1. Anwar M, Chawla H, Kaier T, Bambrough P. Spontaneous Coronary Artery Dissection in Fragile X Syndrome: A Novel IVUS-Guided PCI Approach. JACC Case Rep. 2026: 110387.

BACKGROUND: Spontaneous coronary artery dissection is an uncommon cause of acute coronary syndromes, with rare reports in fragile X syndrome. CASE SUMMARY: A 44-year-old man with fragile X syndrome presented with ventricular fibrillation arrest and anterior ST-segment elevation. Angiography and intravascular ultrasound (IVUS) revealed extensive left anterior descending artery spontaneous coronary artery dissection with inadvertent false-lumen wiring. A dual-catheter technique was used, with live false-lumen IVUS-guided true-lumen wiring, hematoma fenestration, and ostial stenting, with postprocedural imaging confirming dissection sealing. Computed tomography angiography identified additional silent dissections of the celiac, superior mesenteric, and right femoral arteries. DISCUSSION: This case suggests systemic vascular fragility in fragile X syndrome and describes a novel IVUS-guided bailout strategy using live false-lumen imaging to facilitate true-lumen wiring and ostial stent positioning. TAKE-HOME MESSAGES: Acute coronary syndrome in fragile X syndrome should prompt consideration of systemic arteriopathy and multivessel dissection. Live false-lumen IVUS may facilitate true-lumen wiring when conventional techniques fail.

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2. Bazile J, Bernard N, Ephraim TY, Kaur R, Khera AK. Family Systems Considerations in Autism Spectrum Disorder After Prenatal Trauma and Prior Pregnancy Loss. Cureus. 2026; 18(8): e114998.

We present the case of a four-year-old child evaluated for core features of autism spectrum disorder, whose family context included a history of second-trimester perinatal loss 14 months prior to conception and severe maternal motor vehicle trauma at 18 weeks’ gestation. This background coincided with parental hypervigilance, anticipatory grief, and complex caregiving dynamics, while early infancy was characterized by severe regulatory disturbances and sensory sensitivities that interacted with parental stress responses. Management utilized a dual approach combining neurodiversity-affirming developmental interventions for the child with Child-Parent Psychotherapy for the parents, where addressing the intersection of historical loss and developmental neurodivergence supported family co-regulation and functional communication gains for the child. This case illustrates how unresolved parental trauma may influence family adaptation following an autism diagnosis, demonstrating that incorporating trauma-informed, family-centered assessment alongside evidence-based developmental interventions may improve caregiver functioning and support the implementation of therapeutic strategies.

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3. Breunig S, Schaffer L, Lawrence J, Sheppard A, Grotzinger A. Correction: Uncovering the Role of Biological Sex in the Divergent Genetic Profiles of Early and Late-Diagnosed Autism. Behav Genet. 2026.

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4. De Laet H, Nijhof AD, Wiersema JR. Communication Efficiency in Autism is Unaffected by Neurotype Match: Findings From a Collaborative Referencing Task. J Autism Dev Disord. 2026.

PURPOSE: Autism is associated with social interaction and communication difficulties. The theory of the double empathy problem challenges the idea that these difficulties are inherent to autism, arguing that they rather stem from a mismatch between neurologically different interaction partners. The theory predicts communication between two individuals with autism to have less difficulties than between individuals with and without autism. This is indeed what experience-based studies have found. However, it remains unclear whether these interactions are actually more efficient. METHODS: We examined dyadic interactions in 62 adults with and without autism. All participants were between 20 and 50 years old and had an IQ above 80. Each participant completed a collaborative referencing task twice, once with a same-neurotype partner and once with a different-neurotype partner, resulting in 14 autism dyads, 14 no-autism dyads, and 30 mixed dyads. During the task, participants worked together to place abstract figures in the correct order across multiple rounds. RESULTS: Communication for all dyads became more efficient over time. Contrary to our hypothesis, communication was not more efficient for same-neurotype dyads. CONCLUSION: These findings challenge key predictions of the double empathy theory, as same neurotype dyads (both no-autism and autism dyads) did not communicate more efficiently than mixed-neurotype dyads. Further research is needed to better understand why individuals with autism do report smoother and more positive communication with others with autism than with those without autism.

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5. Ding C, Yuan Y, Hu Y, Zhang Y, Wu S, Du A, Qiu Z. An ASXL3-thyroid hormone axis in parvalbumin interneurons controls autism-like behaviors. Sci Adv. 2026; 12(39): eaeh2640.

Pathogenic variants in ASXL3 underlie autism spectrum disorder (ASD), but how they perturb neural circuits and whether defects are reversible remain unclear. Here we show that Asxl3 haploinsufficiency in mice reduces cortical thickness and upper-layer projection neurons while increasing parvalbumin (PV) interneuron number and producing ASD-like behavioral abnormalities. Mechanistically, Asxl3 loss derepresses the thyroid hormone (TH)-inactivating enzyme DIO3 via altered histone H2A monoubiquitination, depleting brain TH. Conditional deletion of the TH receptor Thra in inhibitory neuron progenitors phenocopies the PV interneuron expansion, linking impaired TH signaling to PV circuit remodeling. Neonatal, but not adolescent, TH supplementation restores PV interneuron numbers and rescues behavior in Asxl3(+/-) mice, defining a critical early window for intervention. An intein-based AAV system that reconstitutes full-length ASXL3 normalizes cortical architecture and behavior in Asxl3(+/-) mice and drives efficient ASXL3 expression in non-human primate brain, establishing an ASXL3-TH-PV interneuron axis as a targetable pathway in ASD.

