from intellectual deficits. Conclusions: Dyslexia represents a considerable developmental risk. The adverse impact of dyslexia on school-related success supports the importance of early diagnostics and intervention. It also underlines the need for reliable and general accepted diagnostic criteria. It is important to define such criteria in light of the prevalence rates. KW - dyslexia KW - discrepancy criterion KW - persistence KW - course KW - school-related success KW - Lese-Rechtschreibstörung KW - Diskreptanzdefinition KW - Stabilität KW - Verlauf KW - Schulerfolg Y1 - 2017 U6 - https://doi.org/10.1024/1422-4917/a000535 SN - 1422-4917 SN - 1664-2880 VL - 46 IS - 2 SP - 107 EP - 122 PB - Hogrefe CY - Bern ER - TY - JOUR A1 - Hohm, Erika A1 - Laucht, Manfred A1 - Zohsel, Katrin A1 - Schmidt, Martin H. A1 - Esser, Günter A1 - Brandeis, Daniel A1 - Banaschewski, Tobias T1 - Resilienz und Ressourcen im Verlauf der Entwicklung T1 - Resilience and Resources During Development BT - Von der frühen Kindheit bis zum Erwachsenenalter BT - From Early Childhood to Adulthood JF - Kindheit und Entwicklung N2 - Anhand von Daten der Mannheimer Risikokinderstudie, die sich mit der langfristigen Entwicklung von Kindern mit unterschiedlichen Risikobelastungen beschäftigt, wird gezeigt, wie Schutzfaktoren aufseiten des Kindes und seines familiären Umfelds im Verlauf der Entwicklung wirksam werden und zur Entstehung von Resilienz beitragen können. Eine besondere Rolle kommt dabei positiven frühen Eltern-Kind-Beziehungen zu (sowohl Mutter- als auch Vater-Kind-Interaktionen). Daneben spielen auch Interaktionserfahrungen im Alter von zwei Jahren des Kindes eine bedeutsame Rolle; diese schützen Risikokinder davor, eine ungünstige Entwicklung zu nehmen und tragen dazu bei, dass sich Kinder, die in psychosozialen Hochrisikofamilien aufwachsen, trotz ungünstiger „Startbedingungen“ positiv entwickeln. Neben Merkmalen der sozialen Umwelt nehmen auch sprachliche, sozial-emotionale und internale Kompetenzen des Kindes im Entwicklungsverlauf eine wichtige Rolle ein. Diese Kompetenzen ermöglichen es Risikokindern auch unter widrigen Lebensumständen (psychosoziale Hochrisikofamilien, Aufwachsen in Armutsverhältnissen) erfolgreich zu bestehen. Darüber hinaus zeigt die Arbeit, dass Resilienz ein Persönlichkeitsmerkmal ist, das ab dem frühen Erwachsenenalter eine hohe Stabilität besitzt. Mit diesen Befunden verweist die Arbeit auf die große Bedeutung der Resilienz bei der Vorhersage der langfristigen Entwicklung von Risikokindern. N2 - Resilience refers to the ability to successfully deal with stressful life circumstances and experiences and to cope with them. Based on data from the Mannheim Study of Children at Risk, which follows a sample of children at risk from birth to adulthood, the present paper provides convincing evidence demonstrating how protective factors in the child and his/her family environment operate during the course of development to contribute to the development of resilience. As shown, a major role is assigned to positive early parent–child relationships (both mother– and father–child interactions). Moreover, positive interactive experiences at the child’s age of 2 years play a significant role. These experiences consistently contribute to a positive child development in the face of adversity. In addition to characteristics of the social environment of the child, cognitive, social–emotional, and internal competencies during childhood, youth, and young adulthood play a major role in the development of resilience. These competencies enable children at risk who are growing up in psychosocial high-risk families or in poverty to successfully cope with conditions of high adversity. Moreover, the findings presented here demonstrate that resilience may be conceived as a personal characteristic that exhibits high stability since young adulthood. With these findings, the present study points to the significance of resilience in predicting the long-term outcome of children at risk. KW - protective factors KW - risk factors KW - longitudinal study KW - Mannheim Study of Children at Risk KW - early parent-child relationship KW - Schutzfaktoren KW - Risikofaktoren KW - Längsschnittstudie KW - Mannheimer Risikokinderstudie KW - frühe Eltern-Kind-Beziehung Y1 - 2018 U6 - https://doi.org/10.1026/0942-5403/a000236 SN - 0942-5403 SN - 2190-6246 VL - 26 SP - 230 EP - 239 PB - Hogrefe CY - Göttingen ER - TY - JOUR A1 - Hohm, Erika A1 - Zohsel, Katrin A1 - Schmidt, Martin H. A1 - Esser, Günter A1 - Brandeis, Daniel A1 - Banaschewski, Tobias A1 - Laucht, Manfred T1 - Beeinträchtigter Start ins Leben T1 - Impaired Start into Life BT - Langfristige Auswirkungen der postpartalen Depression und der Einfluss des mütterlichen Interaktionsverhaltens BT - Long-Term Effects of Postpartum Depression and the Role of Maternal Interactional Behavior JF - Kindheit und Entwicklung N2 - Postpartale Depressionen sind häufige und schwerwiegende psychische Erkrankungen mit ungünstigem Einfluss auf die kindliche Entwicklung. Als Haupttransmissionsweg gilt die frühe Mutter-Kind-Interaktion. Über die langfristigen Auswirkungen auf die Kinder im Erwachsenenalter und die Rolle der Interaktion liegen kaum Ergebnisse vor. Im Rahmen der Mannheimer Risikokinderstudie wurden postpartale Depressionen bis zwei Jahre nach der Geburt erfasst. Die kindliche Entwicklung wurde fortlaufend und die Mutter-Kind-Interaktion im Alter von 3 Monaten standardisiert erhoben. 28 Kinder postpartal depressiver und 107 Kinder gesunder Mütter konnten mit 25 Jahren untersucht werden. Beeinträchtigungen der kognitiven und psychischen Entwicklung bei Kindern postpartal depressiver Mütter waren bis ins Erwachsenenalter nachweisbar. Responsives bzw. sensitives mütterliches Verhalten wirkte der negativen Entwicklung entgegen. Dies betont die Bedeutung einer hohen Qualität der Mutter-Kind-Interaktion für die Entwicklung von Risikokindern. N2 - Postpartum depression (PPD) is a common and serious mental health problem with prevalence rates ranging from 13% to 19%, and is associated with an increased risk of adverse child development. PPD is characterized by symptoms common of depression, particularly by impairments of maternity, parenting, and mother-infant interactions. Several reviews suggest an impact on attachment, cognitive, behavioral, and health-related outcome in the offspring. However, the long-term effects of PPD regarding cognitive and mental development into adulthood and the underlying mechanisms, especially the role of maternal interactional behavior, are not yet well understood. In the Mannheim Study of Children at Risk, maternal depression was assessed when the child was 3 months and 2 years old. Development from infancy to young adulthood (25 years) was assessed at regular intervals in 28 children of postnatally depressed mothers and 107 children born to mentally healthy mothers. Cognitive outcome up to age 11 was measured using standardized instruments; in adulthood, school outcome was used approximately. Psychiatric diagnosis as well as symptom scores served as psychological outcome. At age 3 months, mothers and infants were videotaped during a nursing and a playing situation. Videotapes of the 10-min session were recorded and evaluated by trained raters (kappa > .83) using the Category System for Microanalysis of Early Mother Child Interaction (Esser, Scheven, et al., 1989). The cognitive as well as social-emotional outcome of children of mothers suffering from PPD was significantly poorer than in the children of mentally healthy mothers. The adverse effects were more pronounced during childhood. The offspring of postnatally depressed mothers who interacted in a responsive manner with their infant exhibited a better prognosis in contrast to those with mothers interacting less sensitively. This effect was observed with regard to cognitive development and symptoms of externalizing behavior at age 19 years. Regarding internalizing behavior, no impact of maternal behavior was detected. These findings emphasize the importance of high-quality early mother-child interaction in the development of children at risk. Furthermore, convincing arguments are given for very early specialized treatment of impaired mother-child interactions in mothers suffering from PPD. The PPD treatment should always comprise treatment of depression as well as treatment of the disturbed mother-child interaction. KW - postpartum depression KW - development KW - longitudinal study KW - Mannheim Study of Children at Risk KW - mother-child interaction KW - Postpartale+Depression KW - Entwicklung KW - Längsschnittstudie KW - Mannheimer+Risikokinderstudie KW - Mutter-Kind-Interaktion Y1 - 2017 U6 - https://doi.org/10.1026/0942-5403/a000234 SN - 0942-5403 SN - 2190-6246 VL - 26 SP - 210 EP - 220 PB - Hogrefe CY - Göttingen ER - TY - JOUR A1 - Kucian, Karin A1 - Zuber, Isabelle A1 - Kohn, Juliane A1 - Poltz, Nadine A1 - Wyschkon, Anne A1 - Esser, Günter A1 - von Aster, Michael G. T1 - Relation Between Mathematical Performance, Math Anxiety, and Affective Priming in Children With and Without Developmental Dyscalculia JF - Frontiers in psychology N2 - Many children show negative emotions related to mathematics and some even develop mathematics anxiety. The present study focused on the relation between negative emotions and arithmetical performance in children with and without developmental dyscalculia (DD) using an affective priming task. Previous findings suggested that arithmetic performance is influenced if an affective prime precedes the presentation of an arithmetic problem. In children with DD specifically, responses to arithmetic operations are supposed to be facilitated by both negative and mathematics-related primes (= negative math priming effect). We investigated mathematical performance, math anxiety, and the domain-general abilities of 172 primary school children (76 with DD and 96 controls). All participants also underwent an affective priming task which consisted of the decision whether a simple arithmetic operation (addition or subtraction) that was preceded by a prime (positive/negative/neutral or mathematics-related) was true or false. Our findings did not reveal a negative math priming effect in children with DD. Furthermore, when considering accuracy levels, gender, or math anxiety, the negative math priming effect could not be replicated. However, children with DD showed more math anxiety when explicitly assessed by a specific math anxiety interview and showed lower mathematical performance compared to controls. Moreover, math anxiety was equally present in boys and girls, even in the earliest stages of schooling, and interfered negatively with performance. In conclusion, mathematics is often associated with negative emotions that can be manifested in specific math anxiety, particularly in children with DD. Importantly, present findings suggest that in the assessed age group, it is more reliable to judge math anxiety and investigate its