The relation between infant freezing and the development of internalizing symptoms in adolescence: A prospective longitudinal study

Hannah C.M. Niermann; Anna Tyborowska; Antonius H.N. Cillessen; Marjolein M. van Donkelaar; Femke Lammertink; Megan R. Gunnar; Barbara Franke; Bernd Figner; Karin Roelofs

doi:10.1111/desc.12763

The relation between infant freezing and the development of internalizing symptoms in adolescence: A prospective longitudinal study

Hannah C.M. Niermann, Anna Tyborowska, Antonius H.N. Cillessen, Marjolein M. van Donkelaar, Femke Lammertink, Megan R. Gunnar, Barbara Franke, Bernd Figner, Karin Roelofs

Institute of Child Development

Research output: Contribution to journal › Article › peer-review

8 Scopus citations

Abstract

Given the long-lasting detrimental effects of internalizing symptoms, there is great need for detecting early risk markers. One promising marker is freezing behavior. Whereas initial freezing reactions are essential for coping with threat, prolonged freezing has been associated with internalizing psychopathology. However, it remains unknown whether early life alterations in freezing reactions predict changes in internalizing symptoms during adolescent development. In a longitudinal study (N = 116), we tested prospectively whether observed freezing in infancy predicted the development of internalizing symptoms from childhood through late adolescence (until age 17). Both longer and absent infant freezing behavior during a standard challenge (robot-confrontation task) were associated with internalizing symptoms in adolescence. Specifically, absent infant freezing predicted a relative increase in internalizing symptoms consistently across development from relatively low symptom levels in childhood to relatively high levels in late adolescence. Longer infant freezing also predicted a relative increase in internalizing symptoms, but only up until early adolescence. This latter effect was moderated by peer stress and was followed by a later decrease in internalizing symptoms. The findings suggest that early deviations in defensive freezing responses signal risk for internalizing symptoms and may constitute important markers in future stress vulnerability and resilience studies.

Original language	English (US)
Article number	e12763
Journal	Developmental Science
Volume	22
Issue number	3
DOIs	https://doi.org/10.1111/desc.12763
State	Published - May 2019

Bibliographical note

Funding Information:
The authors thank Marianne Riksen-Walraven, Sanny Smeekens, and Vivian Heuvelmans for their help in conceptualizing and rating infant freezing. The authors are grateful to Nicole Perry for her input, to all researchers who were involved in previous data assessments of the NLS, and particularly to the participants and their families for their ongoing participation.

Funding Information:
HN was supported by a Research Talent Grant (406-13-022) from the Netherlands Organization for Scientific Research (NWO) and by a Christine Mohrmann grant of Radboud University (Nijmegen, Netherlands). KR was funded by a Vici grant (#453-12-001) from NWO and a starting grant from the European Research Council (ERC_StG2012_313749). Additional support was received from the European Community’s Seventh Framework Programme (FP7/2007 – 2013) under grant agreement no. 602805 (Aggressotype). The content is the sole responsibility of the authors and does not necessarily represent the official views of the funding agencies.

Publisher Copyright:
© 2018 John Wiley & Sons Ltd

Keywords

5-HTTLPR
adolescence
defensive stress response
infancy
internalizing symptoms
longitudinal analysis

Publisher link

10.1111/desc.12763

http://hdl.handle.net/21.11116/0000-0003-5639-D

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title = "The relation between infant freezing and the development of internalizing symptoms in adolescence: A prospective longitudinal study",

abstract = "Given the long-lasting detrimental effects of internalizing symptoms, there is great need for detecting early risk markers. One promising marker is freezing behavior. Whereas initial freezing reactions are essential for coping with threat, prolonged freezing has been associated with internalizing psychopathology. However, it remains unknown whether early life alterations in freezing reactions predict changes in internalizing symptoms during adolescent development. In a longitudinal study (N = 116), we tested prospectively whether observed freezing in infancy predicted the development of internalizing symptoms from childhood through late adolescence (until age 17). Both longer and absent infant freezing behavior during a standard challenge (robot-confrontation task) were associated with internalizing symptoms in adolescence. Specifically, absent infant freezing predicted a relative increase in internalizing symptoms consistently across development from relatively low symptom levels in childhood to relatively high levels in late adolescence. Longer infant freezing also predicted a relative increase in internalizing symptoms, but only up until early adolescence. This latter effect was moderated by peer stress and was followed by a later decrease in internalizing symptoms. The findings suggest that early deviations in defensive freezing responses signal risk for internalizing symptoms and may constitute important markers in future stress vulnerability and resilience studies.",

keywords = "5-HTTLPR, adolescence, defensive stress response, infancy, internalizing symptoms, longitudinal analysis",

author = "Niermann, {Hannah C.M.} and Anna Tyborowska and Cillessen, {Antonius H.N.} and {van Donkelaar}, {Marjolein M.} and Femke Lammertink and Gunnar, {Megan R.} and Barbara Franke and Bernd Figner and Karin Roelofs",

