许多人经历过创伤或负面事件,但很少有人因此产生心理健康问题。这项研究调查了新生儿DNA甲基化(DNAm)是否与母亲在童年受到父亲的身体虐待有关,影响了孩子的心理健康和身体发育。以及它是否介导或调节了发育结果。
方法:研究样本(N=903)和数据来自布里斯托尔大学的Avon父母和子女纵向研究。在出生时测量脐带血中的DNAm。DNAM数据经过预处理,归一化,并在从先前的研究中细分到60个感兴趣的CpG位点之前进行质量控制。线性回归分析了新生儿DNAm和儿童发育结果的相关性。Sobel测验检查了父亲童年虐待的母亲史之间的中介关系,重要CpG位点的新生靶基因DNAm,和孩子的心理健康和身体成长。适度分析检查了重要的CpG位点与父亲对母亲的身体虐待对儿童的心理健康和身体发育之间的相互作用。
结果:全队列分析表明,几个不同CpG位点的新生儿DNAm与分离焦虑有关,恐惧,在6-7岁的儿童中出现不愉快/含泪的表现。男孩表现出焦虑和恐惧的关联,和女孩表现出恐惧和不快乐的联系。只有男孩,脐带血DNAm介导母婴创伤对子代心理健康的影响。没有出现调节作用。
结论:母亲与新生儿DNAm中存在的施虐者的关系的代际效应与7岁儿童的心理健康有关,显示特定性别的影响,新生儿DNAm确实介导了母亲童年创伤对后代早期心理健康的影响。
Many people experience traumatic or negative events, but few develop mental health issues as a result. This study investigated whether newborn DNA methylation (DNAm) previously associated with maternal childhood physical abuse by her father affected the child\'s mental health and physical growth, as well as whether it mediated or moderated developmental outcomes.
METHODS: Study sample (N = 903) and data came from Bristol University\'s Avon Longitudinal Study of Parents and Children. DNAm was measured in cord blood at birth. DNAm data was preprocessed, normalized, and quality controlled before subsetting to 60 CpG sites of interest from previous research. Linear regression analysis examined newborn DNAm and child development outcome associations. Sobel test examined the mediating relationship between mother\'s history of childhood abuse by father, newborn targeted gene DNAm of significant CpG sites, and child\'s mental health and physical growth. Moderation analyses examined the interaction effects between the significant CpG sites and mothers\' physical abuse by their fathers on child\'s mental health and physical growth.
RESULTS: Full cohort analyses showed that newborn DNAm of several different CpG sites associates with separation anxiety, fear, and unhappy/tearful presentations in children aged 6-7 y. Sex-specific associations emerged with boys showing associations with anxiety and fear, and girls showing associations with fear and unhappiness. In boys only, cord blood DNAm mediates the effect of maternal childhood trauma on offspring mental health. No moderation effects emerged.
CONCLUSIONS: Intergenerational effects of mother\'s relationship to her abuser present in newborn DNAm associate with 7-year-old child\'s mental health, show sex-specific effects, and newborn DNAm does mediate maternal childhood trauma effects on offspring mental health in early-life.