effects on mathematical performance explicitly by adequate questionnaires than by an affective math priming task. KW - developmental dyscalculia KW - mathematics KW - affective priming KW - calculation KW - arithmetic KW - anxiety KW - gender KW - children Y1 - 2018 U6 - https://doi.org/10.3389/fpsyg.2018.00263 SN - 1664-1078 VL - 9 PB - Frontiers Research Foundation CY - Lausanne ER - TY - JOUR A1 - Millenet, Sabina A1 - Laucht, Manfred A1 - Hohm, Erika A1 - Jennen-Steinmetz, Christine A1 - Hohmann, Sarah A1 - Schmidt, Martin H. A1 - Esser, Günter A1 - Banaschewski, Tobias A1 - Brandeis, Daniel A1 - Zohsel, Katrin T1 - Sex-specific trajectories of ADHD symptoms from adolescence to young adulthood JF - European child and adolescent psychiatry : offical journal of the European Society for Child and Adolescent Psychiatry N2 - Reports of current ADHD symptoms in adults with a childhood diagnosis of ADHD are often discrepant: While one subgroup reports a particularly high level of current ADHD symptoms, another reports—in contrast—a very low level. The reasons for this difference remain unclear. Although sex might play a moderating role, it has not yet been examined in this regard. In an epidemiological cohort study from birth to young adulthood, childhood ADHD diagnoses were assessed at the ages of 4.5, 8, and 11 years based on parent ratings. Sex-specific development of ADHD symptoms was analyzed from the age of 15 to 25 years via self-reported ADHD symptoms in participants with (n = 47) and without childhood ADHD (n = 289) using a random coefficient regression model. The congruence between parent reports and adolescents’ self-ratings was examined, and the role of childhood ADHD diagnosis, childhood OCC/CD, and childhood internalizing disorder as possible sex-specific predictors of self-reported ADHD symptoms at age 25 years was investigated. With regard to self-reported ADHD symptoms, females with a childhood ADHD diagnosis reported significantly more ADHD symptoms compared to females without childhood ADHD and males with and without ADHD throughout adolescence and young adulthood. In contrast, males with childhood ADHD did not differ from control males either at age 15 or at age 25 years. Only in females did a childhood diagnosis of an externalizing disorder (ADHD and CD/ODD) predict self-reported ADHD symptoms by age 25 years. Our findings suggest that self-reports of young adults with a childhood diagnosis of ADHD are influenced by sex. Specifically, females with childhood ADHD report increased levels of ADHD symptoms upon reaching adulthood. To correctly evaluate symptoms and impairment in this subgroup, other, more objective, sources of information may be advisable, such as neurophysiological measures. KW - ADHD KW - Sex KW - Self-report KW - Longitudinal study Y1 - 2018 U6 - https://doi.org/10.1007/s00787-018-1129-9 SN - 1018-8827 SN - 1435-165X VL - 27 IS - 8 SP - 1067 EP - 1075 PB - Springer CY - New York ER - TY - JOUR A1 - Esser, Günter A1 - Schmidt, Martin H. T1 - Die Mannheimer Risikokinderstudie T1 - The Mannheim Study of Children at Risk BT - Idee, Ziele und Design BT - Concept, Aims, and Design JF - Kindheit und Entwicklung N2 - Die Mannheimer Risikokinderstudie untersucht die psychische Entwicklung und ihre Störungen bei Kindern mit unterschiedlich ausgeprägten Risiken mit dem Ziel, Empfehlungen für die Verbesserung der Prävention, Früherkennung und Frühbehandlung von psychischen Störungen bei Kindern abzuleiten. Dazu begleitet sie eine Kohorte von anfangs 384 Kindern in ihrer Entwicklung von der Geburt bis zum Erwachsenenalter. Die Erhebungen fanden in regelmäßigen Abständen statt, beginnend im Alter von 3 Monaten, mit 2 Jahren, 4;6, 8, 11, 15, 19, 22, 23 und 25 Jahren. Geplant ist eine weitere Erhebung mit ca. 30 Jahren. N2 - The Mannheim Study of Children at Risk investigates psychological development and its disorders in children with different risks with the aim of delineating recommendations for improvements of prevention, early identification, and treatment of psychiatric disorders in children. Assessments are conducted at regular intervals, starting at the age of 3 months and then at 2, 4.5, 8, 11, 15, 19, 22, 23, and 25 years. The next assessment is planned for the age of about 30 years. KW - risk research KW - developmental psychopathology Y1 - 2017 U6 - https://doi.org/10.1026/0942-5403/a000232 SN - 0942-5403 SN - 2190-6246 VL - 26 SP - 198 EP - 202 PB - Hogrefe CY - Göttingen ER - TY - JOUR A1 - Meiser, Susanne A1 - Esser, Günter T1 - How dysfunctional are dysfunctional attitudes? BT - a threshold model of dysfunctional attitudes and depressive symptoms in children and adolescents JF - Cognitive Therapy and Research N2 - In order to clarify further the role of Beck’s vulnerability-stress model in the early development of depression, this longitudinal study tested a threshold model of dysfunctional attitudes in children and adolescents. An initially asymptomatic sample of 889 youths aged 9–18 years completed measures of dysfunctional attitudes and depressive symptoms. Twenty months later, participants reported stressful life events and current depressive symptoms. Results support a threshold view of cognitive vulnerability as only dysfunctional attitudes above a certain threshold significantly interacted with life events to predict depressive symptoms. Thus, findings suggest that dysfunctional attitudes must exceed a certain threshold to confer vulnerability to depressive symptomatology in youth. The term “dysfunctional” might therefore only apply to higher levels of the “dysfunctional attitudes” proposed by A. T. Beck. Results also indicate that studies using non-clinical samples may systematically underestimate the effect of dysfunctional attitudes when relying on conventional linear methods. KW - Cognitive vulnerability KW - Depression KW - Children KW - Adolescents KW - Dysfunctional attitudes KW - Threshold models Y1 - 2017 U6 - https://doi.org/10.1007/s10608-017-9842-0 SN - 0147-5916 SN - 1573-2819 VL - 41 SP - 730 EP - 744 PB - Springer CY - New York ER - TY - JOUR A1 - Holz, Nathalie E. A1 - Boecker-Schlier, Regina A1 - Jennen-Steinmetz, Christine A1 - Hohm, Erika A1 - Buchmann, Arlette F. A1 - Blomeyer, Dorothea A1 - Baumeister, Sarah A1 - Plichta, Michael M. A1 - Esser, Günter A1 - Schmidt, Martin A1 - Meyer-Lindenberg, Andreas A1 - Banaschewski, Tobias A1 - Brandeis, Daniel A1 - Laucht, Manfred T1 - Early maternal care may counteract familial liability for psychopathology in the reward circuitry JF - Social Cognitive and Affective Neuroscience N2 - Reward processing is altered in various psychopathologies and has been shown to be susceptible to genetic and environmental influences. Here, we examined whether maternal care may buffer familial risk for psychiatric disorders in terms of reward processing. Functional magnetic resonance imaging during a monetary incentive delay task was acquired in participants of an epidemiological cohort study followed since birth (N = 172, 25 years). Early maternal stimulation was assessed during a standardized nursing/playing setting at the age of 3 months. Parental psychiatric disorders (familial risk) during childhood and the participants’ previous psychopathology were assessed by diagnostic interview. With high familial risk, higher maternal stimulation was related to increasing activation in the caudate head, the supplementary motor area, the cingulum and the middle frontal gyrus during reward anticipation, with the opposite pattern found in individuals with no familial risk. In contrast, higher maternal stimulation was associated with decreasing caudate head activity during reward delivery and reduced levels of attention deficit hyperactivity disorder (ADHD) in the high-risk group. Decreased caudate head activity during reward anticipation and increased activity during delivery were linked to ADHD. These findings provide evidence of a long-term association of early maternal stimulation on both adult neurobiological systems of reward underlying externalizing behavior and ADHD during development. KW - maternal care KW - ADHD KW - ventral striatum KW - fMRI KW - resilience KW - aggression Y1 - 2018 U6 - https://doi.org/10.1093/scan/nsy087 SN - 1749-5016 SN - 1749-5024 VL - 13 IS - 11 SP - 1191 EP - 1201 PB - Oxford Univ. Press CY - Oxford ER - TY - JOUR A1 - Meiser, Susanne A1 - Esser, Günter T1 - Interpersonal Stress Generation-A Girl Problem? BT - The Role of Depressive Symptoms, Dysfunctional Attitudes, and Gender in Early Adolescent Stress Generation JF - Journal of early adolescence N2 - To provide further insight into stress generation patterns in boys and girls around puberty, this study investigated longitudinal reciprocal relations between depressive symptoms, dysfunctional attitudes, and stress generation, the process by which individuals contribute to the occurrence of stress in interpersonal contexts (e.g., problematic social interactions) or in noninterpersonal contexts (e.g., achievement problems). A community sample of N = 924 German children and early adolescents (51.8% male) completed depressive symptoms and dysfunctional attitudes measures at T1 and again 20 months later (T2). Stressful life events were reported at T2. Dysfunctional attitudes were unrelated to stress generation. Interpersonal, but not noninterpersonal, dependent stress partially mediated the relationship between initial and later depressive symptoms, with girls being more likely to generate interpersonal stress in response to depressive symptoms. Findings underscore the role of interpersonal stress generation in the early development of depressive symptomatology, and in the gender difference in depression prevalence emerging around puberty. KW - stress generation KW - depression KW - dysfunctional attitudes KW - children and adolescents KW - gender differences Y1 - 2017 U6 - https://doi.org/10.1177/0272431617725197 SN - 0272-4316 SN - 1552-5449 VL - 39 IS - 1 SP - 41 EP - 66 PB - Sage Publ. CY - Thousand Oaks ER - TY - JOUR A1 - Tetzner, Julia A1 - Kliegl, Reinhold A1 - Krahé, Barbara A1 - Busching, Robert A1 - Esser, Günter T1 - Developmental problems in adolescence BT - a person-centered analysis across time and domains JF - Journal of Applied Developmental Psychology N2 - This longitudinal study investigated patterns of developmental problems across depression, aggression, and academic achievement during adolescence, using two measurement points two years apart (N = 1665; age T1: M = 13.14; female = 49.6%). Latent Profile Analyses and Latent Transition Analyses yielded four main findings: A three-type solution provided the best fit to the data: an asymptomatic type (i.e., low problem scores in all three domains), a depressed type (i.e., high scores in depression), an aggressive type (i.e., high scores in aggression). Profile types were invariant over the two data waves but differed between girls and boys, revealing gender specific patterns of comorbidity. Stabilities over time were