童年期创伤后亲子关系对青少年社会适应的影响:HPA轴系统多基因的调节

The impact of parent-child relationship on adolescent social adjustment followingchildhood trauma: Moderation by HPA axis multilocus profile score

童年期的不良经历似乎增加了个体对压力刺激的敏感性,从而可能影响其终身的社会适应。许多研究表明,HPA轴系统基因可能在调节环境因素与社会适应之间发挥作用。然而,过去单个基因与环境相互作用对社会适应的影响存在争议。本研究针对青少年样本(14.15±0.63岁;N=700),采用多位点遗传谱评分(multilocus genetic profile scores,MGPS)计算HPA轴系统多基因得分,利用纵向数据探究其与童年期创伤和亲子关系之间的相互作用,并预测青少年的社会适应(包括抑郁症状、亲社会行为和自伤行为)。研究结果显示,青少年的社会适应(包括抑郁症状和亲社会行为)是遗传(HPA轴系统MGPS)、远端环境(童年期创伤)和近端环境(亲子关系)三者相互作用的结果。随着遗传风险评分的增加,童年期创伤和亲子关系之间的交互作用也增加,这意味着遭受过童年期创伤的个体,亲子关系对社会适应的影响会更加显著,符合差别易感性模型。行为学实验进一步揭示了遗传和环境因素对青少年社会适应的潜在机制。

Adolescence has been conceptualized as a second“sensitive period,”marked by neuroendocrine developmental changes that heighten one’s sensitivity to their environment.Faced with increased stressful life events,particularly those involving interpersonal relationships,adolescents experience a continuous rise in the incidence of internalizing and externalizing issues,which negatively impacts their personality development,academic performance,and physical health.Existing research has shown consistent support that positive and healthy interpersonal relationships significantly enhance adolescents’social adaptability and level of well-being.Conversely,negative interpersonal relationships,particularly those characterized by danger and hostility,lead adolescents to develop negative cognitive patterns and self-assessments,thereby increasing their risk of psychological crises.Additionally,certain genetic traits also influence adolescents’social adjustment.Although risks to social adjustment are influenced by multiple factors,the potential for interactions between genetics and one’s environment remains likely,garnering much research attention in psychology,psychiatry,and epigenetics.As such, this study explored the moderating role of genetic risk in various forms of environmental stress andadolescent social adjustment (including depressive symptoms, prosocial behavior, and self-injury) through theassessment of multilocus genetic variations and the measurement of a critical environmental risk factor,specifically, the parent-child relationship.Using questionnaires and DNA-typing techniques, 700 adolescents (14.15 ± 0.63 years old) were selectedfrom a junior high school in Hunan Province through whole group sampling. After obtaining informed consentfrom the school, parents, and participants, participants completed the Parent-Child Intimacy Questionnaire, theChildhood Trauma Scale, the Short Form of the Center for Epidemiological Studies Depression Scale, theProsocial Tendencies Measures, and the Deliberate Self-Harm Inventory. Genetic samples were sent to aprofessional biotechnology company for DNA extraction and typing. In study 2: The participants recruited inStudy 1 via an experimental flyer. They completed emotional Stroop task and dictator games.The results indicated that: 1) HPA axis multilocus genetic profile score (MGPS) was only associated withthe mother-child relationship, and there were significant bidirectional correlations between the parent-childrelationship, childhood trauma, depressive symptoms, prosocial behavior, and self-injury. 2) Utilizing the MGPSapproach, in the context of the depression equation, both the father-child and mother-child relationship modelsrevealed an interaction effect between the parent-child relationship and childhood trauma which strengthened asthe HPA axis system’s MGPS increased. 3) The interaction effect of G × E × E was found to impact adolescentprosocial behavior in the mother-child relationship model only. Furthermore, this interaction became significantwhen the standard deviation of the MGPS exceeded -0.14. 4) No G × E × E triadic interaction was detected inthe parent-child relationship model. Subsequent binary interaction tests between childhood trauma and MGPSrevealed that as MGPS increased, the impact of childhood trauma on self-injury increased. 5) Results from threesensitivity analyses also demonstrate that multigene hereditary research exhibits greater efficacy and stability. 6)Supplementary evidence indicates the presence of a main effect of the parent-child relationship in accuracy andresponse time for emotional words. Additionally, the interaction effect of G × E × E was identified in themother-child relationship model.In conclusion, this study demonstrates that the HPA axis MGPS moderates adolescent stress sensitivity.Specifically, the HPA axis MGPS moderated the interaction between childhood trauma and the parent-childrelationship, affecting adolescent social adjustment. Moreover, individuals with high genetic sensitivityexhibited a pattern consistent with the differential susceptibility model, wherein they displayed lower levels ofdepressive symptoms and self-injury, and higher prosocial behavior in positive environments, while the reverseheld true in adverse environments.