Little is known about human fathers’ physiology near infants’ births. This may represent a period during which paternal psychobiological axes are sensitive to fathers’ new experiences of interacting with their newborns and that can provide insights on how individual differences in fathers’ biology relate to post‐partum parenting. Drawing on a sample of men in South Bend, IN (U.S.), we report results

The development of the earliest vocalizations of human infants is influenced by social feedback from caregivers. As these vocalizations change, they increasingly elicit such feedback. This pattern of development is in stark contrast to that of our close phylogenetic relatives, Old World monkeys and apes, who produce mature‐sounding vocalizations at birth. We put forth a scenario to account for this

A putative biomarker of anxiety risk, the startle response is typically enhanced by negative compared to neutral emotion modulation in adults, but remains understudied in children. To determine the extent to which neutral, negative, and positively valenced emotional conditions modulate startle response in early life, a child‐friendly film paradigm was used to vary emotion across these conditions during

Despite prolonged and cumulative exposure during gestation, little is known about the fetal response to maternal sleep. Eighty‐four pregnant women with obesity (based on pre‐pregnancy BMI) participated in laboratory‐based polysomnography (PSG) with continuous fetal electrocardiogram monitoring at 36 weeks gestation. Multilevel modeling revealed both correspondence and lack of it in maternal and fetal

Social cognition may facilitate fathers' sensitive caregiving behavior. We administered the Why‐How Task, an fMRI task that elicits theory of mind processing, to expectant fathers (n = 39) who also visited the laboratory during their partner's pregnancy and provided a plasma sample for oxytocin assay. Three months postpartum, fathers reported their beliefs about parenting. When rating “Why” an action

The objective of this review was to comprehensively evaluate the literature investigating associations between peripheral immune correlates and youth peer relationship dimensions. We aimed to identify potential aspects of peer relationships in childhood and adolescence that may be associated with immune profiles and to identify gaps in the field to provide suggestions for future research in this area

Temperament is an individual's nature and is widely believed to have a heritable foundation. Few studies, however, have evaluated paternal and maternal contributions to the triadic dimensions of temperament. Rhesus monkeys are widely utilized to model genetic contributions to human development due to their close genetic‐relatedness and common temperament structure, providing a powerful translational

With the consolidation of fathers’ engagement in caregiving, understanding the neuroendocrine and hormonal mechanisms underlying fatherhood becomes a relevant topic. Oxytocin (OT) has been linked with maternal bonding and caregiving, but less is known about the role of OT in human fatherhood and paternal caregiving. A systematic review of methods and findings of previous OT research in human fathers

Developmental researchers studying how stress affects health have often focused on specific, individual, physiological parameters such as cortisol. Yet, recent theories of stress biology emphasize that the stress response is multi‐faceted and engages distinct yet interconnected physiological systems, including metabolic, immune, and cardiovascular systems that respond to one another. Moreover, advocates

Maternal care plays a crucial role for infant development. In humans, skin‐to‐skin care is often used for preterm infants to reduce acute stress and improve long‐term developmental outcome. Here we propose a new translational approach to study the effects of acute increases in maternal care on offspring development in rodents. First, pilot studies determined that dams spent more time licking pups covered

Handedness is a significant behavioral asymmetry; however, there is debate surrounding the age at which hand preference develops, and little research has been conducted on handedness in older adults. The current study examined performance on the long pegboard, to identify similarities and differences in young children (ages 4–7 years), older children (ages 8–12 years), young adults (ages 18–25 years)

U.S. jails see nearly 11 million annual admissions, rates that disproportionately affect men of color—more than half of whom are fathers. An estimated 7% of U.S. children experience the incarceration of a parent, increasing their risk for poor developmental and health outcomes. Although stress processes are often suggested as an underlying mechanism linking paternal incarceration to child well‐being

Exposure to stress during adolescence is a risk factor for developing several psychiatric disorders, many of which involve prefrontal cortex (PFC) dysfunction. The human PFC and analogous rodent medial prefrontal cortex (mPFC) continue to mature functionally and anatomically during adolescence, and some of these maturational events coincide with pubertal onset. As developing brain regions are more

Father‐infant and mother‐infant (one‐year‐olds) adrenocortical attunement was explored during the Strange Situation Procedure (SSP) among 125 father‐infant and 141 mother‐infant dyads. Cortisol was assessed at baseline (T1), 20 (T2), and 40 minutes (T3) after the first parent‐infant separation. Initial correlations indicated significant associations between father‐infant and mother‐infant cortisol

The relation between maternal and infant cortisol responses has been a subject of intense research over the past decade. Relatedly, it has been hypothesized that maternal history of childhood maltreatment (MCM) impacts stress regulation across generations. The current study employed four statistical approaches to determine how MCM influences the cortisol responses of 150 mothers and their 4‐month‐old