high for the asymptomatic type and for types that represented problems in one domain, but moderate for comorbid types. Differences in demographic variables (i.e., age, socio-economic status) and individual characteristics (i.e., self-esteem, dysfunctional cognitions, cognitive capabilities) predicted profile type memberships and longitudinal transitions between types. KW - Adolescence KW - Person-centered approach KW - Depression KW - Aggression KW - Academic achievement Y1 - 2017 U6 - https://doi.org/10.1016/j.appdev.2017.08.003 SN - 0193-3973 SN - 1873-7900 VL - 53 SP - 40 EP - 53 PB - Elsevier CY - New York ER - TY - JOUR A1 - Kohn, Juliane A1 - Rauscher, Larissa A1 - Kucian, Karin A1 - Käser, Tanja A1 - Wyschkon, Anne A1 - Esser, Günter A1 - von Aster, Michael G. T1 - Efficacy of a Computer-Based Learning Program in Children With Developmental Dyscalculia BT - What Influences Individual Responsiveness? JF - Frontiers in Psychology N2 - This study presents the evaluation of a computer-based learning program for children with developmental dyscalculia and focuses on factors affecting individual responsiveness. The adaptive training program Calcularis 2.0 has been developed according to current neuro-cognitive theory of numerical cognition. It aims to automatize number representations, supports the formation and access to the mental number line and trains arithmetic operations as well as arithmetic fact knowledge in expanding number ranges. Sixty-seven children with developmental dyscalculia from second to fifth grade (mean age 8.96 years) were randomly assigned to one of two groups (Calcularis group, waiting control group). Training duration comprised a minimum of 42 training sessions à 20 min within a maximum period of 13 weeks. Compared to the waiting control group, children of the Calcularis group demonstrated a higher benefit in arithmetic operations and number line estimation. These improvements were shown to be stable after a 3-months post training interval. In addition, this study examines which predictors accounted for training improvements. Results indicate that this self-directed training was especially beneficial for children with low math anxiety scores and without an additional reading and/or spelling disorder. In conclusion, Calcularis 2.0 supports children with developmental dyscalculia to improve their arithmetical abilities and their mental number line representation. However, it is relevant to further adapt the setting to the individual circumstances. KW - developmental dyscalculia KW - mathematics instruction KW - computer-based training KW - intelligent tutoring system (ITS) KW - numerical development KW - evaluative study KW - primary school Y1 - 2019 U6 - https://doi.org/10.3389/fpsyg.2020.01115 SN - 1664-1078 VL - 11 PB - Frontiers Research Foundation CY - Lausanne ER - TY - JOUR A1 - Boecker-Schlier, Regina A1 - Holz, Nathalie E. A1 - Hohm, Erika A1 - Zohsel, Katrin A1 - Blomeyer, Dorothea A1 - Buchmann, Arlette F. A1 - Baumeister, Sarah A1 - Wolf, Isabella A1 - Esser, Günter A1 - Schmidt, Martin H. A1 - Meyer-Lindenberg, Andreas A1 - Banaschewski, Tobias A1 - Brandeis, Daniel A1 - Laucht, Manfred T1 - Association between pubertal stage at first drink and neural reward processing in early adulthood JF - Addiction biology N2 - Puberty is a critical time period during human development. It is characterized by high levels of risk-taking behavior, such as increased alcohol consumption, and is accompanied by various neurobiological changes. Recent studies in animals and humans have revealed that the pubertal stage at first drink (PSFD) significantly impacts drinking behavior in adulthood. Moreover, neuronal alterations of the dopaminergic reward system have been associated with alcohol abuse or addiction. This study aimed to clarify the impact of PSFD on neuronal characteristics of reward processing linked to alcohol-related problems. One hundred sixty-eight healthy young adults from a prospective study covering 25 years participated in a monetary incentive delay task measured with simultaneous EEG-fMRI. PSFD was determined according to the age at menarche or Tanner stage of pubertal development, respectively. Alcohol-related problems in early adulthood were assessed with the Alcohol Use Disorder Identification Test (AUDIT). During reward anticipation, decreased fMRI activation of the frontal cortex and increased preparatory EEG activity (contingent negative variation) occurred with pubertal compared to postpubertal first alcohol intake. Moreover, alcohol-related problems during early adulthood were increased in pubertal compared to postpubertal beginners, which was mediated by neuronal activation of the right medial frontal gyrus. At reward delivery, increased fMRI activation of the left caudate and higher feedback-related EEG negativity were detected in pubertal compared to postpubertal beginners. Together with animal findings, these results implicate PSFD as a potential modulator of psychopathology, involving altered reward anticipation. Both PSFD timing and reward processing might thus be potential targets for early prevention and intervention. KW - alcohol-related problems KW - electroencephalography KW - functional magnetic resonance imaging KW - puberty KW - reward processing Y1 - 2017 U6 - https://doi.org/10.1111/adb.12413 SN - 1355-6215 SN - 1369-1600 VL - 22 SP - 1402 EP - 1415 PB - Wiley CY - Hoboken ER - TY - JOUR A1 - Bondü, Rebecca A1 - Sahyazici-Knaak, Fidan A1 - Esser, Günter T1 - Long-Term Associations of Justice Sensitivity, Rejection Sensitivity, and Depressive Symptoms in Children and Adolescents JF - Frontiers in psychology N2 - Depressive symptoms have been related to anxious rejection sensitivity, but little is known about relations with angry rejection sensitivity and justice sensitivity. We measured rejection sensitivity, justice sensitivity, and depressive symptoms in 1,665 9-to-21-year olds at two points of measurement. Participants with high T1 levels of depressive symptoms reported higher anxious and angry rejection sensitivity and higher justice sensitivity than controls at T1 and T2. T1 rejection, but not justice sensitivity predicted T2 depressive symptoms; high victim justice sensitivity, however, added to the stabilization of depressive symptoms. T1 depressive symptoms positively predicted T2 anxious and angry rejection and victim justice sensitivity. Hence, sensitivity toward negative social cues may be cause and consequence of depressive symptoms and requires consideration in cognitive-behavioral treatment of depression. KW - justice sensitivity KW - rejection sensitivity KW - depressive symptoms KW - childhood KW - adolescence Y1 - 2017 U6 - https://doi.org/10.3389/fpsyg.2017.01446 SN - 1664-1078 VL - 8 PB - Frontiers Research Foundation CY - Lausanne ER - TY - JOUR A1 - Holz, Nathalie A1 - Boecker-Schlier, Regina A1 - Buchmann, Arlette F. A1 - Blomeyer, Dorothea A1 - Baumeister, Sarah A1 - Hohmann, Sarah A1 - Jennen-Steinmetz, Christine A1 - Wolf, Isabella A1 - Rietschel, Marcella A1 - Witt, Stephanie H. A1 - Plichta, Michael M. A1 - Meyer-Lindenberg, Andreas A1 - Schmidt, Martin H. A1 - Esser, Günter A1 - Banaschewski, Tobias A1 - Brandeis, Daniel A1 - Laucht, Manfred T1 - Evidence for a Sex-Dependent MAOAx Childhood Stress Interaction in the Neural Circuitry of Aggression JF - Cerebral cortex N2 - Converging evidence emphasizes the role of an interaction between monoamine oxidase A (MAOA) genotype, environmental adversity, and sex in the pathophysiology of aggression. The present study aimed to clarify the impact of this interaction on neural activity in aggression-related brain systems. Functional magnetic resonance imaging was performed in 125 healthy adults from a high-risk community sample followed since birth. DNA was genotyped for the MAOA-VNTR (variable number of tandem repeats). Exposure to childhood life stress (CLS) between the ages of 4 and 11 years was assessed using a standardized parent interview, aggression by the Youth/Young Adult Self-Report between the ages of 15 and 25 years, and the VIRA-R (Vragenlijst Instrumentele En Reactieve Agressie) at the age of 15 years. Significant interactions were obtained between MAOA genotype, CLS, and sex relating to amygdala, hippocampus, and anterior cingulate cortex (ACC) response, respectively. Activity in the amygdala and hippocampus during emotional face-matching increased with the level of CLS in male MAOA-L, while decreasing in male MAOA-H, with the reverse pattern present in females. Findings in the opposite direction in the ACC during a flanker NoGo task suggested that increased emotional activity coincided with decreased inhibitory control. Moreover, increasing amygdala activity was associated with higher Y(A)SR aggression in male MAOA-L and female MAOA-H carriers. Likewise, a significant association between amygdala activity and reactive aggression was detected in female MAOA-H carriers. The results point to a moderating role of sex in the MAOAx CLS interaction for intermediate phenotypes of emotional and inhibitory processing, suggesting a possible mechanism in conferring susceptibility to violence-related disorders. KW - aggression KW - amygdala KW - fMRI KW - life stress KW - MAOA Y1 - 2016 U6 - https://doi.org/10.1093/cercor/bhu249 SN - 1047-3211 SN - 1460-2199 VL - 26 SP - 904 EP - 914 PB - Oxford Univ. Press CY - Cary ER - TY - JOUR A1 - Holz, Nathalie E. A1 - Boecker-Schlier, Regina A1 - Jennen-Steinmetz, Christine A1 - Buchmann, Arlette F. A1 - Blomeyer, Dorothea A1 - Baumeister, Sarah A1 - Plichta, Michael M. A1 - Esser, Günter A1 - Schmidt, Martin A1 - Meyer-Lindenberg, Andreas A1 - Banaschewski, Tobias A1 - Brandeis, Daniel A1 - Laucht, Manfred T1 - Positive coping styles and perigenual ACC volume: two related mechanisms for conferring resilience? JF - Frontiers in human neuroscience N2 - Stress exposure has been linked to increased rates of depression and anxiety in adults, particularly in females, and has been associated with maladaptive changes in the anterior cingulate cortex (ACC), which is an important brain structure involved in internalizing disorders. Coping styles are important mediators of the stress reaction by establishing homeostasis, and may thus confer resilience to stress-related psychopathology. Anatomical scans were acquired in 181 healthy participants at age 25 years. Positive coping styles were determined using a self-report questionnaire (German Stress Coping Questionnaire, SVF78) at age 22 years. Adult anxiety and depression symptoms were assessed at ages 22, 23 and 25 years with the Young Adult Self-Report. Information on previous internalizing diagnoses was obtained by diagnostic interview (2-19 years). Positive coping styles were associated with increased ACC volume. ACC volume and positive coping styles predicted anxiety and depression in a sex-dependent manner with increased positive coping and ACC volume being related to lower levels of psychopathology in females, but not in