Early life threat and caregiver-related fear learning in early childhood.
6 affiliations
- 1Department of Psychiatry and Behavioral Sciences, Emory University School of Medicine, Atlanta, GA, USA.
- 2Department of Psychology and Neuroscience, The University of North Carolina, Chapel Hill, NC, USA.
- 3The Ballmer Institute for Children's Behavioral Health, University of Oregon, Eugene, OR, USA.
- 4Department of Psychology, Harvard University, Cambridge, MA, USA.
- 5School of Nursing, The University of North Carolina, Chapel Hill, NC, USA.
- 6Department of Child & Adolescent Psychiatry, New York University Grossman School of Medicine, New York, NY, USA.
Abstract
Across species, caregivers regulate offspring fear learning and expression of conditioned fear responses. Rodent studies additionally demonstrate that pups exposed to rough maternal care show disruptions in this adaptive learning mechanism. An analogous experience, early life threat (i.e., interpersonal violence), is strongly associated with developmental outcomes in children. However, we do not understand the extent to which early life threat is associated with fear learning in the context of caregivers in children, although this may be an important mechanism shaping development. The present study utilized data from 219 children who completed a novel fear learning paradigm, in which conditioned fear responses to caregivers and strangers were measured using skin conductance responses. First, we show that children show differential skin conductance responses to stranger stimuli, but not to caregiver stimuli. Second, we find subtle associations between early life threat and conditioned fear responses to caregiver stimuli. Specifically, early life threat was associated with small increases in skin conductance responses to the caregiver-safety cue compared to the caregiver-threat cue. These data show similarities with the rodent literature and identify a potential mechanism by which early life threat may shape child development.
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BibTeX
@article{murgueitio2026early,
title = {{Early life threat and caregiver-related fear learning in early childhood.}},
author = {Nicolas Murgueitio and Katie A McLaughlin and Laura Machlin and Connor Haughey and Madison Sokolik and Pranav Swarna and Kinjal K Patel and Cathi B Propper and Regina M Sullivan and Margaret A Sheridan},
journal = {Neurobiology of stress},
year = {2026},
month = oct,
doi = {10.1016/j.ynstr.2026.100859},
url = {https://europepmc.org/article/MED/42999509},
note = {CC BY-NC-ND},
}
RIS
TY - JOUR
TI - Early life threat and caregiver-related fear learning in early childhood.
AU - Nicolas Murgueitio
AU - Katie A McLaughlin
AU - Laura Machlin
AU - Connor Haughey
AU - Madison Sokolik
AU - Pranav Swarna
AU - Kinjal K Patel
AU - Cathi B Propper
AU - Regina M Sullivan
AU - Margaret A Sheridan
PY - 2026
DA - 2026/10/27
JO - Neurobiology of stress
DO - 10.1016/j.ynstr.2026.100859
UR - https://europepmc.org/article/MED/42999509
AB - Across species, caregivers regulate offspring fear learning and expression of conditioned fear responses. Rodent studies additionally demonstrate that pups exposed to rough maternal care show disruptions in this adaptive learning mechanism. An analogous experience, early life threat (i.e., interpersonal violence), is strongly associated with developmental outcomes in children. However, we do not understand the extent to which early life threat is associated with fear learning in the context of caregivers in children, although this may be an important mechanism shaping development. The present study utilized data from 219 children who completed a novel fear learning paradigm, in which conditioned fear responses to caregivers and strangers were measured using skin conductance responses. First, we show that children show differential skin conductance responses to stranger stimuli, but not to caregiver stimuli. Second, we find subtle associations between early life threat and conditioned fear responses to caregiver stimuli. Specifically, early life threat was associated with small increases in skin conductance responses to the caregiver-safety cue compared to the caregiver-threat cue. These data show similarities with the rodent literature and identify a potential mechanism by which early life threat may shape child development.
SN - 2352-2895
ER -