Parental input shapes youth self‐regulation development, and a lack of sensitive caregiving is a risk factor for youth mental health problems. Parents may shape youth regulation through their influence over biological (including neural) and behavioral development during childhood at both micro (moment‐to‐moment) and macro (global) levels. Prior studies have shown that micro‐level parent‐child interactions

This study investigates how adolescents' daily prosocial behaviors to friends are related to diurnal cortisol using between‐ and within‐subject analyses. Further, we examine whether role fulfillment (i.e., feeling like a good friend) moderates links between prosocial behaviors and cortisol. Ethnically diverse adolescents (N = 370; ages 11–18) reported whether they provided instrumental and emotional

Prenatal maternal distress predicts altered offspring immune outcomes, potentially via altered epigenetics. The role of different kinds of prenatal maternal distress on DNA methylation profiles is not understood.

Research has shown that children's internalizing symptom development during early childhood are shaped by biopsychosocial processes including physiology and parental symptoms. However, associations between maternal internalizing symptoms, child physiology and trajectories of child internalizing symptoms are not well understood. We used growth curve models to examine how maternal internalizing symptoms

Early life stress (ELS) is a well‐established risk factor for psychopathology across the lifespan. Cognitive vulnerability to stress‐induced cortisol may explain risk and resilience. The current study aimed to elucidate a psychobiological pathway linking stress to altered memory for affective words among youth with and without exposure to ELS. One hundred and fifteen youth (ages 9–16, 47% female) were

Few studies have longitudinally assessed the relationship between infant stress reactivity and future parenting style. Studies show that stress‐induced plasma cortisol concentrations are stable over development and that they can be utilized as a marker for stress reactivity. This study investigates the relationship between stress‐induced plasma cortisol concentrations in infancy and later parenting

Motivation influences cognitive control, particularly in childhood and adolescence. Previous work finds that the error‐related negativity (ERN), an event‐related potential (ERP) linked to cognitive control following errors, is influenced by social motivation. However, it is unclear whether the influences of social motivation on the ERN extend to stimulus‐locked neural correlates of cognitive control

Robust literature supports the positive effects of kangaroo mother care (KMC) on infant physiologic stability and parent–infant bonding in the Neonatal Intensive Care Unit (NICU). Comparatively little is known about kangaroo father care (KFC) in the NICU, and KFC implementation has been limited. Our pilot feasibility study objective was to examine KFC effects on premature infants and fathers as compared

Emerging research suggests that caregiving environments and genetic variants independently contribute to social functioning in children with typical development or autism spectrum disorder (ASD). However, biologically plausible interactive models and complimentary assessment of mechanisms are needed to: (a) explain considerable social heterogeneity, (b) resolve inconsistencies in the literature, and

Adolescent intermittent ethanol (AIE) exposure in the rat results in a retention of adolescent‐like responsiveness to ethanol into adulthood characterized by enhanced sensitivity to socially facilitating and decreased sensitivity to socially suppressing and aversive effects. Similar pattern of responsiveness to social and aversive effects of the selective glutamate NMDA NR2B receptor antagonist ifenprodil

Yawning is a primitive and stereotyped motor action involving orofacial, laryngeal, pharyngeal, thoracic and abdominal muscles. Contagious yawning, an involuntarily action induced by viewing or listening to others' yawns, has been demonstrated in human and several non‐human species. Previous studies with humans showed that infants and preschool children, socially separated during video experiments

Care of infants is a hallmark of mammals. Whereas parental care by mothers is obligatory for offspring survival in virtually all mammals, fathers provide care for their offspring in only an estimated 5%–10% of genera. In these species, the transition into fatherhood is often accompanied by pronounced changes in males’ behavioral responses to young, including a reduction in aggression toward infants

Irritability is impairing and prevalent across pediatric psychiatric disorders and typical development, yet its neural mechanisms are largely unknown. This study evaluated the relation between adolescent irritability and reward‐related brain function as a candidate neural mechanism. Adolescents from intervention‐seeking families in the community (N = 52; mean age = 13.80, SD = 1.94) completed a monetary

Human fathers often form strong attachments to their infants that contribute to positive developmental outcomes. However, fathers are also the most common perpetrators of infant abuse, and infant crying is a known trigger. Research on parental brain responses to infant crying have typically employed passive listening paradigms. However, parents usually engage with crying infants. Therefore, we examined

Prior studies have suggested that short periods of exposure to environmental enrichment (EE) in rodents induce physiological and behavioral effects. In the present study, our aim was to evaluate if the impact of experiences based on EE could be modulated by the age of onset and the developmental period of exposure. NMRI male mice (n = 64) were exposed to EE or standard environment (SE) and behavioral