males. These results remained significant when controlled for previous internalizing diagnoses. These findings indicate that positive coping styles and ACC volume are two linked mechanisms, which may serve as protective factors against internalizing disorders. KW - coping styles KW - perigenual anterior cingulate cortex KW - resilience KW - anxiety disorders KW - mood disorders Y1 - 2016 U6 - https://doi.org/10.1093/scan/nsw005 SN - 1749-5016 SN - 1749-5024 VL - 11 SP - 813 EP - 820 PB - Oxford Univ. Press CY - Oxford ER - TY - JOUR A1 - Zohsel, Katrin A1 - Baldus, Christiane A1 - Schmidt, Martin H. A1 - Esser, Günter A1 - Banaschewski, Tobias A1 - Thomasius, Rainer A1 - Laucht, Manfred T1 - Predicting later problematic cannabis use from psychopathological symptoms during childhood and adolescence: Results of a 25-year longitudinal study JF - Drug and alcohol dependence : an international journal on biomedical and psychosocial approaches N2 - Background: Cannabis is the most commonly used illegal substance among adolescents and young adults. Problematic cannabis use is often associated with comorbid psychopathological problems. The purpose of the current study was to elucidate the underlying developmental processes connecting externalizing and internalizing psychopathology in childhood and adolescence with problematic cannabis use in young adulthood. Methods: Data were drawn from the Mannheim Study of Children at Risk, an ongoing epidemiological cohort study from birth to adulthood. For n = 307 participants, symptom scores of conduct/oppositional defiant disorder, attention problems, hyperactivity/impulsivity, and internalizing disorders were available for the periods of childhood (4.5-11 years) and adolescence (15 years). At age 25 years, problematic cannabis use was assessed via clinical interview and a self-rating questionnaire. Results: At age 25 years, problematic cannabis use was identified in n = 28 participants (9.1%). Childhood conduct/oppositional behavior problems were predictive of problematic cannabis use during young adulthood when comorbid symptoms were controlled for. No such effect was found for childhood attention, hyperactivity/impulsivity or internalizing problems. With respect to psychopathological symptoms during adolescence, only attention problems were significantly related to later problematic cannabis use when controlling for comorbidity. Conclusions: The current study highlights the role of conduct/oppositional behavior problems during childhood and attention problems during adolescence in later problematic cannabis use. It sheds more light on the developmental sequence of childhood and adolescence psychopathology and young adult cannabis use, which is a prerequisite for effective prevention approaches. (C) 2016 Elsevier Ireland Ltd. All rights reserved. KW - Problematic cannabis use KW - Externalizing behavior KW - Internalizing behavior KW - Childhood KW - Adolescence Y1 - 2016 U6 - https://doi.org/10.1016/j.drugalcdep.2016.04.012 SN - 0376-8716 SN - 1879-0046 VL - 163 SP - 251 EP - 255 PB - Elsevier CY - Clare ER - TY - JOUR A1 - Rauscher, Larissa A1 - Kohn, Juliane A1 - Käser, Tanja A1 - Mayer, Verena A1 - Kucian, Karin A1 - McCaskey, Ursina A1 - Esser, Günter A1 - von Aster, Michael G. T1 - Evaluation of a Computer-Based Training Program for Enhancing Arithmetic Skills and Spatial Number Representation in Primary School Children JF - Frontiers in psychology N2 - Calcularis is a computer-based training program which focuses on basic numerical skills, spatial representation of numbers and arithmetic operations. The program includes a user model allowing flexible adaptation to the child's individual knowledge and learning profile. The study design to evaluate the training comprises three conditions (Calcularis group, waiting control group, spelling training group). One hundred and thirty-eight children from second to fifth grade participated in the study. Training duration comprised a minimum of 24 training sessions of 20 min within a time period of 6–8 weeks. Compared to the group without training (waiting control group) and the group with an alternative training (spelling training group), the children of the Calcularis group demonstrated a higher benefit in subtraction and number line estimation with medium to large effect sizes. Therefore, Calcularis can be used effectively to support children in arithmetic performance and spatial number representation. KW - numerical development KW - evaluative study KW - primary school KW - computer-based training KW - mathematics instruction Y1 - 2016 U6 - https://doi.org/10.3389/fpsyg.2016.00913 SN - 1664-1078 VL - 7 SP - 14086 EP - 14099 PB - Frontiers Research Foundation CY - Lausanne ER - TY - JOUR A1 - Hohmann, Sarah A1 - Zohsel, Katrin A1 - Buchmann, Arlette F. A1 - Blomeyer, Dorothea A1 - Holz, Nathalie A1 - Boecker-Schlier, Regina A1 - Jennen-Steinmetz, Christine A1 - Rietschel, Marcella A1 - Witt, Stephanie H. A1 - Schmidt, Martin H. A1 - Esser, Günter A1 - Meyer-Lindenberg, Andreas A1 - Banaschewski, Tobias A1 - Brandeis, Daniel A1 - Hohm, Erika A1 - Laucht, Manfred T1 - Interacting effect of MAOA genotype and maternal prenatal smoking on aggressive behavior in young adulthood JF - Journal of neural transmission N2 - Findings on the etiology of aggressive behavior have provided evidence for an effect both of genetic factors, such as variation in the monoamine oxidase A (MAOA) gene, and adverse environmental factors. Recent studies have supported the existence of gene × environment interactions, with early experiences playing a key role. In the present study, the effects of prenatal nicotine exposure, MAOA genotype and their interaction on aggressive behavior during young adulthood were examined. In a sample of 272 young adults (129 males, 143 females) from an epidemiological cohort study, smoking during pregnancy was measured with a standardized parent interview at the offspring’s age of 3 months. Aggressive behavior was assessed between the ages of 19 and 25 years using the Young Adult Self-Report. DNA was genotyped for the MAOA 5′ untranslated region variable number of tandem repeats polymorphism (VNTR). Results revealed a significant interaction between MAOA and smoking during pregnancy, indicating higher levels of aggressive behavior in young adults carrying the MAOA low-expressing genotype who had experienced prenatal nicotine exposure (n = 8, p = .025). In contrast, in carriers of the MAOA high-expressing genotype, maternal smoking during pregnancy had no effect on aggressive behavior during young adulthood (n = 20, p = .145). This study extends earlier findings demonstrating an interaction between MAOA genotype and prenatal nicotine exposure on aggressive behavior into young adulthood. The results point to the long-term adverse effects of smoking during pregnancy on the offspring’s mental health, possibly underlining the importance of smoking cessation during pregnancy. According to the nature of the study (particularly sample size and power), analyses are exploratory and results need to be interpreted cautiously. KW - MAOA KW - Smoking during pregnancy KW - Interaction KW - Aggression KW - Longitudinal KW - Young adulthood Y1 - 2016 U6 - https://doi.org/10.1007/s00702-016-1582-x SN - 0300-9564 SN - 1435-1463 VL - 123 SP - 885 EP - 894 PB - Springer CY - Wien ER - TY - JOUR A1 - Höse, Anna A1 - Wyschkon, Anne A1 - Moraske, Svenja A1 - Eggeling, Marie A1 - Quandte, Sabine A1 - Kohn, Juliane A1 - Poltz, Nadine A1 - von Aster, Michael G. A1 - Esser, Günter T1 - Prevention of dyslexia short-term and intermediate effects of promoting phonological awareness and letter-sound correspondence with at-risk preschool children JF - Zeitschrift für Kinder- und Jugendpsychiatrie und Psychotherapie N2 - Objective: This study assesses the short-term and intermediate effects of preschool training stimulating phonological awareness and letter-sound correspondence for children at risk of developing dyslexia. Moreover, we examined whether training reduced the frequency of subsequent dyslexic problems. Method: 25 children at risk of developing dyslexia were trained with Horen, Lauschen, Lernen 1 und 2 (Kuspert & Schneider, 2008; Plume & Schneider, 2004) by their kindergarten teachers and were compared with 60 untrained at-risk children. Results:The training revealed a significant short-term effect: The phonological awareness of trained at-risk children increased significantly over that of untrained at-risk children. However, there were no differences in phonological awareness, spelling, and reading ability between the first-graders in the training and control group. Furthermore, reading problems were reduced in the training group. Conclusions: In the future, phonological awareness as well as additional predictors should be included when identifying children vulnerable to developing dyslexia. Moreover, in order to prevent dyslexia, additional prerequisite deficits need to be identified, alleviated, and their effects evaluated. KW - developmental dyslexia KW - phonological awareness KW - prevention KW - risk KW - specific developmental disorder Y1 - 2016 U6 - https://doi.org/10.1024/1422-4917/a000456 SN - 1422-4917 SN - 1664-2880 VL - 44 SP - 377 EP - 391 PB - Hogrefe CY - Bern ER - TY - JOUR A1 - Klein, Angela Ines A1 - Kruegel, Andre A1 - Risse, Sarah A1 - Esser, Günter A1 - Engbert, Ralf A1 - Pereira, Vera Wannmacher T1 - The processing of pronominal anaphora by children that have attention deficit hyperactivity disorder or dyslexia: a study through the analysis of eye movements JF - Letras de hoje N2 - The aim of this work was to verify the processing of pronominal anaphora by children that have attention deficit hyperactivity disorder or dyslexia. The sample studied consisted of 75 children that speak German, which read two texts of 80 words containing pronominal anaphora. The eye movements of all participants were recorded and, to make sure they were reading with attention, two activities that tested reading comprehension were proposed. Through the analysis of eye movements, specifically the fixations, the data indicate that children with disorders have difficulty to process the pronominal anaphora, especially dyslexic children. KW - ADHD KW - Dyslexia KW - Reading comprehension KW - Eye movements KW - Pronominal anaphora Y1 - 2015 SN - 0101-3335 SN - 1984-7726 VL - 50 IS - 1 SP - 40 EP - 48 PB - PUCRS CY - Porto Alegre ER - TY - JOUR A1 - Graefen, Johanna A1 - Kohn, Juliane A1 - Wyschkon, Anne A1 - Esser, Günter T1 - Internalizing problems in children and adolescents with math disability JF - Zeitschrift für Psychologie = Journal of psychology N2 - Research has shown that learning disabilities are associated with internalizing problems in (pre) adolescents. In order to examine this relationship for math disability (MD), math achievement and internalizing problem scores were measured in a representative group of 1,436 (pre) adolescents. MD was defined by a discrepancy between