Prediction of Children’s Internalising Behaviours at 4.5 Years in India Using Evolutionary and Epigenetic Hypotheses

• In Event: Matches and Mismatches, Developmentally Informative and Sometimes Surprising!

Abstract

Introduction
Basing our hypotheses on evolutionary and epigenetic theories and findings (see abstract by Braithwaite et al) we have previously demonstrated a three-way interaction between prenatal and postnatal anxiety and maternal stroking, in the prediction of child irritability at age 7, seen only in girls. This arose because lower maternal stroking was associated with higher irritability, only in the mis-matched, low-high and high-low maternal anxiety groups. We have also shown a similar mismatch effect for maternal depression and child internalising symptoms in two UK samples and with the same sex difference. Here we ask whether the same phenomenon is seen in an Indian sample
Hypotheses
1) There will be a three-way interaction between maternal prenatal depression, postnatal depression and stroking in the prediction of internalising behaviours in Indian children.
2) This three-way interaction will only be evident in females, and not males.
3) The interaction will arise because low stroking will be associated with high internalising behaviours only in the mis-matched low-high and high-low prenatal-postnatal depression groups.
Study population
Data derives from an India-based birth cohort, the Bangalore Child Health and Development Study (BCHADS). This is a prospective, epidemiological longitudinal study starting in pregnancy with follow-up over several assessment time points during infancy and childhood – for this report N = 407.
Methods
Mothers provided self-report depression scores using the EPDS at each trimester of pregnancy, and at 9 weeks, 7 months and 14 months. Binary variables were created using clinical cut-offs for this population established against diagnostic interviews. These were substantially lower than from UK/US samples. The prenatal and postnatal variables were for any depression above cut-off during those periods. Mothers reported on their frequency of infant stroking at 9 weeks. Mothers reported on their children’s internalising behaviours using the CBCL at mean age 4.5 years. Three-way interactions (prenatal depression X postnatal depression X stroking) using ANCOVA and accounting for potential confounders, were run for the whole sample and for males and females separately.
Results
There was a significant three-way interaction between prenatal depression, postnatal depression and stroking in the prediction of mother reported internalising behaviours (p=.067). When split by gender, the three-way interaction was significant for females (p = .017) but not males (p=.991). The interaction arose from the vulnerability of the girls exposed to high maternal depression whose mothers had not been depressed in pregnancy. The girls with the highest internalising symptoms were those who were exposed to high postnatal depression whose mothers had not been depressed during pregnancy, (i.e the low – high mismatch group) and with low rates of stroking. Girls in this group whose mothers reported high levels of stroking were protected.
Conclusions
The pattern of findings in this Indian cohort was remarkably similar to that from UK samples, as would be expected if the same evolutionary selection mechanisms are at play. This replication across samples and cultures suggests that the time is approaching to consider the clinical implications of the findings.

Authors

• Nicky Wright, Manchester Metropolitan University
  Presenting Author

• Helen Sharp, University of Liverpool

• Prabha Chandra, National Institute of Mental Health and Neurosciences

• TA Supraja, National Institute of Mental Health and Neurosciences

• Laura Bozicevic, University of Liverpool

• Andrew Pickles

• Jonathan Hill, University of Reading