The development of executive functions (EF) is shaped by both genetic and environmental factors, including cultural background. Genetically, variation in the catechol‐O‐methyltransferase (COMT) gene polymorphism has been linked to EF performance and differential regulation of prefrontal cortex activity. Based on the gene–culture interaction framework, we tested whether culture would moderate the association

While early caregiving and child's temperamental dispositions work in concert to shape social‐emotional outcomes, their unique and joint contribution to the maturation of the child's stress and immune systems remain unclear. We followed children longitudinally from infancy to preschool to address the buffering effect of early parenting on the link between temperamental dysregulation and hypothalam

Childhood socioeconomic status (SES) has been associated with brain cortex surface area in children. However, the extent to which childhood SES is prospectively associated with brain morphometry in adulthood is unclear. We tested whether childhood SES (income‐to‐needs ratio averaged across ages 9, 13, and 17) is prospectively associated with cortical surface morphometry in adulthood. Average childhood

Children who experience early adversity often show alterations across multiple stress response systems, including the hypothalamic–pituitary–adrenal (HPA) axis and autonomic nervous system (ANS). Changes in the diurnal rhythm of salivary cortisol (a marker of HPA axis functioning) and alpha‐amylase (a marker of ANS functioning) may increase their probability of developing behavior problems. The goal

Given associations linking early life adversity, pubertal timing, and biological aging, we examined the direct and indirect effects of early life trauma on adult biological aging (via age of menarche).

Parents and preschoolers show respiratory sinus arrhythmia (RSA) synchrony, but it is unclear how child self‐regulation and the dyadic affective climate shape RSA synchrony and how synchrony differs for mothers and fathers. We examined child average RSA, externalizing problems, and dyadic positive affect as moderators of the synchrony of dynamic, within‐epoch child and parent RSA reactivity during

Previously, compassion has been found to protect against depressive symptoms, while emotional adversities in childhood are suggested to increase inflammatory responses. The current study investigated (a) whether emotional family environment in childhood predicts levels of such cytokines in adulthood that are previously found to be elevated in depression (interleukin [IL]‐2, IL‐6, IL‐1b, monocyte chemoattractant

Pregnancy is a critical time for the effects of environmental factors on children's development. The effect of added sugar intake on fetal development and pregnancy outcomes remains understudied despite increasing dietary intake in the United States. This study investigated the effect of added sugar on fetal programming by examining the association between maternal added sugar consumption, fetal movement

The aim of this study is to assess whether positive emotional exchanges (i.e., emotion coregulation) within the mother–child dyad play a protective role in children's physiological response to a distressing task. Specifically, we test whether positive emotion coregulation among mothers and their preschool‐aged children is associated with children's respiratory sinus arrhythmia (RSA) at baseline, during

Negativity bias is a core feature of depression that is associated with dysfunctional frontoamygdalar connectivity; this pathway is associated with emotion regulation and sensitive to neurobiological change during puberty. We used a valence bias task (ratings of emotional ambiguity) as a potential early indicator of depression risk and differences in frontoamygdalar connectivity. Previous work using

Fathers’ involvement in early childhood is important for children's physical, emotional, and cognitive development, particularly in low‐income families. However, little is known about the longitudinal relations between early father involvement and children's later physiological responses to chronic stress and behaviors impacted by stress in the context of poverty. These issues are particularly important

Children of fathers with antisocial personality disorder (ASPD) are at risk for developing delinquency, and both biological and environmental mechanisms contribute. In this study, we test parasympathetic nervous system (PNS) function as a vulnerability/sensitivity attribute in predicting intergenerational associations between fathers' antisociality and children's delinquency scores. We followed 207

Children born preterm display altered sensory processing, which may manifest as hyper‐ and/or hypo‐sensitivity to sensory information. In this vulnerable population, exposure to neonatal pain‐related stress is associated with altered stress regulation, as indexed by alterations in cortisol levels. It is unknown whether sensory processing behaviors are also affected by early life adversity, and whether

Early adversity, including institutional orphanage care, is associated with the development of internalizing disorders. Previous research suggests that institutionalization can disrupt emotion regulation processes, which contribute to internalizing symptoms. However, no prior work has investigated how early orphanage care shapes emotion regulation strategy usage (e.g., cognitive reappraisal, expressive

Foster children are at risk for dysregulated hypothalamic pituitary adrenal (HPA) axis functioning, conferring risk for negative health outcomes. Responsive parenting may support young children's HPA axis regulation; however, few studies have examined the association between responsive parenting and cortisol production among children in foster care. In a sample of 97 foster parent–child dyads, we examined

