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Parent-Child Relational Boundaries and Cellular Aging among Preschool-Aged Children with and without Child Welfare-Substantiated Maltreatment

Thu, April 8, 3:15 to 4:15pm EDT (3:15 to 4:15pm EDT), Virtual

Abstract

The parent-child relationship represents one of the most proximal contexts for development (Bronfenbrenner, 1992). According to family systems theory (Minuchin, 1974), effective parent-child relationships are defined by clear and flexible boundaries that permit each person to function without interference from the other but also access resources when needed (cohesion). However, boundaries can also be thick, impermeable, or overly rigid such that family members are emotionally distant from one another (disengagement) or overly diffuse and permeable causing members to become entangled (enmeshment). Although parent-child boundaries have been shown to predict socioemotional and behavioral outcomes (Kerig, 2014), virtually nothing is known about how boundaries may affect children biologically. Child maltreatment sets in motion various biological processes that accelerate cellular aging (telomere shortening, mitochondrial dysfunction) and can have devastating health consequences across the lifespan (Tyrka et al., 2016). Although there is increasing evidence that accelerated cellular aging may underlie the negative sequelae of maltreatment, very little is known about how other characteristics of parent-child relationships may predict cellular aging. Our primary aim was to test if parent-child relational boundaries were associated with cellular aging in a high-risk sample of young children with and without child welfare-substantiated maltreatment.

Participants included 215 ethnically and racially diverse (45% Hispanic; 40% White, 16% Black, 23% biracial, 21% other races) preschool-aged children (M age = 50.93 months) and their primary caregivers. Most families (91%) qualified for public assistance, 53% of children had child welfare documentation of moderate-severe maltreatment within the last 6 months, and 45% were male. Child maltreatment status was measured through child protection records. Child telomere length and mitochondrial DNA copy number (mtDNAcn) were measured in saliva DNA via qPCR. Parent-child relational boundaries were coded from video-recorded parent-child free-play observations using a novel observational rating system.

After controlling for maltreatment status and demographic covariates, two of the three boundary patterns emerged as predictors of child telomere length. Cohesion was associated with longer telomeres (β = .15, p = .03), and disengagement was associated with shorter telomeres (β = -.16, p = .02). Moderator analyses revealed that these effects were only present for children who were not maltreated (Figures 1 and 2). Surprisingly, children who experienced moderate-severe levels of maltreatment in the prior 6 months had longer telomeres, possibly reflecting compensatory changes in response to recent trauma (Ridout et al., 2019). Although there was a significant effect of maltreatment on mtDNAcn (maltreatment predicted higher mtDNAcn), boundaries were not associated with mtDNAcn. Speaking to relevance for child health, supplementary analyses demonstrated that telomere length and mtDNAcn were associated with child psychopathology symptoms.

Results suggest that parent-child relational boundaries may have distinct biological effects on children. However, these effects were only observed in children who had not experienced moderate-severe maltreatment, suggesting that the trauma of maltreatment may overwhelm biological stress systems such that other characteristics of family relationships do not have a strong effect. Findings will be discussed in relation to their theoretical and practical implications for understanding risk and resilience for young children living in contexts of risk.

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