Positive Emotional Support in Premutation Carrier Mothers of Adolescents and Adults With Fragile X Syndrome: Gene by Environment Interactions.
Sigan L Hartley, Leann S DaWalt, Jinkuk Hong and 2 others
PMID 31512951WHAT IT FOUND
Across all mothers, positive emotional support was not clearly linked to next-day health.
It was linked to better next-day health for mothers with lower or higher CGG repeats, but not for those with midrange repeats.
Key findings
01Across all mothers, previous-day positive emotional support was not clearly associated with next-day physical health symptoms or morning cortisol.
02For mothers with lower or higher CGG repeats, positive emotional support was associated with fewer next-day physical health symptoms and a larger next-day morning cortisol rise.
03For mothers with midrange CGG repeats, positive emotional support was not associated with a clear next-day difference in physical health symptoms or morning cortisol.
STILL TO COME
How it was doneWhat they found
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What it does not show
The study was observational and did not assign emotional support, so it cannot show that support caused better health. The support measure was a single item, so it did not capture quantity, quality, or type of support. The sample was largely White, non-Latino, and middle socioeconomic status, and all participants had a child with FXS, so results may not apply to other premutation carrier women. Twenty-three premutation carrier mothers did not complete the 8-day diary, although they did not differ from those who did on the variables reported. The overall day-to-day effects were weak, and the CGG groups were examined after the main analysis, so the subgroup pattern needs confirmation.
Declared interests
The supplied text does not include a conflicts-of-interest or funding declaration. The publication types list N.I.H. extramural support.
The easy way to misread this
Do not conclude that giving emotional support will improve caregiver health. This was an observational daily diary study, not a support intervention, and the overall day-to-day associations were not clear; support was not linked to next-day health for mothers with midrange CGG repeats.