math achievement and IQ. Internalizing problems were measured through a multi-informant (parents, teachers, self-report) approach. The results revealed that MD puts (pre) adolescents at a higher risk for internalizing problems. External and self-ratings differed between boys and girls, indicating that either they show distinct internalizing symptoms or they are being perceived differently by parents and teachers. Results emphasize the importance of both a multi-informant approach and the consideration of gender differences when measuring internalizing symptomatology of children with MD. For an optimal treatment of MD, depressive and anxious symptoms need to be considered. KW - math disability KW - internalizing problems KW - comorbidities KW - adolescence Y1 - 2015 U6 - https://doi.org/10.1027/2151-2604/a000207 SN - 2190-8370 SN - 2151-2604 VL - 223 IS - 2 SP - 93 EP - 101 PB - Hogrefe CY - Göttingen ER - TY - JOUR A1 - Bondü, Rebecca A1 - Esser, Günter T1 - Justice and rejection sensitivity in children and adolescents with ADHD symptoms JF - European child and adolescent psychiatry : offical journal of the European Society for Child and Adolescent Psychiatry N2 - Justice sensitivity captures individual differences in the frequency with which injustice is perceived and the intensity of emotional, cognitive, and behavioral reactions to it. Persons with ADHD have been reported to show high justice sensitivity, and a recent study provided evidence for this notion in an adult sample. In 1,235 German 10- to 19-year olds, we measured ADHD symptoms, justice sensitivity from the victim, observer, and perpetrator perspective, the frequency of perceptions of injustice, anxious and angry rejection sensitivity, depressive symptoms, conduct problems, and self-esteem. Participants with ADHD symptoms reported significantly higher victim justice sensitivity, more perceptions of injustice, and higher anxious and angry rejection sensitivity, but significantly lower perpetrator justice sensitivity than controls. In latent path analyses, justice sensitivity as well as rejection sensitivity partially mediated the link between ADHD symptoms and comorbid problems when considered simultaneously. Thus, both justice sensitivity and rejection sensitivity may contribute to explaining the emergence and maintenance of problems typically associated with ADHD symptoms, and should therefore be considered in ADHD therapy. KW - ADHD KW - Justice sensitivity KW - Rejection sensitivity KW - Conduct problems KW - Depressive symptoms Y1 - 2015 U6 - https://doi.org/10.1007/s00787-014-0560-9 SN - 1018-8827 SN - 1435-165X VL - 24 IS - 2 SP - 185 EP - 198 PB - Springer CY - New York ER - TY - JOUR A1 - Kuhlmann, Sophie Merle A1 - Bürger, Arne A1 - Esser, Günter A1 - Hammerle, Florian T1 - A mindfulness-based stress prevention training for medical students (MediMind): study protocol for a randomized controlled trial JF - Trials N2 - Background: Medical training is very demanding and associated with a high prevalence of psychological distress. Compared to the general population, medical students are at a greater risk of developing a psychological disorder. Various attempts of stress management training in medical school have achieved positive results on minimizing psychological distress; however, there are often limitations. Therefore, the use of a rigorous scientific method is needed. The present study protocol describes a randomized controlled trial to examine the effectiveness of a specifically developed mindfulness-based stress prevention training for medical students that includes selected elements of cognitive behavioral strategies (MediMind). Methods/Design: This study protocol presents a prospective randomized controlled trial, involving four assessment time points: baseline, post-intervention, one-year follow-up and five-year follow-up. The aims include evaluating the effect on stress, coping, psychological morbidity and personality traits with validated measures. Participants are allocated randomly to one of three conditions: MediMind, Autogenic Training or control group. Eligible participants are medical or dental students in the second or eighth semester of a German university. They form a population of approximately 420 students in each academic term. A final total sample size of 126 (at five-year follow-up) is targeted. The trainings (MediMind and Autogenic Training) comprise five weekly sessions lasting 90 minutes each. MediMind will be offered to participants of the control group once the five-year follow-up is completed. The allotment is randomized with a stratified allocation ratio by course of studies, semester, and gender. After descriptive statistics have been evaluated, inferential statistical analysis will be carried out with a repeated measures ANOVA-design with interactions between time and group. Effect sizes will be calculated using partial.-square values. Discussion: Potential limitations of this study are voluntary participation and the risk of attrition, especially concerning participants that are allocated to the control group. Strengths are the study design, namely random allocation, follow-up assessment, the use of control groups and inclusion of participants at different stages of medical training with the possibility of differential analysis. Y1 - 2015 U6 - https://doi.org/10.1186/s13063-014-0533-9 SN - 1745-6215 VL - 16 PB - BioMed Central CY - London ER - TY - JOUR A1 - Holz, Nathalie E. A1 - Boecker-Schlier, Regina A1 - Hohm, Erika A1 - Zohsel, Katrin A1 - Buchmann, Arlette F. A1 - Blomeyer, Dorothea A1 - Jennen-Steinmetz, Christine A1 - Baumeister, Sarah A1 - Hohmann, Sarah A1 - Wolf, Isabella A1 - Plichta, Michael M. A1 - Esser, Günter A1 - Schmidt, Martin A1 - Meyer-Lindenberg, Andreas A1 - Banaschewski, Tobias A1 - Brandeis, Daniel A1 - Laucht, Manfred T1 - The Long-Term Impact of Early Life Poverty on Orbitofrontal Cortex Volume in Adulthood: Results from a Prospective Study Over 25 Years JF - Neuropsychopharmacology : official publication of the American College of Neuropsychopharmacology N2 - Converging evidence has highlighted the association between poverty and conduct disorder (CD) without specifying neurobiological pathways. Neuroimaging research has emphasized structural and functional alterations in the orbitofrontal cortex (OFC) as one key mechanism underlying this disorder. The present study aimed to clarify the long-term influence of early poverty on OFC volume and its association with CD symptoms in healthy participants of an epidemiological cohort study followed since birth. At age 25 years, voxel-based morphometry was applied to study brain volume differences. Poverty (0 = non-exposed (N = 134), I = exposed (N = 33)) and smoking during pregnancy were determined using a standardized parent interview, and information on maternal responsiveness was derived from videotaped mother infant interactions at the age of 3 months. CD symptoms were assessed by diagnostic interview from 8 to 19 years of age. Information on life stress was acquired at each assessment and childhood maltreatment was measured using retrospective self-report at the age of 23 years. Analyses were adjusted for sex, parental psychopathology and delinquency, obstetric adversity, parental education, and current poverty. Individuals exposed to early life poverty exhibited a lower OFC volume. Moreover, we replicated previous findings of increased CD symptoms as a consequence of childhood poverty. This effect proved statistically mediated by OFC volume and exposure to life stress and smoking during pregnancy, but not by childhood maltreatment and maternal responsiveness. These findings underline the importance of studying the impact of early life adversity on brain alterations and highlight the need for programs to decrease income-related disparities. Y1 - 2015 U6 - https://doi.org/10.1038/npp.2014.277 SN - 0893-133X SN - 1740-634X VL - 40 IS - 4 SP - 996 EP - 1004 PB - Nature Publ. Group CY - London ER - TY - JOUR A1 - Buchmann, Arlette F. A1 - Hohm, Erika A1 - Witt, Stephanie H. A1 - Blomeyer, Dorothea A1 - Jennen-Steinmetz, Christine A1 - Schmidt, Martin H. A1 - Esser, Günter A1 - Banaschewski, Tobias A1 - Brandeis, Daniel A1 - Laucht, Manfred T1 - Role of CNR1 polymorphisms in moderating the effects of psychosocial adversity on impulsivity in adolescents JF - Journal of neural transmission N2 - Enhanced endocannabinoid signaling has been implicated in typically adolescent behavioral features such as increased risk-taking, impulsivity and novelty seeking. Research investigating the impact of genetic variants in the cannabinoid receptor 1 gene (CNR1) and of early rearing conditions has demonstrated that both factors contribute to the prediction of impulsivity-related phenotypes. The present study aimed to test the hypothesis of an interaction of the two most studied CNR1 polymorphisms rs806379 and rs1049353 with early psychosocial adversity in terms of affecting impulsivity in 15-year-olds from an epidemiological cohort sample followed since birth. In 323 adolescents (170 girls, 153 boys), problems of impulse control and novelty seeking were assessed using parent-report and self-report, respectively. Exposure to early psychosocial adversity was determined in a parent interview conducted at the age of 3 months. The results indicated that impulsivity increased following exposure to early psychosocial adversity, with this increase being dependent on CNR1 genotype. In contrast, while individuals exposed to early adversity scored higher on novelty seeking, no significant impact of genotype or the interaction thereof was detected. This is the first evidence to suggest that the interaction of CNR1 gene variants with the experience of early life adversity may play a role in determining adolescent impulsive behavior. However, given that the reported findings are obtained in a high-risk community sample, results are restricted in terms of interpretation and generalization. Future research is needed to replicate these findings and to identify the mediating mechanisms underlying this effect. KW - CNR1 KW - Impulsivity KW - Early psychosocial adversity KW - Adolescence Y1 - 2015 U6 - https://doi.org/10.1007/s00702-014-1266-3 SN - 0300-9564 SN - 1435-1463 VL - 122 IS - 3 SP - 455 EP - 463 PB - Springer CY - Wien ER - TY - JOUR A1 - Hohmann, Sarah A1 - Hohm, Erika A1 - Treutlein, Jens A1 - Blomeyer, Dorothea A1 - Jennen-Steinmetz, Christine A1 - Schmidt, Martin H. A1 - Esser, Günter A1 - Banaschewski, Tobias A1 - Brandeis, Daniel A1 - Laucht, Manfred T1 - Association of norepinephrine transporter (NET, SLC6A2) genotype with ADHD-related phenotypes: Findings of a longitudinal study from birth to adolescence JF - Psychiatry research : the official publication of the International Society for Neuroimaging in Psychiatry N2 - Variation in the gene encoding for the norepinephrine transporter (NET, SLC6A2) has repeatedly been linked with ADHD, although there is some inconsistency regarding