As the primary source of protection, food, and comfort, parental care is of utmost importance to child development. Even as the child matures and develops independence, parental care and the larger familial context continue to exert a large influence on development. Investigating the impact of family factors on brain development facilitates an understanding of the mechanisms by which these factors influence broader aspects of children’s development, health and wellbeing.
Although large variation exists in children’s family environments, most research on the association between family factors and neurodevelopment focuses on extreme adversities such as child abuse or neglect. These studies are of great importance, but results may not generalize to the larger population of children growing up in more normative situations. Variation in these normative environments may meaningfully affect child neurodevelopment for better or worse. Further, understanding the impact of different family factors (from parenting behaviors to more distal aspects of the community that impact family functioning) is of importance. However, as these family factors are often related, a conceptual framework is required that helps categorize the different factors and their influence.
Although widely applied in research on child development, Bronfenbrenner’s bio-ecological model, which categorizes aspects of the child’s environment according to the proximity to the child, has been applied to a lesser extent in developmental neurobiology. In Bronfenbrenner’s bio-ecological model, the microsystem—which is the system the child has direct experience in— and the child’s interactions with actors on these microsystems (called proximal processes), are influenced by the more distal systems, such as relations and interactions between actors on the microsystem, neighborhood or policy. Factors on these different systems are thought to have different yet related effects. In order to understand how different factors of the family environment are related to child neurodevelopment, we propose to apply Bronfenbrenner’s bio-ecological model to the research on the effects of the family environment on child brain development.
With this Research Topic, we seek to answer the following questions: 1) How do different levels of the family environment, ranging from proximal/micro factors such as parenting behavior or the parent-child relationship, to more distal/macro factors such as the family socio-economic status, affect child neurodevelopment and consequently behavioral development? Examples of factors on intermediate levels are parental conflict, neighborhood safety or family support networks. 2) Do these factors have different effects depending on the developmental period they occur in or depending on the period their effects are measured in?
In order to achieve these goals, we seek to include studies addressing the relationship between one or more factors related to the family environment and child brain structure, function or connectivity. We particularly welcome studies addressing multiple levels of the family environment, as well as studies examining normative variation in family functioning or positive/protective familial factors. However, we will also accept studies addressing more severe examples of negative family functioning, such as child abuse or neglect. While we will prioritize studies on children and adolescents, we will also consider papers addressing associations between family factors and the brain in adults.
We also welcome studies examining associations between neural measurements and behavioral outcomes, and papers addressing moderating or mediating factors in the association between the family environment and child brain development, such as hormonal levels or pubertal development. Additionally, we are happy to receive contributions utilizing animal models to bring a deeper understanding of the molecular, cellular and circuit mechanisms underlying the dynamic gene/environment interaction in brain development.
Finally, we welcome a broad range of neural measurements, including but not restricted to (f)MRI, EEG, MEG etc..
As the primary source of protection, food, and comfort, parental care is of utmost importance to child development. Even as the child matures and develops independence, parental care and the larger familial context continue to exert a large influence on development. Investigating the impact of family factors on brain development facilitates an understanding of the mechanisms by which these factors influence broader aspects of children’s development, health and wellbeing.
Although large variation exists in children’s family environments, most research on the association between family factors and neurodevelopment focuses on extreme adversities such as child abuse or neglect. These studies are of great importance, but results may not generalize to the larger population of children growing up in more normative situations. Variation in these normative environments may meaningfully affect child neurodevelopment for better or worse. Further, understanding the impact of different family factors (from parenting behaviors to more distal aspects of the community that impact family functioning) is of importance. However, as these family factors are often related, a conceptual framework is required that helps categorize the different factors and their influence.
Although widely applied in research on child development, Bronfenbrenner’s bio-ecological model, which categorizes aspects of the child’s environment according to the proximity to the child, has been applied to a lesser extent in developmental neurobiology. In Bronfenbrenner’s bio-ecological model, the microsystem—which is the system the child has direct experience in— and the child’s interactions with actors on these microsystems (called proximal processes), are influenced by the more distal systems, such as relations and interactions between actors on the microsystem, neighborhood or policy. Factors on these different systems are thought to have different yet related effects. In order to understand how different factors of the family environment are related to child neurodevelopment, we propose to apply Bronfenbrenner’s bio-ecological model to the research on the effects of the family environment on child brain development.
With this Research Topic, we seek to answer the following questions: 1) How do different levels of the family environment, ranging from proximal/micro factors such as parenting behavior or the parent-child relationship, to more distal/macro factors such as the family socio-economic status, affect child neurodevelopment and consequently behavioral development? Examples of factors on intermediate levels are parental conflict, neighborhood safety or family support networks. 2) Do these factors have different effects depending on the developmental period they occur in or depending on the period their effects are measured in?
In order to achieve these goals, we seek to include studies addressing the relationship between one or more factors related to the family environment and child brain structure, function or connectivity. We particularly welcome studies addressing multiple levels of the family environment, as well as studies examining normative variation in family functioning or positive/protective familial factors. However, we will also accept studies addressing more severe examples of negative family functioning, such as child abuse or neglect. While we will prioritize studies on children and adolescents, we will also consider papers addressing associations between family factors and the brain in adults.
We also welcome studies examining associations between neural measurements and behavioral outcomes, and papers addressing moderating or mediating factors in the association between the family environment and child brain development, such as hormonal levels or pubertal development. Additionally, we are happy to receive contributions utilizing animal models to bring a deeper understanding of the molecular, cellular and circuit mechanisms underlying the dynamic gene/environment interaction in brain development.
Finally, we welcome a broad range of neural measurements, including but not restricted to (f)MRI, EEG, MEG etc..