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Brain structure is linked to the association between family environment and behavioral problems in children in the

Weikang Gong1, Edmund T Rolls2,3,4,5, Jingnan Du2,3

  • 1Centre for Functional MRI of the Brain (FMRIB), Nuffield Department of Clinical Neurosciences, Wellcome Centre for Integrative Neuroimaging, University of Oxford, Oxford, UK.

Nature Communications
|June 19, 2021
PubMed

Insights

Family environment impacts children's behavior and brain structure. High conflict and low monitoring correlate with behavioral issues and smaller brain regions, influencing future psychiatric problems.

Area of Science:

  • Neuroscience
  • Developmental Psychology
  • Child Psychiatry

Background:

  • Childhood behavioral problems are linked to family environment.
  • Brain structure variations may mediate this association.
  • Understanding these links is crucial for early intervention.

Purpose of the Study:

  • To investigate the relationship between family environment, children's behavioral problems, and specific brain structure features.
  • To explore the mediating role of psychiatric problems in the longitudinal association between family environment and brain structure.

Main Methods:

  • Structural magnetic resonance imaging (MRI) was used on 8756 children (aged 9-11) from the Adolescent Brain Cognitive Development (ABCD) study.
  • Data on family conflict, parental monitoring, and behavioral problems were collected.
  • Longitudinal analysis examined changes over one year.

Main Results:

  • High family conflict and low parental monitoring were associated with increased behavioral problems.
  • These environmental factors were also linked to smaller cortical areas in the orbitofrontal cortex, anterior cingulate cortex, and middle temporal gyrus.
  • Psychiatric problem scores longitudinally mediated the associations between environmental factors and reduced cortical areas.

Conclusions:

  • Family environment significantly influences children's behavioral problems and brain development.
  • Specific brain regions are sensitive to adverse family environments.
  • Interventions targeting family dynamics may impact both behavior and brain structure in children.

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