儿童虐待与问题行为:基因与环境的作用

Child Maltreatment and Behavior Problems:The Roles of Gene and Environment

当前预防虐待之所以成为儿童保护的重要内容,不仅是法理上的儿童权益保护,也因虐待关联的基因与环境作用对人发展的长期影响。儿童虐待与问题行为关系复杂,已有研究显示,虐待特征、受害者特点是其关联因素,但其内在机制并不清楚。随着分子遗传学的兴起,MAOA、COMT、5-HTT等基因为解释儿童虐待与问题行为的机制提供新视角,重要候选基因可能调节这一关系。未来研究可从动物模型和纵向追踪角度去探究儿童虐待与问题行为关系的易感期、保护因子,完善儿童虐待与个体发展关系的研究图谱。

Child maltreatment includes all types of physical and/or emotional ill-treatments.sexual abuse,neglect,negligence and commercial or other exploitation that results in actual or potential harm to the child’s health,survival,development or dignity in the context of a relationship of responsibility,trust or power.Child maltreatment has been a universal family education problem and worldwide public health issue,which may be a hot topic in international child protective fields.Although a growing body of studies has conducted the study of child maltreatment for several decades,the prevalence of child maltreatment is still high and children who live in Asian and Paific areas may have higher risk of maltreatment.Moreover,many previous studies have explored the relations between child maltreatment and child development,and the results showed that child maltreatment impaired the child development,including behaviors,emotions,and brain structures and functions.Behavior problems,including internalizing problems and externalizing problems,are one of the behavior markers of individuals’maladaptation which may be an outcome of child maltreatment,and the relations between child maltreatment and behavior problems have been explored by many studies.The mechanisms of child maltreatment and behavior problems,however,are still not clear.Moreover,some new perspectives which explain the mechanisms linking child maltreatment and behavior problems have been presented in some studies,such as the perspective of molecular genetics.The current study,therefore,aims to review the studies which explored the relations and mechanisms between child maltreatment and behavior problems,and to give a whole picture of relations,factors,and mechanisms between child maltreatment and behavior problems,as well as to provide a model of relations,factors,and mechanisms between child trauma and adaptation.The results based on the literature review showed that child maltreatment was positively associated with individuals’internalizing and externalizing problems,while these relations were influenced by several factors,including the characteristics of child maltreatment(e.g.timing,subtype,chronicity)and victims’features(e.g.gender).Moreover,a new mechanism linking child maltreatment and behavior problems was found which was based on the perspective of molecular genetics(gene-environment interactions),and monoamine oxidase A gene,serotonin transporter gene,catechol-O-methyltransferase gene and other important candidate genes might play important roles in the relations between child maltreatment and behavior problems.Furthermore,the effects of interactions between child maltreatment and genes on behavior problems might be influenced by gene types,characteristics of child maltreatment,and gender of victims.However,these relations were inconsistent in different studies.For example,individuals with high activity gene type of MAOA when experienced child maltreatment might present much more depression systems than individuals with low activity gene type of MAOA,while other studies reported different results.In addition,the current study provided a model which explained relations,factors and mechanisms between childhood trauma and individuals’development.Some limitations,however,were presented in this field,including research design,samples,data analysis and perspectives.Future studies,lastly,may use animal models and longitudinal study designs to explore the roles of timing of child maltreatment in the relationship between child maltreatment and behavior problems and mechanisms linking these relations.Meanwhile,future studies may explore the protective factors of child maltreatment,such as resilience and coping styles,and future studies may explore the trajectories of effects of child maltreatment on child development,which may help practice workers to preventing child maltreatment.Future studies,if possible,may also use neuroscience technologies,including ERP to explore the effects of child maltreatment on the development of brain structures and functions.