Sara Jaffee
University of Pennsylvania, Psychology, Faculty Member
Youth with high callous-unemotional traits (CU) are at risk for early-onset and persistent conduct problems. Research suggests that there may be different developmental pathways to CU (genetic/constitutional vs environmental), and that... more
Youth with high callous-unemotional traits (CU) are at risk for early-onset and persistent conduct problems. Research suggests that there may be different developmental pathways to CU (genetic/constitutional vs environmental), and that the absence or presence of co-occurring internalizing problems is a key marker. However, it is unclear whether such a distinction is valid. Intermediate phenotypes such as DNA methylation, an epigenetic modification regulating gene expression, may help to clarify etiological pathways. This is the first study to examine prospective inter-relationships between environmental risk (prenatal/postnatal) and DNA methylation (birth, age 7 and 9) in the prediction of CU (age 13), for youth low vs high in internalizing problems. We focused on DNA methylation in the vicinity of the oxytocin receptor (OXTR) gene as it has been previously implicated in CU. Participants were 84 youth with early-onset and persistent conduct problems drawn from the Avon Longitudinal ...
Research Interests: Genetics, Developmental Psychology, Psychiatry, Developmental Psychopathology, Genomics, and 19 moreFamily, Risk, Epigenetics, Molecular Psychiatry, Callous-Unemotional Traits, Biological Sciences, Prospective studies, Pregnancy, Humans, Child, Female, Male, DNA methylation, Internalizing and Externalizing Behavior in Adolescence, Crime Victims, Conduct Disorder, Social Environment, Newborn Infant, and Longitudinal Studies
Research Interests:
Research Interests:
Research Interests:
Research Interests:
Research Interests:
Externalizing and internalizing problems may aggregate in families because (1) siblings share genetic risks for problem behaviors or (2) siblings are exposed to similar environmental risks. A genetically sensitive design was used to... more
Externalizing and internalizing problems may aggregate in families because (1) siblings share genetic risks for problem behaviors or (2) siblings are exposed to similar environmental risks. A genetically sensitive design was used to determine whether domestic violence accounted significantly for the variation and covariation of externalizing and internalizing problems, independent of additive genetic effects on these behavior problems. Using the Achenbach family of instruments, mothers and teachers reported internalizing and externalizing problems for 1,116 monozygotic and dizygotic 5-year-old twin pairs in the United Kingdom (93% response rate). Mothers reported their experiences of domestic violence in the previous 5 years. Structural equation models were tested to determine the effect of mothers' experiences of domestic violence on children's emotional and conduct problems, controlling for latent genetic and environmental effects on these behaviors. A multivariate model showed that adult domestic violence accounted for 2% and 5% of the variation in children's internalizing and externalizing problems, respectively, independent of genetic effects. The co-occurrence of externalizing and internalizing scores was accounted for by genetic (62.6%) and shared environmental (29.2%) factors and by domestic violence (8%). Because domestic violence affects children's behavior problems beyond genetic influences, programs that successfully reduce domestic violence should also prevent children's psychopathology.
Research Interests: Genetics, Domestic Violence, Behavior Genetics, Biometry, Multivariate Analysis, and 15 moreEnvironmental Risk, Humans, Child, Female, Male, BEHAVIORAL GENETICS, Mental Disorders, Great Britain, Longitudinal Studies, Behavior Problems, Problem Behavior, Twin Study, Likelihood Functions, The American, and Child Behavior Checklist
Research Interests: Education, Domestic Violence, Social Support, Adolescent Health, Multivariate Analysis, and 15 moreHumans, Child, Child Abuse, Female, Male, Mental Disorders, Risk factors, Intergenerational Relations, Great Britain, Longitudinal Studies, Adult, Risk Factors, Sexual Partners, Logistic Models, and Sibling Relations
Research Interests:
... and Feminist Psychology ... Girls' resistance may in turn dissuade the teacher from pushing girls to develop their creative problem-solving skills ... in ideas such as "Women's Ways... more
... and Feminist Psychology ... Girls' resistance may in turn dissuade the teacher from pushing girls to develop their creative problem-solving skills ... in ideas such as "Women's Ways of Knowing" (Belenky, Clinchy, Gold-berger, & Tarule, 1986) or women's different moral voice (Gilligan ...
