Incredible years parenting program buffers prospective association between parent-reported harsh parenting and epigenetic age deceleration in children with externalizing behavior

Psychoneuroendocrinology, vol. 165, pp. 107043

Abstract

Harsh parenting has been shown to increase the risk of physical and mental health problems in later life. To improve our understanding of these risks and how they can be mitigated, we investigated associations of harsh parenting with a clinically relevant biomarker, epigenetic age deviation (EAD), using data from a randomized-control trial of the Incredible Years (IY) parenting program. This study included 281 children aged 4-8 years who were screened for heightened externalizing behavior and whose parents were randomly allocated to either IY or care-as-usual (CAU). Parents reported on their own parenting practices and their child's externalizing behavior at baseline and at a follow-up assessment approximately three years later. Epigenetic age, based on the Pediatric Buccal Epigenetic (PedBE) clock, was estimated from child DNA methylation derived from saliva collected at the follow-up assessment. PedBE clock estimates were regressed on chronological age as a measure of EAD. Moderation analyses using multiple regression revealed that harsher parenting at baseline predicted epigenetic age deceleration in children that received CAU (b = -.21, 95% CI[-0.37, -0.05]), but no association was found in children whose parents were allocated to IY (b = -.02, 95% CI [-0.13, 0.19]). These results highlight a prospective association between harsh parenting and children's EAD and indicate a potential ameliorating effect of preventive intervention. Future work is needed to replicate these findings and understand individual differences in children's responses to harsh parenting in relation to epigenetic aging.

Authors 4

1. Nicole Creasey corresponding

   Erasmus MC · University College London · Erasmus University Rotterdam

   Affiliation as printed

   Department of Child and Adolescent Psychiatry/Psychology, Erasmus University Medical Center, Rotterdam, the Netherlands; The Generation R Study Group, Erasmus University Medical Center, Rotterdam, the Netherlands; Department of Clinical, Educational & Health Psychology, Division of Psychology & Language Sciences, Faculty of Brain Sciences, University College London, London, UK. Electronic address: n.creasey@erasmusmc.nl

   Department of Child and Adolescent Psychiatry/Psychology, Erasmus MC, University Medical Center Rotterdam, Rotterdam, the Netherlands

   Department of Clinical, Educational & Health Psychology, Division of Psychology & Language Sciences, Faculty of Brain Sciences, University College London, London, UK

   The Generation R Study Group, Erasmus MC, University Medical Center Rotterdam, Rotterdam, the Netherlands

2. Patty H. O. Leijten

   University of Amsterdam

   Affiliation as printed

   Research Institute of Child Development and Education, University of Amsterdam, Amsterdam, the Netherlands

3. Geertjan J. Overbeek

   University of Amsterdam

   Affiliation as printed

   Research Institute of Child Development and Education, University of Amsterdam, Amsterdam, the Netherlands

4. Marieke S. Tollenaar Aachen Institute of Psychology and Leiden Institute for Brain and Cognition

   Leiden University

   Affiliation as printed

   Institute of Psychology & Leiden Institute for Brain and Cognition, Leiden University, the Netherlands