Strict parenting may hard-wire the risk of depression into a child’s DNA, new research suggests. According to the study, being manipulative or harshly punishing a child can alter the way the body reads their DNA.
Experts argue that these changes can effectively become hardwired to the DNA of those children who perceive their parents as harsh, increasing their risk for depression later in life. Presenting the work at the European College of Neuropsychopharmacology Congress in Vienna, Dr Evelien Van Assche said: “We discovered that perceived harsh parenting, with physical punishment and psychological manipulation, can introduce an additional set of instructions on how a gene is read to become hard-wired into DNA.
“We have some indications that these changes themselves can predispose the growing child to depression. This does not happen to the same extent if the children had a supportive upbringing.”
