Childhood adversity and anxiety have been associated with increased risk for internalizing disorders later in life and with a range of brain structural abnormalities. However, few studies have examined the link between harsh parenting practices and brain anatomy, outside of severe maltreatment or psychopathology. Moreover, to our knowledge, there has been no research on parenting and subclinical anxiety symptoms which remain persistent over time during childhood (i.e., between 2.5 and 9 years old). Here, we examined data in 94 youth, divided into four cells based on their levels of coercive parenting (high / low) and of anxiety (high / low) between 2.5 and 9 years old. Anatomical images were analyzed using voxel-based morphometry (VBM) and FreeSurfer. Smaller gray matter volumes in the prefrontal cortex regions and in the amygdala were observed in youth with high versus low levels of harsh parenting over time. In addition, we observed significant interaction effects between parenting practices and subclinical anxiety symptoms in rostral anterior cingulate cortical thickness and in amygdala volume. These youth should be followed further in time to identify which youth will or will not go on to develop an anxiety disorder, and to understand factors associated with the development of sustained anxiety psychopathology.

童年时期的逆境和焦虑与生命后期内化障碍的风险增加以及一系列大脑结构异常有关。然而，除了严重的虐待或精神病理学之外，很少有研究检查过严厉的养育方式与大脑解剖学之间的联系。此外，据我们所知，没有关于在儿童时期（即 2.5 至 9 岁）持续存在的养育和亚临床焦虑症状的研究。在这里，我们检查了 94 名青年的数据，根据他们在 2.5 至 9 岁之间的强制养育（高/低）和焦虑（高/低）水平分为四个单元。使用基于体素的形态测量 (VBM) 和 FreeSurfer 分析解剖图像。随着时间的推移，在高水平和低水平的苛刻养育方式的青少年中，观察到前额叶皮层区域和杏仁核中的灰质体积较小。此外，我们观察到育儿实践与喙部前扣带皮层厚度和杏仁核体积的亚临床焦虑症状之间存在显着的相互作用。应及时进一步跟踪这些青年，以确定哪些青年会或不会继续发展为焦虑症，并了解与持续焦虑精神病理学发展相关的因素。