Research Interests:
Data gathered from mothers on parenting and family climate when almost 1,000 children in the Dunedin, New Zealand, longitudinal study were 3, 5, 7, 9, 13, and 15 years of age were used to predict intergenerational relations between young... more
Data gathered from mothers on parenting and family climate when almost 1,000 children in the Dunedin, New Zealand, longitudinal study were 3, 5, 7, 9, 13, and 15 years of age were used to predict intergenerational relations between young adult children (age 26) and their middle-aged parents. Analyses focused on distinct developmental epochs revealed greater prediction from the middle-childhood and early-adolescent periods than from the early-childhood years: most indicated that more supportive family environments and child-rearing experiences in the family of origin forecasted more positive and less negative parent-child relationships (in terms of contact, closeness, conflict, reciprocal assistance) in young adulthood, though associations were modest in magnitude. Some evidence indicated that (modestly) deleterious effects on intergenerational relations of experiencing relatively unsupportive child-rearing environments in 1 but not 2 (of 3) developmental periods studied could be offset by relatively supportive family environments in the remaining developmental periods.
Research Interests: Psychology, Cognitive Science, Developmental Psychology, Parenting, Child Development, and 22 moreYoung Adulthood, Social Support, Adolescent, Early Childhood, Prospective studies, Humans, Child, Female, Male, New Zealand, Family Environment, Young Adult, Follow-up studies, Intergenerational Relations, Middle Aged, Adult, Longitudinal Study, Parent-Child Relationship, Child Rearing, Parent‐child Relations, Prospective Study, and Data Gathering
Research on child effects has demonstrated that... more
Research on child effects has demonstrated that children's difficult and coercive behavior provokes harsh discipline from adults. Using a genetically sensitive design, the authors tested the limits of child effects on adult behavior that ranged from the normative (corporal punishment) to the nonnormative (physical maltreatment). The sample was a 1994-1995 nationally representative birth cohort of 1,116 twins and their families who participated in the Environmental Risk Longitudinal Study. Results showed that environmental factors accounted for most of the variation in corporal punishment and physical maltreatment. However, corporal punishment was genetically mediated in part, and the genetic factors that influenced corporal punishment were largely the same as those that influenced children's antisocial behavior, suggesting a child effect. The authors conclude that risk factors for maltreatment are less likely to reside within the child and more likely to reside in characteristics that differ between families.
Research Interests: Genetics, Psychology, Cognitive Science, Developmental Psychology, Adolescent, and 21 moreEnvironmental Risk, Child Behavior, Humans, Child, Child Abuse, Female, Male, Punishment, Infant, Genetic determinism, Risk factors, Developmental, Newborn Infant, Longitudinal Studies, Adult, Antisocial Behavior, Longitudinal Study, Risk Factors, Birth Cohort, Parent‐child Relations, and Cohort Studies
This 20-year longitudinal study showed that the young adult offspring of teen mothers are at risk for a range of adverse outcomes including early school leaving, unemployment, early parenthood, and violent offending. We tested how much... more
This 20-year longitudinal study showed that the young adult offspring of teen mothers are at risk for a range of adverse outcomes including early school leaving, unemployment, early parenthood, and violent offending. We tested how much the effect of teen childbearing on offspring outcomes could be accounted for by social selection (in which a woman's characteristics that make her an inadequate parent also make her likely to bear children in her teens) versus social influence (in which the consequences of becoming a teen mother also bring harm to her children, apart from any characteristics of her own). The results provided support for both mechanisms. Across outcomes, maternal characteristics and family circumstances together accounted for approximately 39% of the effect of teen childbearing on offspring outcomes. Consistent with a social-selection hypothesis, maternal characteristics accounted for approximately 18% of the effect of teen childbearing on offspring outcomes; consistent with a social-influence hypothesis, family circumstances accounted for 21% of the teen childbearing effect after controlling for maternal characteristics. These results suggest that public policy initiatives should be targeted not only at delaying childbearing in the population but at supporting individual at-risk mothers and their children.
Research Interests:
Research Interests: Genetics, Psychology, Cognitive Science, Parenting, Child Development, and 24 moreBehavior Genetics, Social Support, Adolescent, Fathers, Twins, Antisocial Personality Disorder, Quality of Care, Policy Design, Environmental Risk, Humans, Child, Female, Male, Follow-up studies, Mothers, Social Environment, Risk factors, Questionnaires, Antisocial Behavior, Conduct Problems, Family Structure, Risk Factors, Psychological Models, and Cohort Studies
Maternal smoking during pregnancy retards fetal growth and depresses infant birth weight. The magnitude of these effects may be moderated by fetal genotype. The current study investigated maternal smoking, fetal genotype, and fetal growth... more
Maternal smoking during pregnancy retards fetal growth and depresses infant birth weight. The magnitude of these effects may be moderated by fetal genotype. The current study investigated maternal smoking, fetal genotype, and fetal growth in a large population sample of dizygotic twins. Maternal smoking retarded fetal growth in a dose-dependent fashion. In a subsample of 497 twin pairs whose mothers smoked during pregnancy, a functional polymorphism in the NAD(P)H:quinone oxidoreductase gene (NQO1 Pro187Ser; rs1800566) was significantly associated with fetal growth within families. The effect was strongest among moderate smokers. This is the first demonstration that fetal genotype for an enzyme involved in tobacco smoke metabolism influences intrauterine growth independent of maternal genotype. Future studies should conduct formal tests of Fetal Genotype x Maternal Smoking interactions.