Optimal sleeping behaviors are critical for overall development, yet some evidence suggests stress and living in a low‐income environment are associated with disruptions of sleeping behaviors early in life. In this study, we investigated the association of toddler sleeping behaviors, particularly difficulties initiating and/or maintaining sleep (DIMS), and maternal and toddler prolonged stress using

Despite a sizeable literature documenting meaningful contributions of father involvement to child health and development, researchers have paid little attention to biological characteristics that may render a child more or less sensitive to fathering behavior. The identification of child and paternal characteristics that promote child behavioral health is particularly critical in the context of sociocultural

Young children in institutional care experience conditions that are incompatible with their needs for attachment relationships. As a result, early institutionalization is expected to have lasting effects on the regulation of the hypothalamic–pituitary–adrenocortical (HPA) axis. The current study tested whether early institutionalization has persistent consequences for diurnal HPA axis outcomes among

Extant research is mixed regarding the relations among lifetime exposure to stressors, adrenocortical activity, and executive function (EF), particularly in children. Aggregate measures of adrenocortical activity like hair cortisol concentration (HCC), timing of stress exposure, and age at assessment may clarify these associations. This cross‐sectional study examined the association among parent‐reported

Mothers and fathers are at elevated risk for developing depression during the first postnatal year, especially among families from marginalized communities. Although a number of studies demonstrate that exposure to maternal depressive symptoms can undermine infants’ regulatory development, less is known about the extent to which paternal depressive symptoms may also contribute. The current study investigated

The study aimed to longitudinally explore the effects of parental prenatal attachment and psychopathological symptomatology on neonatal global DNA methylation (5‐mC) variation between birth and the first month of life. Eighteen mothers and thirteen fathers were assessed before childbirth (t0) by Perceived Stress Scale (PSS), Prenatal‐Attachment Inventory, and Paternal Antenatal Attachment Scale; 48 hr

Hurricane Irma was the most powerful Atlantic hurricane in recorded history, displacing 6 million and killing over 120 people in the state of Florida alone. Unpredictable disasters like Irma are associated with poor cognitive and health outcomes that can disproportionately impact children. This study examined the effects of Hurricane Irma on the hippocampus and memory processes previously related to

Early stressful events negatively affect emotional and physical well‐being. Cardiac vagal tone (CVT), which is associated with better emotional and physical well‐being, usually gradually increase in early childhood. Nonetheless, children's CVT developmental trajectories are greatly variable, such that CVT can increase or decrease across the years. The present study examines the longitudinal effects

The current study tested the hypothesis that variation in parental emotional support explains differences in cortisol reactivity among 159 youth, including both previously institutionalized (PI; N = 78) and non‐adopted (NA; N = 81) children (ages 9–10) and adolescents (ages 15–16). Youth participated in a Modified Trier Social Stress Test after a period of preparation with either their parent or a

In human males, testosterone (T) decreases in the period following the birth of offspring. This decline has been widely interpreted as a facultative neuroendocrine response that facilitates parenting effort. Conversely, research on if (or when) this decline in T would be followed by an eventual recovery and subsequent shift away from parenting effort is lacking. In a U.S. community sample of 225 males

Prior researchers have observed relations between children's autonomic nervous system reactivity and externalizing behavior problems, but rarely considers the role of developmentally regulated changes in children's stress response systems. Using growth mixture modeling, the present study derived profiles of parasympathetic nervous system reactivity (as indicated by respiratory sinus arrhythmia (RSA))

Early adverse care has long‐term impacts on physical and mental health. The influence of rearing conditions on the infant's gut microbiota and its relationship with developmental health has become more evident. The microbiome is essential for normal growth and metabolism, and the signaling from the gut to the brain may underlie individual differences in resilience later in life. Microbial diversity

The cafeteria diet (CD), an experimental diet that mimics the obesogenic Western diet, can impair memory in adult rats. However, the suckling period is also particularly susceptible to diet‐induced behavioural modification. Here, following exposure to CD feeding during lactation, 24‐ to 26‐day‐old offspring were tested to determine maternal dietary effects on either open field habituation, object location

Natural images have properties that adults’ behavioral and neural responses are sensitive to, but the development of this sensitivity is not clear. Behaviorally, children acquire adult‐like sensitivity to natural image statistics during middle childhood (Ellemberg et al., 2012), but infants exhibit sensitivity to deviations of natural image structure (Balas & Woods, 2014). We used event‐related potentials

Prenatal stress exposure increases vulnerability to virtually all forms of psychopathology. Based on this robust evidence base, we propose a “Mental Health, Earlier” paradigm shift for prenatal stress research, which moves from the documentation of stress‐related outcomes to their prevention, with a focus on infant neurodevelopmental indicators of vulnerability to subsequent mental health problems