Bringing together foremost experts, this book reviews groundbreaking gene–environment research and explores implications for clinical practice, prevention, and public policy. Presented is cutting-edge work on the interplay of genetic factors and childhood experiences in the development of mental disorders such as depression, conduct disorder, and schizophrenia. Essential topics include what scientists currently know about "susceptibility genes"; the mechanisms by which maltreatment and other stressors interact with biological susceptibilities across development; and factors that make certain children more resilient than others. Future directions for personalizing treatment and prevention efforts, thus making them more effective, are discussed.
How we raise young children is one of today's most highly personalized and sharply politicized issues, in part because each of us can claim some level of "expertise." The debate has intensified as discoveries about our development-in the womb and in the first months and years-have reached the popular media. How can we use our burgeoning knowledge to assure the well-being of all young children, for their own sake as well as for the sake of our nation? Drawing from new findings, this book presents important conclusions about nature-versus-nurture, the impact of being born into a working family, the effect of politics on programs for children, the costs and benefits of intervention, and other issues. The committee issues a series of challenges to decision makers regarding the quality of child care, issues of racial and ethnic diversity, the integration of children's cognitive and emotional development, and more. Authoritative yet accessible, From Neurons to Neighborhoods presents the evidence about "brain wiring" and how kids learn to speak, think, and regulate their behavior. It examines the effect of the climate-family, child care, community-within which the child grows.
Developmental Psychopathology, Second Edition, contains in three volumes the most complete and current research on every aspect of developmental psychopathology. This seminal reference work features contributions from national and international expert researchers and clinicians who bring together an array of interdisciplinary work to ascertain how multiple levels of analysis may influence individual differences, the continuity or discontinuity of patterns and the pathways by which the same developmental outcomes may be achieved. This volume addresses theoretical perspectives and methodological.
A major benchmark in the understanding of psychiatric illness in children and adolescents, Developmental Psychopathology and Wellness reports on progress in identifying genetic and environmental influences on emotional-behavioral disorders. A team of 22 international authorities presents work that changes the way child psychiatry and clinical psychology are conceptualized, debunking misconceptions about depression, antisocial behavior, and other conditions to enhance our understanding of the causes of child psychopathology -- and improve the ways we treat these disorders. Coverage of basic principles describes the influence of genomic medicine, as explained by trailblazers in the field who demonstrate the importance of the developmental perspective. Chapters on gene-environment interaction review the important concepts of personality and temperament, cognition, and sex -- including findings from molecular genetic investigations on adolescent cognition, temperament, and brain function. Disorder-based examples show how emotional-behavioral illness and wellness attest to the interaction of genetic and environmental factors over time, providing new insight into the study of anxious depression, ADHD, autism, and antisocial personality disorders. And in considering how we can bridge the gap between research and clinical applications, Dr. Hudziak describes his family-based gene-environment approach as a means of better understanding etiopathology and treatment. Among the other significant contributions: Thomas Achenbach focuses on the importance of culture in understanding the genetic and environmental impact on children, with insights into measuring these sources of influence. Joan Kaufman reports on her seminal work on the genetic and environmental modifiers of risk and resilience in child abuse, relating maltreatment to other forms of environmental risk, genetic mediation, and reactivity. D. I. Boomsma describes the genetic architecture of childhood worry, presenting data from an extraordinary sample of 30,000 twin pairs. Frank Verhulst draws on a 14-year study to detail the advantages of the developmental perspective in understanding antisocial behavior. Stephen Faraone offers guidelines for moving beyond statistics to document the functional significance of DNA variants associated with psychopathology. As the contributors ably demonstrate, these new approaches to the care and treatment of at-risk children are applicable to daily practice, teaching, and research. Developmental Psychopathology and Wellness shows that these psychopathologies are not a matter of nature versus nurture or genes versus environment, but rather an intertwining web of them all.