note = "Funding Information: The authors thank Marianne Riksen-Walraven, Sanny Smeekens, and Vivian Heuvelmans for their help in conceptualizing and rating infant freezing. The authors are grateful to Nicole Perry for her input, to all researchers who were involved in previous data assessments of the NLS, and particularly to the participants and their families for their ongoing participation. Funding Information: HN was supported by a Research Talent Grant (406-13-022) from the Netherlands Organization for Scientific Research (NWO) and by a Christine Mohrmann grant of Radboud University (Nijmegen, Netherlands). KR was funded by a Vici grant (#453-12-001) from NWO and a starting grant from the European Research Council (ERC_StG2012_313749). Additional support was received from the European Community{\textquoteright}s Seventh Framework Programme (FP7/2007 – 2013) under grant agreement no. 602805 (Aggressotype). The content is the sole responsibility of the authors and does not necessarily represent the official views of the funding agencies. Publisher Copyright: {\textcopyright} 2018 John Wiley & Sons Ltd",

year = "2019",

month = may,

doi = "10.1111/desc.12763",

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AU - Cillessen, Antonius H.N.

AU - van Donkelaar, Marjolein M.

AU - Lammertink, Femke

AU - Gunnar, Megan R.

AU - Franke, Barbara

AU - Figner, Bernd

AU - Roelofs, Karin

N1 - Funding Information: The authors thank Marianne Riksen-Walraven, Sanny Smeekens, and Vivian Heuvelmans for their help in conceptualizing and rating infant freezing. The authors are grateful to Nicole Perry for her input, to all researchers who were involved in previous data assessments of the NLS, and particularly to the participants and their families for their ongoing participation. Funding Information: HN was supported by a Research Talent Grant (406-13-022) from the Netherlands Organization for Scientific Research (NWO) and by a Christine Mohrmann grant of Radboud University (Nijmegen, Netherlands). KR was funded by a Vici grant (#453-12-001) from NWO and a starting grant from the European Research Council (ERC_StG2012_313749). Additional support was received from the European Community’s Seventh Framework Programme (FP7/2007 – 2013) under grant agreement no. 602805 (Aggressotype). The content is the sole responsibility of the authors and does not necessarily represent the official views of the funding agencies. Publisher Copyright: © 2018 John Wiley & Sons Ltd

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N2 - Given the long-lasting detrimental effects of internalizing symptoms, there is great need for detecting early risk markers. One promising marker is freezing behavior. Whereas initial freezing reactions are essential for coping with threat, prolonged freezing has been associated with internalizing psychopathology. However, it remains unknown whether early life alterations in freezing reactions predict changes in internalizing symptoms during adolescent development. In a longitudinal study (N = 116), we tested prospectively whether observed freezing in infancy predicted the development of internalizing symptoms from childhood through late adolescence (until age 17). Both longer and absent infant freezing behavior during a standard challenge (robot-confrontation task) were associated with internalizing symptoms in adolescence. Specifically, absent infant freezing predicted a relative increase in internalizing symptoms consistently across development from relatively low symptom levels in childhood to relatively high levels in late adolescence. Longer infant freezing also predicted a relative increase in internalizing symptoms, but only up until early adolescence. This latter effect was moderated by peer stress and was followed by a later decrease in internalizing symptoms. The findings suggest that early deviations in defensive freezing responses signal risk for internalizing symptoms and may constitute important markers in future stress vulnerability and resilience studies.

AB - Given the long-lasting detrimental effects of internalizing symptoms, there is great need for detecting early risk markers. One promising marker is freezing behavior. Whereas initial freezing reactions are essential for coping with threat, prolonged freezing has been associated with internalizing psychopathology. However, it remains unknown whether early life alterations in freezing reactions predict changes in internalizing symptoms during adolescent development. In a longitudinal study (N = 116), we tested prospectively whether observed freezing in infancy predicted the development of internalizing symptoms from childhood through late adolescence (until age 17). Both longer and absent infant freezing behavior during a standard challenge (robot-confrontation task) were associated with internalizing symptoms in adolescence. Specifically, absent infant freezing predicted a relative increase in internalizing symptoms consistently across development from relatively low symptom levels in childhood to relatively high levels in late adolescence. Longer infant freezing also predicted a relative increase in internalizing symptoms, but only up until early adolescence. This latter effect was moderated by peer stress and was followed by a later decrease in internalizing symptoms. The findings suggest that early deviations in defensive freezing responses signal risk for internalizing symptoms and may constitute important markers in future stress vulnerability and resilience studies.

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KW - internalizing symptoms

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The relation between infant freezing and the development of internalizing symptoms in adolescence: A prospective longitudinal study

Abstract

Bibliographical note

Keywords

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