The parental footprint : A systematic review of normative parenting variations and their impact on neural development

Sammanfattning

The early caregiving environment is a key predictor of children’s brain development. Research within the field has historically focused on maltreatment or severe adversity, leaving the effects of normative parenting less explored. To address the knowledge gap and the methodological heterogeneity within the field, this thesis aims to investigate how normative variations in parenting influence children’s brain development as revealed by structural and functional neuroimaging. The systematic literature search was conducted across three databases (Medline EBSCO, Web of Science, and Scopus). A total of 1,446 records were identified, and 8 met the inclusion criteria. To determine neurodevelopmental impact, variations in parenting styles were categorized into positive and negative parenting. The findings suggest that parenting is associated with differences in brain structure and function, although the results are complex. Negative parenting was associated with changes in brain development related to accelerated maturation of amygdala-prefrontal connectivity, reduced amygdala volume, and alterations in global brain connectivity. In contrast, positive parenting was associated with larger hippocampal and total brain volume and seems to buffer the negative effects of stress. Together, variations in parenting behaviors may involve different neural circuits. Negative parenting is associated with stress-related adaptations, while positive parenting supports more typical maturation. These results highlight that even normative variations in caregiving are relevant for children’s neurodevelopment, with implications for early prevention and public health.