Christmas WS's!A study by the University of British Columbia has found that parents that were stressed during their child’s infancy will affect that child’s genes into his or her adolescence and potentially longer.
How is this possible? According to the study, which examined cheek cell DNA from 109 adolescents of parents who had participated in a DNA study on parental stress levels back when these adolescents were infants, found that not only does the relationship between parents and children affect their development mentally, but it actually influences the way genes function.
We’re born with 25,000 genes. Methylation is a chemical compound that attaches to parts of DNA and alter gene function. It’s been described as a dimmer switch that can turn on, turn off a gene or anywhere in-between. In this study teens, whose mothers reported higher stress levels during the teen’s infancy, had similar methylation patterns. These affected genes related to anxiety levels, insulin suppression and brain development.
The research states that mother’s stress during infancy affected the genes of their now teens, while stress from the father during pre-school affected them similarly. Also the father’s stress level affects their daughter’s more, whereas the mother’s stress has an effect on both sons and daughters.
The research could not go so far as to predict how those genes affect the development, behavior and health of the teen. The researchers continue to monitor these teens, now 15, and will undergo further DNA tests when they turn 18.
It would be interesting to find out how this affects kids academically.