Research Interests:
Research Interests: Psychology, Social Work, Child abuse and neglect, Intelligence, Resilience, and 25 moreIndividuality, Victimology, Family, Stress, Antisocial Personality Disorder, Humans, Child, Models, Coping, Child Abuse, Female, Male, Neighbourhood, Social Environment, Risk factors, Personality Traits, Great Britain, Risk Factor, Longitudinal Studies, Sex Factors, Risk Factors, Life Change Events, Cohort Studies, Nino, and Cumulant
Family and twin studies suggest that juvenile-onset major depressive disorder (MDD) may be etiologically distinct from adult-onset MDD. This study is the first to distinguish prospectively between juvenile- and adult-onset cases of MDD in... more
Family and twin studies suggest that juvenile-onset major depressive disorder (MDD) may be etiologically distinct from adult-onset MDD. This study is the first to distinguish prospectively between juvenile- and adult-onset cases of MDD in a representative birth cohort followed up from childhood into adulthood. The study followed a representative birth cohort prospectively from birth to age 26 years. Early childhood risk factors covered the period from birth to age 9 years. Diagnoses of MDD were made according to DSM criteria at 3 points prior to adulthood (ages 11, 13, and 15 years) and 3 points during adulthood (ages 18, 21, and 26 years). Four groups were defined as (1) individuals first diagnosed as having MDD in childhood, but not in adulthood (n = 21); (2) individuals first diagnosed as having MDD in adulthood (n = 314); (3) individuals first diagnosed in childhood whose depression recurred in adulthood by age 26 years (n = 34); and (4) never-depressed individuals (n = 629). The 2 juvenile-onset groups had similar high-risk profiles on the childhood measures. Compared with the adult-depressed group, the juvenile-onset groups experienced more perinatal insults and motor skill deficits, caretaker instability, criminality, and psychopathology in their family-of-origin, and behavioral and socioemotional problems. The adult-onset group's risk profile was similar to that of the never-depressed group with the exception of elevated childhood sexual abuse. Heterogeneity within groups of psychiatric patients poses problems for theory, research, and treatment. The present study illustrates that the distinction between juvenile vs adult-onset MDD is important for understanding heterogeneity within depression.
Research Interests: Typology, Depression, Adolescent, Comparative Study, Comorbidity, and 28 moreEarly Childhood, Childhood Sexual Abuse, Prospective studies, Humans, Child, Child Sexual Abuse, Major Depressive Disorder, Personality Development, Female, Male, Cohort Study, Young Adult, Infant, Mental Disorders, Risk factors, Socioeconomic Status, Newborn Infant, Prevalence, Risk Factor, Adult, Twin Study, Risk Factors, Birth Cohort, Archives General Psychiatry, Life Change Events, Motor Skills, Cohort Studies, and Nino
Research Interests: Genetics, Psychology, Pharmacogenomics, Animal Behavior, Bipolar Disorder, and 50 morePolymorphism, Stress, Neuropsychopharmacology, China, Sleep Medicine, Adolescent, Employment, Animal Husbandry, Italy, Macaca, Humans, Major Depressive Disorder, Alcoholism, Female, Animals, Serotonin Transporter, Drug Resistance, Alcohol Drinking, Male, Ethanol, Neuro, Young Adult, The, Social Environment, Risk factors, Individual variation, Meta Analysis, Membrane transport proteins, Clinical Sciences, Aged, Middle Aged, Major Depression, Questionnaires, Genotype, Adult, Sex Factors, Stressful Life Events, Longitudinal data, Retrospective Studies, Operant Conditioning, Genetic variation, Risk Factors, Citalopram, Cross Sectional Studies, Mood Disorder, Archives General Psychiatry, Life Change Events, JAMA, Serotonin Uptake Inhibitors, and LIFE EVENT
To evaluate effects of life-course events and experiences of young adults, as well as personality and mental-health history on intergenerational relationships in young adulthood, the authors examined dyadic relationship data drawn from a... more
To evaluate effects of life-course events and experiences of young adults, as well as personality and mental-health history on intergenerational relationships in young adulthood, the authors examined dyadic relationship data drawn from a sample of more than 900 New Zealand 26-year-olds and their mothers and fathers. Results indicated that intergenerational relations were more positive when young adults were childless, not unemployed, married, and living away from home, but these factors did not interact with family relationship history in predicting relationship outcomes. Intergenerational relationships were less positive when children scored low on positive emotionality and constraint and high on negative emotionality and mental disorders, though these attributes did not account for the effect of life-course factors. Results are discussed in terms of the openness of the parent-child relationship in adulthood to further development.