the association with specific genes. The variants for which most consistent association has been found are the NET variants rs3785157 and rs28386840. Here, we tested for their association with ADHD diagnosis and ADHD-related phenotypes during development in a longitudinal German community sample. Children were followed from age 4 to age 15, using diagnostic interviews to assess ADHD. Between the ages of 8 and 15 years, the Child Behavior Checklist (CBCL) was administered to the primary caregivers. The continuous performance task (CPT) was performed at age 15. Controlling for possible confounders, we found that homozygous carriers of the major A allele of the functional promoter variant rs28386840 displayed a higher rate of ADHD lifetime diagnosis. Moreover, homozygous carriers of the minor T allele of rs3785157 were more likely to develop ADHD and showed higher scores on the CBCL externalizing behavior scales. Additionally, we found that individuals heterozygous for rs3785157 made fewer omission errors in the CPT than homozygotes. This is the first longitudinal study to report associations between specific NET variants and ADHD-related phenotypes during the course of development. (C) 2015 Elsevier Ireland Ltd. All rights reserved. KW - Attention-deficit/hyperactivity disorder KW - Norepinephrine transporter KW - Genetic association KW - Polymorphism KW - Molecular heterosis KW - Continuous performance task Y1 - 2015 U6 - https://doi.org/10.1016/j.psychres.2014.12.029 SN - 0165-1781 VL - 226 IS - 2-3 SP - 425 EP - 433 PB - Elsevier CY - Clare ER - TY - JOUR A1 - Krahé, Barbara A1 - Bondü, Rebecca A1 - Höse, Anna A1 - Esser, Günter T1 - Child Aggression as a Source and a Consequence of Parenting Stress: A Three-Wave Longitudinal Study JF - Journal of research on adolescence : the official journal of the Society for Research on Adolescence N2 - This longitudinal study examined the links between child aggression and parenting stress over 4years. Child aggression was hypothesized to contribute to parenting stress, which should increase aggression. Parents and teachers of 239 German children aged between 6 and 15years completed measures of child aggression at Time 1 and Time 3, complemented by children's self-reports of aggression at Time 3. Parents rated their child-focused and parent-focused stress at an intermediate measurement Time 2. Child-focused stress mediated the path from Time 1 to Time 3 aggression in boys and girls, whereas parent-focused stress was unrelated to Time 3 aggression. The findings help to understand the continuity of aggressive behavior in childhood and adolescence and highlight the need to intervene early with families susceptible to parenting stress. Y1 - 2015 U6 - https://doi.org/10.1111/jora.12115 SN - 1050-8392 SN - 1532-7795 VL - 25 IS - 2 SP - 328 EP - 339 PB - Wiley-Blackwell CY - Hoboken ER - TY - JOUR A1 - Arndt, Larissa R. A1 - Esser, Günter A1 - Weirich, Sebastian A1 - Oelsner, Henriette A1 - Ebersbach, Georg A1 - Bengner, Thomas T1 - Face Memory in Idiopathic Parkinson's Disease Moderated by Sex and Encoding Duration JF - Zeitschrift für Neuropsychologie N2 - We examined face memory deficits in patients with Idiopathic Parkinson's disease (IPD) with specific regard to the moderating role of sex and the different memory processes involved. We tested short- and long-term face recognition memory in 18 nonclinical participants and 18 IPD-patients matched for sex, education and age. We varied the duration of item presentation (1, 5, 10s), the time of testing (immediately, 1hr, 24hrs) and the possibility to re-encode items. In accordance with earlier studies, we report face memory deficits in IPD. Moreover, our findings indicate that sex and encoding conditions may be important moderator variables. In contrast to healthy individuals, IPD-patients cannot gain from increasing duration of presentation. Furthermore, our results suggest that I PD leads to face memory deficits in women, only. KW - neuropsychology KW - declarative memory KW - Morbus Parkinson KW - gender KW - episodic memory Y1 - 2015 U6 - https://doi.org/10.1024/1016-264X/a000148 SN - 1016-264X SN - 1664-2902 VL - 26 IS - 2 SP - 109 EP - 120 PB - Hogrefe CY - Bern ER - TY - JOUR A1 - Heinrich, Angela A1 - Buchmann, Arlette F. A1 - Zohsel, Katrin A1 - Dukal, Helene A1 - Frank, Josef A1 - Treutlein, Jens A1 - Nieratschker, Vanessa A1 - Witt, Stephanie H. A1 - Brandeis, Daniel A1 - Schmidt, Martin H. A1 - Esser, Günter A1 - Banaschewski, Tobias A1 - Laucht, Manfred A1 - Rietschel, Marcella T1 - Alterations of Glucocorticoid Receptor Gene Methylation in Externalizing Disorders During Childhood and Adolescence JF - Behavior genetics : an international journal devoted to research in the inheritance of behavior in animals and man N2 - Epigenetic modulations are a hypothesized link between environmental factors and the development of psychiatric disorders. Research has suggested that patients with depression or bipolar disorder exhibit higher methylation levels in the glucocorticoid receptor gene NR3C1. We aimed to investigate whether NR3C1 methylation changes are similarly associated with externalizing disorders such as aggressive behavior and conduct disorder. NR3C1 exon 1F methylation was analyzed in young adults with a lifetime diagnosis of an externalizing disorder (N = 68) or a depressive disorder (N = 27) and healthy controls (N = 124) from the Mannheim Study of Children at Risk. The externalizing disorders group had significantly lower NR3C1 methylation levels than the lifetime depressive disorder group (p = 0.009) and healthy controls (p = 0.001) This report of lower methylation levels in NR3C1 in externalizing disorders may indicate a mechanism through which the differential development of externalizing disorders as opposed to depressive disorders might occur. KW - Epigenetic KW - Glucocorticoid receptor KW - Methylation KW - Externalizing disorders KW - Adolescents Y1 - 2015 U6 - https://doi.org/10.1007/s10519-015-9721-y SN - 0001-8244 SN - 1573-3297 VL - 45 IS - 5 SP - 529 EP - 536 PB - Springer CY - New York ER - TY - JOUR A1 - Poustka, Luise A1 - Zohsel, Katrin A1 - Blomeyer, Dorothea A1 - Jennen-Steinmetz, Christine A1 - Schmid, Brigitte A1 - Trautmann-Villalba, Patricia A1 - Hohmann, Sarah A1 - Becker, Katja A1 - Esser, Günter A1 - Schmidt, Martin H. A1 - Brandeis, Daniel A1 - Banaschewski, Tobias A1 - Laucht, Manfred T1 - Interacting effects of maternal responsiveness, infant regulatory problems and dopamine D4 receptor gene in the development of dysregulation during childhood: A longitudinal analysis JF - Journal of psychiatric research N2 - Recent longitudinal studies have indicated that affective and behavioral dysregulation in childhood is associated with an increased risk for various negative outcomes in later life. However, few studies to date have examined early mechanisms preceding dysregulation during early childhood. Aim of this study was to elucidate early mechanisms relating to dysregulation in later life using data from an epidemiological cohort study on the long-term outcome of early risk factors from birth to adulthood. At age 3 months, mothers and infants were videotaped during a nursing and playing situation. Maternal responsiveness was evaluated by trained raters. Infant regulatory problems were assessed on the basis of a parent interview and direct observation by trained raters. At age 8 and 11 years, 290 children (139 males) were rated on the Child Behavior Checklist (CBCL). Additionally, participants were genotyped for the dopamine D4 receptor (DRD4) exon 3 VNTR polymorphism. A significant three-way interaction between maternal responsiveness, DRD4 genotype and infant regulatory problems was detected predicting the CBCL-dysregulation profile (CBCL-DP). Carriers of the DRD4 7r allele with regulatory problems at age 3 months showed significantly more behavior problems associated with the CBCL-DP during childhood when exposed to less maternal responsiveness. In contrast, no effect of maternal responsiveness was observed in DRD4 7r carriers without infant regulatory problems and in non-carriers of the DRD4 7r allele. This prospective longitudinal study extends earlier findings regarding the association of the CBCL-DP with early parenting and later psychopathology, introducing both DRD4 genotype and infant regulatory problems as important moderators. (C) 2015 Elsevier Ltd. All rights reserved. KW - Dysregulation KW - Childhood KW - Infant regulatory problems KW - Parenting quality KW - DRD4 KW - Gene-environment interaction Y1 - 2015 U6 - https://doi.org/10.1016/j.psychires.2015.08.018 SN - 0022-3956 SN - 1879-1379 VL - 70 SP - 83 EP - 90 PB - Elsevier CY - Oxford ER - TY - JOUR A1 - Zohsel, Katrin A1 - Buchmann, Arlette F. A1 - Blomeyer, Dorothea A1 - Hohm, Erika A1 - Schmidt, Martin H. A1 - Esser, Günter A1 - Brandeis, Daniel A1 - Banaschewski, Tobias A1 - Laucht, Manfred T1 - Mothers' prenatal stress and their children's antisocial outcomes - a moderating role for the dopamine receptor D4 (DRD4) gene JF - The journal of child psychology and psychiatry N2 - ResultsUnder conditions of elevated prenatal maternal stress, children carrying one or two DRD4 7r alleles were at increased risk of a diagnosis of CD/ODD. Moreover, homozygous carriers of the DRD4 7r allele displayed more externalizing behavior following exposure to higher levels of prenatal maternal stress, while homozygous carriers of the DRD4 4r allele turned out to be insensitive to the effects of prenatal stress. ConclusionsThis study is the first to report a gene-environment interaction related to DRD4 and prenatal maternal stress using data from a prospective study, which extends earlier findings on the impact of prenatal maternal stress with respect to childhood antisocial behavior. KW - Prenatal stress KW - antisocial KW - conduct disorder KW - DRD4 KW - gene-environment interaction Y1 - 2014 U6 - https://doi.org/10.1111/jcpp.12138 SN - 0021-9630 SN - 1469-7610 VL - 55 IS - 1 SP - 69 EP - 76 PB - Wiley-Blackwell CY - Hoboken ER - TY - JOUR A1 - Buchmann, Arlette F. A1 - Holz, Nathalie A1 - Boecker-Schlier, Regina A1 - Blomeyer, Dorothea A1 - Rietschel, Marcella A1 - Witt, Stephanie H. A1 - Schmidt, Martin H. A1 - Esser, Günter A1 - Banaschewski, Tobias A1 - Brandeis, Daniel A1 - Zimmermann, Ulrich S. A1 - Laucht, Manfred T1 - Moderating role of FKBP5 genotype in the impact of childhood adversity on cortisol stress response during adulthood JF - European neuropsychopharmacology : the journal of the European College of Neuropsychopharmacology N2 - Recent research suggests an important role of FKBP5, a glucocorticoid receptor regulating co-chaperone, in the development of stress-related diseases such as depression and anxiety disorders. The present study aimed to replicate and extend previous evidence indicating that FKBP5 polymorphisms moderate hypothalamus-pituitary-adrenal (HPA) function by examining whether FKBP5 rs1360780 genotype and different measures of