A new study shows that children with strict parents are more likely to suffer from depression . According to researchers at the University of Leuven, the authoritative style of changes the lines of children's brains, making them more susceptible to mental health problems.
"We found that harsh parenting, coupled with corporal punishment and psychological manipulation, could introduce an additional set of instructions on how genes are read to hardwire into DNA. We have some signs that these changes themselves can make growing children susceptible to depression. If the children are supported, this won't happen," lead author Dr. Evelien Van Assche explained in a media briefing.
This finding could lead to a screening program to identify vulnerable individuals. Estimates show that about one in 10 Americans suffer from depression. This discovery goes against the old adage of “manage your own business and spoil your child”, which means that a child without discipline will never learn to obey and be polite.
This study was based on 23 Belgian boys and girls aged 12 to 16 who reported that their parents were harsh — including manipulation, corporal punishment or excessive harshness. The team compared them to a similar number of age- and gender-matched peers who said their parents were very supportive and gave them autonomy.
Will strictness really change the child’s genes?
genome map shows that the previous group added the " methylated " variant associated with depression. Many people have shown initial subclinical symptoms. When a small chemical molecule is added to DNA, methylation is a normal process that changes the way instructions are read. For example, it can increase or decrease the amount of enzyme produced by a gene.
"Our method builds on previous studies of identical twins . Two independent groups found that twins diagnosed with major depression had a higher percentage of these hundreds of thousands of data points and a higher range of DNA methylation than healthy twins," said Dr. Fan Ashe.
KU Leuven's team measured the methylation range at more than 450,000 positions in each child's DNA. Those who claim to have a strict education are much higher.
"DNA remains the same, but these additional chemical groups affect how DNA instructions are read. Those who report more stringent parenting styles show a tendency to depression, which we believe is driven by an increase in methylation variants. Integrated into their DNA. We are now studying whether we can turn off the cycle by linking it to later diagnosis of depression and may use this increased methylation variant as a marker to warn ahead of time who may have the disease and be at a higher risk of depression," added Dr. Van Assche, now at the University of Munster, .
"In this study, we investigated the role of harsh parenting, but any significant stress may lead to this change in DNA methylation ; therefore, in general, stress in childhood may be affected by DNA changes. These results need to be confirmed in larger samples."
Accumulating evidence suggests that harsh parenting can harm children
Previous studies linked harsh parenting to children's depression, anxiety, and aggressiveness. Scientists say that when they grow up, their offspring will find it difficult to form emotional relationships and receive education.
"It's a very important job to understand the mechanisms that adverse childhood experiences have a lifetime impact on physical and mental health. If we can understand who is at risk and why strict parenting makes a difference, there will be a lot of gains," said Professor Christiaan Vinkers of the University of Amsterdam Medical Center.
"We show that variability in DNA methylation increased in adolescents experiencing adverse parenting and subclinical depression symptoms, consistent with previous results.These findings may suggest that environmental stress affects DNA methylation regulatory mechanisms, which may lead to higher overall variability. Researchers said in the 35th edition of the study that the findings are consistent with increasing evidence that chronic adversity, such as the view that parental misbringing is associated with altered DNA methylation. Conclusions were drawn in a speech at the European Conference on Neuropsychopharmacology.