This handbook brings together the full weight of contemporary evidence bearing on what is now commonly termed “psycho-cardiology”. It focuses on the role of psycho-social factors in the genesis and clinical management of cardiovascular disease (CVD). The book constitutes a critically reviewed compendium of current knowledge in the area, coupled with guides to evidence-based best practice in the field of psycho-cardiology. The following categories are covered: Social/demographic risk for CVD, Personality and CVD risk, Stress and CVD risk, Psychopathology (particularly affective disorders) and CVD risk, The psychological management of those with clinical CVD, Psychology in the prevention of CVD. The book integrates the evidence into a compelling argument that clinicians, researchers and those in public health will discount the role of psychological factors in regard to CVD at their own peril. And importantly for clinicians charged with the care of patients with CVD, the book poses the argument that failure to recognize the links between psychological factors and CVD may well be at the considerable peril of those patients under their care.
With recent studies using genetic, epigenetic, and other molecular and neurochemical approaches, a new era has begun in understanding pathophysiology of suicide. Emerging evidence suggests that neurobiological factors are not only critical in providing potential risk factors but also provide a promising approach to develop more effective treatment and prevention strategies. The Neurobiological Basis of Suicide discusses the most recent findings in suicide neurobiology. Psychological, psychosocial, and cultural factors are important in determining the risk factors for suicide; however, they offer weak prediction and can be of little clinical use. Interestingly, cognitive characteristics are different among depressed suicidal and depressed nonsuicidal subjects, and could be involved in the development of suicidal behavior. The characterization of the neurobiological basis of suicide is in delineating the risk factors associated with suicide. The Neurobiological Basis of Suicide focuses on how and why these neurobiological factors are crucial in the pathogenic mechanisms of suicidal behavior and how these findings can be transformed into potential therapeutic applications.
This volume contains the latest theories and evidence about the highly dynamic inter-relation between genes and environments as they influence the development, mental health and substance use of adolescents.
This book examines the current research in gene-environment transactions (GEX) and its potential use in developing interventions and applications tailored to individual genetic makeups. Key concepts underlying GEX studies in this area are defined, identifying fundamental challenges in devising informed research questions and conducting valid and useful experiments. Chapters analyze GEX models inspired by the present day genome-based frameworks, particularly in terms of advances in identifying and understanding complex environmental factors, using examples from common psychological conditions, such as antisocial behavior, chronic physical aggression, and chronic internalizing disorder. In addition, the book presents new and potential applications of the framework in the contexts of prevention science and intervention research. Topics featured in this book include: Epigenetics and the biology of gene x environment interactions. Gene by environment interactions and its potential use for intervention strategies in anxiety disorders. The challenges and potential for research on gene-environment interactions within autism spectrum disorder. Using genetically informed prevention trials to test gene x environment hypothese. Challenges for intervention research within the GEX framework. Gene-Environment Transactions in Developmental Psychopathology is a must-have resource for researchers/professors, clinicians, and related professionals as well as graduate students in developmental psychology, psychiatry, human genetics, and related disciplines.
This handbook provides a comprehensive survey of what is now known about psychological development, from birth to biological maturity, and it highlights how cultural, social, cognitive, neural, and molecular processes work together to yield human behavior and changes in human behavior.
What does it mean to find a gene or set of genes that are associated with ADHD, schizophrenia, or autism? Could we eradicate such diseases from our species through gene therapy? Is it possible to eradicate from our genome the genetic material that predisposes us to be too aggressive, too shy, less intelligent, or not active enough? Who has the political power and/or moral authority to make these decisions? The premise of Nature and Nurture is that the complexity of the transactions between nature and nurture--between genes and the environment from the cellular to the cultural level--make these questions incredibly complex and in need of careful attention by educators, scientists, the public, and policymakers. A product of the conference held at Brown University in 2001, this book suggests that genes and environments work together interactively in a complex and closely intertwined fashion. The contributors to this book--biologists, psychologists, psychiatrists, and economists--present knowledge that enables research and application to transcend the traditional question of whatever variance or significance is attributed to genetics versus environment in the development of a particular behavioral trait. This book presents a variety of views on the current status of knowledge about the ways in which dynamic, developmental, mutually interactive systems in the genetic and environmental domains operate. The chapters represent contributions from different perspectives.