childhood adversity interact to predict stress-induced cortisol secretion. At age 19 years, 195 young adults (90 males, 105 females) participating in an epidemiological cohort study completed the Trier Social Stress Test (TSST) to assess cortisol stress responsiveness and were genotyped for the FKBP5 rs1360780. Childhood adversity was assessed using the Childhood Trauma Questionnaire (CTQ) and by a standardized parent interview yielding an index of family adversity. A significant interaction between genotype and childhood adversity on cortisol response to stress was demonstrated for exposure to childhood maltreatment as assessed by retrospective self-report (CTQ), but not for prospectively ascertained objective family adversity. Severity of childhood maltreatment was significantly associated with attenuated cortisol levels among carriers of the rs1360780 CC genotype, while no such effect emerged in carriers of the T allele. These findings point towards the functional involvement of FKBP5 in long-term alterations of neuroendocrine stress regulation related to childhood maltreatment, which have been suggested to represent a premorbid risk or resilience factor in the context of stress-related disorders. (C) 2013 Elsevier B.V. and ECNR This is an open access article under the CC BY-NC-ND license. KW - FKBP5 KW - Stress KW - HPA KW - Cortisol KW - Childhood adversity Y1 - 2014 U6 - https://doi.org/10.1016/j.euroneuro.2013.12.001 SN - 0924-977X SN - 1873-7862 VL - 24 IS - 6 SP - 837 EP - 845 PB - Elsevier CY - Amsterdam ER - TY - JOUR A1 - Buchmann, Arlette F. A1 - Zohsel, Katrin A1 - Blomeyer, Dorothea A1 - Hohm, Erika A1 - Hohmann, Sarah A1 - Jennen-Steinmetz, Christine A1 - Treutlein, Jens A1 - Becker, Katja A1 - Banaschewski, Tobias A1 - Schmidt, Martin H. A1 - Esser, Günter A1 - Brandeis, Daniel A1 - Poustka, Luise A1 - Zimmermann, Ulrich S. A1 - Laucht, Manfred T1 - Interaction between prenatal stress and dopamine D4 receptor genotype in predicting aggression and cortisol levels in young adults JF - Psychopharmacology N2 - Considerable evidence suggests that genetic factors combine with environmental influences to impact on the development of aggressive behavior. A genetic variant that has repeatedly been reported to render individuals more sensitive to the presence of adverse experiences, including stress exposure during fetal life, is the seven-repeat allele of the dopamine D4 receptor (DRD4) gene. The present investigation concentrated on the interplay of prenatal maternal stress and DRD4 genotype in predicting self-reported aggression in young adults. As disruption of the hypothalamic-pituitary-adrenal system has been discussed as a pathophysiological pathway to aggression, cortisol stress reactivity was additionally examined. As part of an epidemiological cohort study, prenatal maternal stress was assessed by maternal interview 3 months after childbirth. Between the ages of 19 and 23 years, 298 offspring (140 males, 158 females) completed the Young Adult Self-Report to measure aggressive behavior and were genotyped for the DRD4 gene. At 19 years, 219 participants additionally underwent the Trier Social Stress Test to determine cortisol reactivity. Extending earlier findings with respect to childhood antisocial behavior, the results revealed that, under conditions of higher prenatal maternal stress, carriers of the DRD4 seven-repeat allele displayed more aggression in adulthood (p = 0.032). Moreover, the same conditions which seemed to promote aggression were found to predict attenuated cortisol secretion (p = 0.028). This is the first study to indicate a long-term impact of prenatal stress exposure on the cortisol stress response depending on DRD4 genotype. KW - Prenatal stress KW - Aggression KW - Cortisol KW - DRD4 KW - Gene-environment interaction Y1 - 2014 U6 - https://doi.org/10.1007/s00213-014-3484-7 SN - 0033-3158 SN - 1432-2072 VL - 231 IS - 16 SP - 3089 EP - 3097 PB - Springer CY - New York ER - TY - JOUR A1 - Nikitopoulos, Joerg A1 - Zohsel, Katrin A1 - Blomeyer, Dorothea A1 - Buchmann, Arlette F. A1 - Schmid, Brigitte A1 - Jennen-Steinmetz, Christine A1 - Becker, Katja A1 - Schmidt, Martin H. A1 - Esser, Günter A1 - Brandeis, Daniel A1 - Banaschewski, Tobias A1 - Laucht, Manfred T1 - Are infants differentially sensitive to parenting? Early maternal care, DRD4 genotype and externalizing behavior during adolescence JF - Journal of psychiatric research KW - DRD4 KW - Early maternal care KW - Externalizing behavior KW - Adolescence KW - Gene-environment interaction Y1 - 2014 U6 - https://doi.org/10.1016/j.jpsychires.2014.08.012 SN - 0022-3956 SN - 1879-1379 VL - 59 SP - 53 EP - 59 PB - Elsevier CY - Oxford ER - TY - JOUR A1 - Pitzer, Martina A1 - Jennen-Steinmetz, Christine A1 - Esser, Günter A1 - Schmidt, Martin H. A1 - Laucht, Manfred T1 - Prediction of preadolescent depressive symptoms from child temperament, maternal distress, and gender results of a prospective, longitudinal study JF - Journal of developmental and behavioral pediatrics N2 - Objective: The delineation of developmental pathways to juvenile depressive symptoms is of major clinical interest because these are known to be predictive for adult mood disorders and for a range of other mental health problems. This study investigates the impact of child temperament and early maternal distress, both of which are known to influence children's emotional development, on preadolescent depression. Methods: In a prospective, longitudinal at-risk sample (163 boys, 178 girls), we assessed temperament at the age of 3 months and at 2 years, 4.5 years, and 8 years, respectively, and chronic maternal distress during infancy. Hierarchical linear regression analysis was used to investigate the prediction of depressive symptoms at the age of 11 years measured by the Child Depression Inventory. In addition, we controlled for psychosocial and obstetric perinatal risks and gender. Results: Psychosocial risks and self-control temperament made significant independent contributions to preadolescent depression, whereas fearful, difficult temperament and obstetric risks were unrelated to depressive outcome. Interestingly, a clear gender difference emerged with a significant prediction from maternal distress only in girls. Conclusions: Our data extend previous findings of a concurrent association between regulative temperament and juvenile depression to a predictive view. Furthermore, the results point toward gender-specific pathways to preadolescent depression and support earlier findings indicating that subclinical maternal distress may exert as detrimental effects on child development as clinical depression. KW - preadolescent depression KW - temperament KW - maternal distress KW - gender Y1 - 2011 U6 - https://doi.org/10.1097/DBP.0b013e3181f4a474 SN - 0196-206X VL - 32 IS - 1 SP - 18 EP - 26 PB - Lippincott Williams & Wilkins CY - Philadelphia ER - TY - JOUR A1 - Holtmann, Martin A1 - Buchmann, Arlette F. A1 - Esser, Günter A1 - Schmidt, Martin H. A1 - Banaschewski, Tobias A1 - Laucht, Manfred T1 - The child behavior checklist-dysregulation profile predicts substance use, suicidality, and functional impairment a longitudinal analysis JF - The journal of child psychology and psychiatry N2 - Background: Recent studies have identified a Child Behavior Checklist profile that characterizes children with severe affective and behavioral dysregulation (CBCL-dysregulation profile, CBCL-DP). In two recent longitudinal studies the CBCL-DP in childhood was associated with heightened rates of comorbid psychiatric disorders, among them bipolar disorder, an increased risk for suicidality, and marked psychosocial impairment at young-adult follow-up. This is the first study outside the US that examines the longitudinal course of the CBCL-DP. Methods: We studied the diagnostic and functional trajectories and the predictive utility of the CBCL-DP in the Mannheim Study of Children at Risk, an epidemiological cohort study on the outcome of early risk factors from birth into adulthood. A total of 325 young adults (151 males, 174 females) participated in the 19-year assessment. Results: Young adults with a higher CBCL-DP score in childhood were at increased risk for substance use disorders, suicidality and poorer overall functioning at age 19, even after adjustment for parental education, family income, impairment and psychiatric disorders at baseline. Childhood dysregulation was not related to bipolar disorder in young adulthood. The CBCL-DP was neither a precursor of a specific pattern of comorbidity nor of comorbidity in general. Conclusions: Children with high CBCL-DP values are at risk for later severe, psychiatric symptomatology. The different developmental trajectories suggest that the CBCL-DP is not simply an early manifestation of a single disease process but might rather be an early developmental risk marker of a persisting deficit of self-regulation of affect and behavior. KW - Dysregulation KW - childhood KW - comorbidity KW - longitudinal KW - irritability KW - depression KW - ADHD KW - substance use KW - suicidality KW - CBCL KW - bipolar Y1 - 2011 U6 - https://doi.org/10.1111/j.1469-7610.2010.02309.x SN - 0021-9630 VL - 52 IS - 2 SP - 139 EP - 147 PB - Wiley-Blackwell CY - Malden ER - TY - JOUR A1 - Witt, Stephanie H. A1 - Buchmann, Arlette F. A1 - Blomeyer, Dorothea A1 - Nieratschker, Vanessa A1 - Treutlein, Jens A1 - Esser, Günter A1 - Schmidt, Martin H. A1 - Bidlingmaier, Martin A1 - Wiedemann, Klaus A1 - Rietschel, Marcella A1 - Laucht, Manfred A1 - Wuest, Stefan A1 - Zimmermann, Ulrich S. T1 - An interaction between a neuropeptide Y gene polymorphism and early adversity modulates endocrine stress responses JF - Psychoneuroendocrinology N2 - Interindividual variability in the regulation of the human stress system accounts for a part of the individual's liability to stress-related diseases. These differences are influenced by environmental and genetic factors. Early childhood adversity is a well-studied environmental factor affecting an individual's stress response which has been shown to be modulated by gene environment interaction (GxE). Neuropeptide Y (NPY) plays a role in stress regulation and genetic variation in NPY may influence stress responses. In this study, we analyzed the association of a common variant in the NPY gene promoter, rs16147, with cortisol and ACTH responses to acute psychosocial stress in young adults from the Mannheim Study of Children at Risk (MARS), an ongoing epidemiological cohort study following the outcome of early adversity from birth into adulthood. We found evidence of a GxE interaction between rs16147 and early adversity significantly affecting HPA axis responses to acute psychosocial stress. These findings suggest that the neurobiological mechanisms linking early adverse experience and later neuroendocrine stress regulation are modulated by a gene variant whose functional relevance is documented by increasing convergent evidence from in vitro, animal and human