Project Summary/Abstract
Earlier onset of a psychiatric disorder is associated with an increased likelihood of meeting criteria for
additional disorders and impaired functioning across the lifespan. Thus, efforts aimed at preventing or reducing
the development and maintenance of psychopathology early in life are of great value, especially when focused
on identifying early modifiable risk factors and mechanisms most salient to its development. The overall
objective of the present study is to investigate how the parent-child relationship across infancy and
toddlerhood – a sensitive period consisting of increased neuroplasticity and sensitivity to the quality of the
caregiving relationship – ultimately impacts the development of transdiagnostic psychopathology and its
underlying neurocognitive mechanisms. Additionally, to address the dearth of research on the importance of
fathers on children’s development, we will examine the unique contributions of both mothers and fathers in the
development of children’s psychopathology and its underlying neurocognitive mechanisms. Based on prior
theory and empirical evidence, we hypothesize that preschool executive control will be a mechanism through
which the quality of both the mother-child and father-child relationship in infancy and toddlerhood impacts the
development of the p-factor, a general shared dimension of symptoms that underlies nearly all forms of
psychopathology. To test this hypothesis, the integrative, comprehensive construct of mutually responsive
orientation (MRO) will be observed in both the mother-child and father-child relationships during infancy and
toddlerhood as predictors of child executive control in preschool and the general factor of psychopathology at
school age. MRO captures a dyadic level of relationship quality comprised of coordinated routines, harmonious
communication, mutual cooperation, and emotional ambience (high MRO) and maladaptive qualities of the
relationship such as hostile communication, lack of responsiveness, and high levels of negative affect (low
MRO). Study aims will be pursued in an established sample of 159 families (mother, father, and child) who
have completed observational paradigms when the target child was 1 and 2 years of age. Preschool executive
control will be measured using a comprehensive, laboratory battery of nine executive functioning tasks at age 5
years. Child general psychopathology will be measured using both mother and father reports of well-validated,
reliable, and developmentally appropriate psychopathology questionnaires of child internalizing problems,
externalizing problems, and emotion dysregulation when participating children turn 7 years of age. Findings are
expected to identify modifiable targets for developmentally informed prevention and intervention efforts aimed
at reducing executive dysfunction and the subsequent development of nearly all forms of psychopathology
across the lifespan.
