L8 - Environment and Mental Health Flashcards
(41 cards)
What does FAS stand for?
Foetal alcohol syndrome
What are the 4 features of FAS?
- exposure to alcohol during pregnancy
- craniofacial abnormalities
- growth retardation (shorter, slower growth)
- central nervous dysfunction (learning disabilities and low IQ)
What are some examples of craniofacial abnormalities in FAS?
- small head/eye openings
- flat upper part of the nose
- short nose
- thin upper lip
- smooth area between nose and upper lip
What are the instances of adverse life outcomes in FAS, found by Striessguth, (2004)?
- 61% had disrupted school experiences
- 60% juvenile delinquents
- 50% confinement (detention, jail, or a psychiatric inpatient setting)
- 49% inappropriate sexual behaviours on repeated occasions
- 35% drug/alcohol problems
What does FAE stand for?
Fetal alcohol effects
What did Fast et al., (1999) find about the prevalence of FAS or FAE in a youth forensic psychiatric service?
1% had FAS
22.3% had FAE
What did Lancet’s (2016) meta-analysis show about the most common disorder comorbid with FAS?
- The disorder with the highest prevalence of FAS was CD (90%)
Supports link between exposure to alcohol during pregnancy and developing antisocial behaviour later on.
According to Sowell et al., (2008), what could be the mechanisms between FAS and ASVB outcomes?
Exposure to alcohol leads to:
- disruption of major white matter tracts
- damage to the hippocampus (which impairs learning)
- poor executive functioning
- widespread structural and functional impairments in later childhood.
What is one of the most robust brain abnormalities in those with CD?
Abnormalities with the corpus callosum
What is the definition of maltreatment according to the WHO?
All forms of physical and/or emotional ill-treatment, sexual abuse, neglect or negligent treatment or commercial or other exploitation, resulting in actual or potential harm to the child’s health, survival, development or dignity in the context of a relationship of responsibility, trust or power.
What are the 4 forms of maltreatment according to Radford et al., (2011)?
- Physical abuse
- emotional abuse
- Sexual abuse
- neglect
What is the definition of physical abuse in relation to child maltreatment?
Acts such as hitting, kicking, baby-shaking or other physical aggression that is likely to hurt or cause significant harm to a child.
What is the definition of emotional abuse in relation to child maltreatment?
The persistent emotional maltreatment of a child such as to cause severe and persistent adverse effects on the child’s emotional development.
What is the definition of sexual abuse in relation to child maltreatment?
Forcing or enticing a child or young person to take part in sexual activities, not necessarily involving a high level of violence, whether or not the child is aware of what is happening.
What is the definition of neglect in relation to child maltreatment?
A persistent failure to meet a child’s basic physical and/or developmental needs.
What is the least prevalent form of maltreatment?
Sexual abuse.
What did Radford et al., (2011) find about the percentage of children that had experienced maltreatment?
U11s - nearly 10% reported that they were exposed to any form of maltreatment
Adolescents - almost 20% reported maltreatment
Majority of maltreated children experienced more than one kind of abuse. All forms of abuse in childhood were generally associated with poorer mental health and elevated delinquent behaviour.
Maltreatment significantly increases the risk of what, during adolescence and adulthood?
- Depression
- Anxiety disorders/PTSD
- CD
- Personality disorders
- Substance misuse
Gilbert et al., (2009)
What percentage of our genes is expressed in the brain?
70%
Describe, in general, how genetics manifests in psychiatric disorders.
There are no genes for psychiatric disorders; but there are certain genetic variants which add small increments of risk or vulnerability
Such genetic variants bias the functioning of several brain and hormonal circuits, which mediate the body’s response to stress.
(Plomin et al., 1994)
Which form of aggression is most associated with child maltreatment?
Reactive aggression, especially in response to threat.
The amygdala and ACC act as what, respectively, for behaviour?
Amygdala - accelerator
ACC - brake
What did Meyer-Lindenberg et al., (2006) find when comparing those with MAOA-low and MAOA-high, on their activation levels in response to emotional facial stimuli?
Compared 100 American men with MAOA-Low and MAOA alleles on their responses to emotional facial stimuli.
- those carrying MAOA-L had heightened responses to fearful faces compared to those with MAOA-H.
- those with MAOA-L had 8% reduction in gray matter volume in the ACC, compared to MAOA-H.
- men with MAOA-L had less deactivation (higher activation) of the ACC than those with MAOA-H and responses in the subgenual ACC were lower than that of the MAOA-H group. Also had greater activation in the amygdala than the MAOA-H group.
Those with MAOA-low have a heightened response in the basic threat response system (Amygdala), and less response in the region acting as regulatory brakes on the subcortical system (subgenual ACC).
What did Holtz et al., (2014) find about sex differences in biosocial interactions?
Males - MAOA-low, increasingly positive amygdala response to emotional faces with increasing childhood life stress (CLS).
Greater amygdala response, greater the reactive aggression and aggression during later life.
Females - MAOA-high, positive relationship between CLS and positive amygdala response to threatening information. Positive relationship between amygdala response and reactive aggression & aggression during later life.
Sex may be important when considering the interactions between environmental and neurobiological risk factors in predicting aggression and ASB.
