White matter integrity moderates the relation between experienced childhood maltreatment and fathers' behavioral response to infant crying.

ABSTRACT: The ability to provide appropriate responses to infant distress is vital to paternal care, but may be affected by fathers' experiences of childhood maltreatment. Detrimental effects of childhood maltreatment have been found in the adult brain's white matter fibers, accompanied with impaired emotional and cognitive functioning. In the current study (N = 121), we examined new and expectant fathers' childhood maltreatment experiences (i.e. emotional and physical abuse and neglect), current behavioral responses (i.e. handgrip force) to infant cry sounds, and white matter integrity using diffusion tensor imaging. First, more exposure to childhood maltreatment was associated with more use of excessive handgrip force in response to infant crying by fathers. Second, the association between experie

SUBMITTER: Alyousefi-van Dijk K 

PROVIDER: S-EPMC8451806 | biostudies-literature | 2021 Jul

REPOSITORIES: biostudies-literature