studies. KW - GxE interaction KW - Stress KW - HPA KW - Neuropeptide Y KW - Early adversity Y1 - 2011 U6 - https://doi.org/10.1016/j.psyneuen.2010.12.015 SN - 0306-4530 VL - 36 IS - 7 SP - 1010 EP - 1020 PB - Elsevier CY - Oxford ER - TY - JOUR A1 - Bakhshayesh, Ali Reza A1 - Hänsch, Sylvana A1 - Wyschkon, Anne A1 - Rezai, Mohammad Javad A1 - Esser, Günter T1 - Neurofeedback in ADHD a single-blind randomized controlled trial JF - European child and adolescent psychiatry : offical journal of the European Society for Child and Adolescent Psychiatry N2 - Neurofeedback treatment has been demonstrated to reduce inattention, impulsivity and hyperactivity in children with attention deficit/hyperactivity disorder (ADHD). However, previous studies did not adequately control confounding variables or did not employ a randomized reinforcer-controlled design. This study addresses those methodological shortcomings by comparing the effects of the following two matched biofeedback training variants on the primary symptoms of ADHD: EEG neurofeedback (NF) aiming at theta/beta ratio reduction and EMG biofeedback (BF) aiming at forehead muscle relaxation. Thirty-five children with ADHD (26 boys, 9 girls; 6-14 years old) were randomly assigned to either the therapy group (NF; n = 18) or the control group (BF; n = 17). Treatment for both groups consisted of 30 sessions. Pre- and post-treatment assessment consisted of psychophysiological measures, behavioural rating scales completed by parents and teachers, as well as psychometric measures. Training effectively reduced theta/beta ratios and EMG levels in the NF and BF groups, respectively. Parents reported significant reductions in primary ADHD symptoms, and inattention improvements in the NF group were higher compared to the control intervention (BF, d(corr) = -.94). NF training also improved attention and reaction times on the psychometric measures. The results indicate that NF effectively reduced inattention symptoms on parent rating scales and reaction time in neuropsychological tests. However, regarding hyperactivity and impulsivity symptoms, the results imply that non-specific factors, such as behavioural contingencies, self-efficacy, structured learning environment and feed-forward processes, may also contribute to the positive behavioural effects induced by neurofeedback training. KW - Biofeedback KW - Neurofeedback KW - EMG biofeedback KW - ADHD KW - Single-blind Y1 - 2011 U6 - https://doi.org/10.1007/s00787-011-0208-y SN - 1018-8827 VL - 20 IS - 9 SP - 481 EP - 491 PB - Springer CY - New York ER - TY - JOUR A1 - Schmid, Brigitte A1 - Blomeyer, Dorothea A1 - Buchmann, Arlette F. A1 - Trautmann-Villalba, Patricia A1 - Zimmermann, Ulrich S. A1 - Schmidt, Martin H. A1 - Esser, Günter A1 - Banaschewski, Tobias A1 - Laucht, Manfred T1 - Quality of early mother-child interaction associated with depressive psychopathology in the offspring - a prospective study from infancy to adulthood JF - Journal of psychiatric research N2 - Evidence from animal research has revealed that less maternal care results in disturbed emotionality in the offspring. In the present study, the long-term impact of maternal responsiveness and stimulation during early mother child interaction on depressive psychopathology was examined until adulthood. Data are from an epidemiological cohort study of the long-term outcome of early risk factors assessed at birth. At age 3 months, mothers and infants were videotaped during a nursing and playing situation. Maternal responsiveness and stimulation as well as infant responsiveness were evaluated by trained raters. At age 19 years, 314 participants (145 males, 169 females) were characterized on measures of depression through interview and questionnaire. In addition, measures of depression and anxiety were available from assessments in childhood. Results indicated that less maternal stimulation during early interaction was associated with a higher risk of depression in the offspring until the age of 19 years. In addition, children of less stimulating mothers showed more depressive symptoms at age 19 years and displayed more anxiety and depressive symptoms between the ages of 4.5 and 15 years. In contrast, maternal responsiveness was unrelated to children's outcome. In accordance with findings from animal research, the present study provides first longitudinal evidence in humans of a continuous and long-term influence of early maternal interaction behavior on the offspring's psychological adjustment until adulthood. The results suggest that the amount of maternally initiated contact behavior in a very early developmental stage may be crucial for children's mental health, regardless of child and maternal responsiveness. KW - Depression KW - Mother-infant interaction KW - Longitudinal study KW - Young adulthood KW - Infancy Y1 - 2011 U6 - https://doi.org/10.1016/j.jpsychires.2011.05.010 SN - 0022-3956 VL - 45 IS - 10 SP - 1387 EP - 1394 PB - Elsevier CY - Oxford ER - TY - JOUR A1 - Pitzer, Martina A1 - Jennen-Steinmetz, Christine A1 - Esser, Günter A1 - Schmidt, Martin H. A1 - Laucht, Manfred T1 - Differential susceptibility to environmental influences the role of early temperament and parenting in the development of externalizing problems JF - Comprehensive psychiatry : official journal of the American Psychopathological Association N2 - Objective: A difficult or undercontrolled temperament, as well as harsh parental discipline or a lack of warmth, has long been regarded as risk factors for the development of externalizing problems. In addition, it has been suggested that children with difficult temperament are especially susceptible to rearing influences. We investigated the impact of early temperament and parenting and their interactions on externalizing behavior at school age. Methods: Participants were 148 boys and 160 girls from a prospective longitudinal study on a high-risk sample. At ages 3 months and 2 years, temperament was assessed by a highly structured parent interview and standardized behavioral observations. Maternal parenting was assessed by videotaped behavioral observation and a parent questionnaire. Externalizing problems at age 8 years were measured by the Child Behavior Checklist. Results: Using hierarchical linear regression analyses, we found that externalizing problems were predicted by psychosocial adversity and poor self-control, whereas no main effect for restrictive parenting or maternal empathy was found. Fearful-inhibited boys were positively affected by empathic and sensitive parenting, whereas girls who were low in self-control and/or fearful developed less externalizing problems with restrictive parenting. Conclusion: Our results partly support the differential susceptibility hypothesis. In addition, they point toward gender-specific pathways in the development of externalizing problems. Y1 - 2011 U6 - https://doi.org/10.1016/j.comppsych.2010.10.017 SN - 0010-440X VL - 52 IS - 6 SP - 650 EP - 658 PB - Elsevier CY - Philadelphia ER - TY - JOUR A1 - Goethe, Katrin A1 - Esser, Günter A1 - Gendt, Anja A1 - Kliegl, Reinhold T1 - Working memory in children tracing age differences and special educational needs to parameters of a formal model JF - Developmental psychology N2 - Parameters of a formal working-memory model were estimated for verbal and spatial memory updating of children. The model proposes interference though feature overwriting and through confusion of whole elements as the primary cause of working-memory capacity limits. We tested 2 age groups each containing 1 group of normal intelligence and I deficit group. For young children the deficit was developmental dyslexia; for older children it was a general learning difficulty. The interference model predicts less interference through overwriting but more through confusion of whole elements for the dyslexic children than for their age-matched controls. Older children exhibited less interference through confusion of whole elements and a higher processing rate than young children, but general learning difficulty was associated with slower processing than in the age-matched control group. Furthermore, the difference between verbal and spatial updating mapped onto several meaningful dissociations of model parameters. KW - working-memory capacity KW - interference model KW - dyslexia KW - general learning difficulty Y1 - 2012 U6 - https://doi.org/10.1037/a0025660 SN - 0012-1649 VL - 48 IS - 2 SP - 459 EP - 476 PB - American Psychological Association CY - Washington ER - TY - JOUR A1 - Laucht, Manfred A1 - Blomeyer, Dorothea A1 - Buchmann, Arlette F. A1 - Treutlein, Jens A1 - Schmidt, Martin H. A1 - Esser, Günter A1 - Jennen-Steinmetz, Christine A1 - Rietschel, Marcella A1 - Zimmermann, Ulrich S. A1 - Banaschewski, Tobias T1 - Catechol-O-methyltransferase Val158Met genotype, parenting practices and adolescent alcohol use: testing the differential susceptibility hypothesis JF - The journal of child psychology and psychiatry N2 - Background: Recently, first evidence has been reported for a geneparenting interaction (G x E) with regard to adolescent alcohol use. The present investigation set out to extend this research using the catechol-O-methyltransferase (COMT) Val158Met polymorphism as a genetic susceptibility factor. Moreover, the current study examined whether a potential G x E would be consistent with one of two models of geneenvironment interplay (genetic vulnerability vs. differential susceptibility). Methods: Data were collected as part of an ongoing epidemiological cohort study following the outcome of early risk factors from birth into adulthood. Two hundred and eighty-five participants (130 males, 155 females) were genotyped for the COMT Val(158) Met polymorphism and were administered an alcohol interview, providing measures of current frequency and amount of drinking at ages 15 and 19 years. Information on three dimensions of perceived parenting behavior was obtained from the 15-year-olds. Results: Adolescents homozygous for the Met allele showed higher drinking activity at age 19 years when their parents had engaged in less supervision or were less involved, while their drinking activity was reduced under conditions of favorable parenting. No such relationship was found in individuals carrying the Val allele. Conclusions: The present findings correspond with the pattern of results predicted by the differential susceptibility hypothesis, suggesting that environmental variation would have a greater impact in individuals carrying a genetic susceptibility such that, in this group, exposure to negative environmental conditions would result in more adverse outcomes and the experience of favorable conditions would lead to more positive outcomes. KW - Catechol-O-methyltransferase gene KW - alcohol use KW - adolescents KW - parenting KW - gene-environment interaction Y1 - 2012 U6 - https://doi.org/10.1111/j.1469-7610.2011.02408.x SN - 0021-9630 VL - 53 IS - 4 SP - 351 EP - 359 PB - Wiley-Blackwell CY - Malden ER -