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6. Ghadiri M, Vahed Dehkordi Z, Rahimi-Madiseh M, Jivad N, Amini-Khoei H. Combating of hippocampal neuroinflammatory response by folic acid: helpful prospective in autistic-like phenotype induced following maternal separation stress. World J Biol Psychiatry. 2026: 1-13.

OBJECTIVES: Maternal separation (MS) stress consider as a risk factor for the development of autistic-like phenotype. Neuroinflammation is involved in the pathophysiology of autism. Neuroprotective effects have been shown for folic acid. The effects of folic acid on autistic-like phenotype in MS mice, focusing its probable effects on gene expression of Hmgb1, Nlrp3 and mTOR in the hippocampus evaluated. METHODS: MS mice orally received normal saline (10 mL/kg) or folic acid at doses of 5, 10, and 20 mg/kg for 14 days. Three-chamber sociability, shuttle box, and marble burying tests (MBT) were performed. Hippocampal expression of Hmgb1, Nlrp3 and mTOR genes was measured. RESULTS: Folic acid increased the sociability index (SI) and social preference index (SPI) in the three-chamber test (p < 0.001 for all doses), increased step-through latency in the shuttle box test (p < 0.01 for dose of 20 mg/kg) and reduced repetitive behaviours in the MBT (p < 0.05, p < 0.01 and p < 0.001 for doses of 5, 10 and 20 mg/kg, respectively). Folic acid decreased the gene expression of Hmgb1, Nlrp3 and mTOR (p < 0.001 for all doses). CONCLUSIONS: Folic acid alleviated autistic-like behaviours in MS mice, probably through decrease in Hmgb1, Nlrp3 and mTOR mRNA gene expressions in the hippocampus.

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7. Jung M, Ran J, Lee E, Sunwoo Y, Kim S, Kim JH, Cho S. Two-Stage Gamified Digital Assessment for Autism Spectrum Disorder Screening and the Limits of Differentiating Social Communication Disorder in Children and Adolescents: Cross-Sectional Diagnostic Accuracy Study Using Explainable Machine Learning. JMIR Serious Games. 2026; 14: e102714.

BACKGROUND: Distinguishing autism spectrum disorder (ASD) from social communication disorder (SCD) is clinically challenging because both conditions present with overlapping social communication deficits. Standard caregiver-reported instruments capture surface-level behavioral similarities rather than underlying cognitive differences, motivating the development of digital gamified assessments that measure social cognitive processes directly. OBJECTIVE: This study developed and evaluated a 2-stage gamified digital pipeline: stage 1 (Buddy Plan, a self-report module) for high-sensitivity ASD screening, and stage 2 (Buddy Drill, story-based social-judgment scenarios), which was examined with a leakage-controlled analysis, for assessing whether ASD can be differentiated from SCD. METHODS: In this cross-sectional diagnostic accuracy study, 275 children and adolescents aged 6-18 years (mean 11.07, SD 3.13 years; 175/275, 63.6% male) were recruited by convenience sampling from 5 clinical and community sites in the Republic of Korea (May 2024 to February 2025) across 5 Diagnostic and Statistical Manual of Mental Disorders, Fifth Edition (DSM-5) groups: ASD (n=51), SCD (n=54), attention-deficit/hyperactivity disorder (n=23), high risk (n=52), and neurotypically developing (ND; n=95). Diagnoses were established by board-certified child psychiatrists. Participants completed 2 tablet-based modules: Buddy Plan (52 self-report items; stage 1) and Buddy Drill (153 story-based scenarios; stage 2). The primary outcome was diagnostic accuracy (area under the receiver operating characteristic curve [AUC], sensitivity, and specificity). Four machine learning algorithms were trained with nested cross-validation (5×5 folds). For stage 2, item selection and imputation were performed within each training fold. Explainability used Shapley Additive Explanations (SHAP). Significance was set at α=.05 (2-sided) with bootstrap 95% CIs. RESULTS: Group differences were tested by 1-way ANOVA. For stage 1 (ASD vs ND; n=146), random forest achieved a nested AUC of 0.912 (95% CI 0.856-0.953). At a threshold of 0.200, sensitivity was 96.1% (49/51; 95% CI 86.8%-99.5%) and specificity was 58.9% (56/95; 95% CI 48.4%-68.9%), with 2 false negatives. For stage 2 (ASD vs SCD; n=100), the fully nested pipeline yielded only chance-level discrimination: regularized logistic regression achieved a nested AUC of 0.62 (95% CI 0.51-0.74), and no feature configuration (self-report: 0.55, objective: 0.62, combined: 0.63) exceeded chance. SHAP identified 5 cross-algorithm stage 1 biomarkers with significant ASD-versus-ND differences (all P<.01) and no evidence of sex bias. CONCLUSIONS: The gamified Buddy Plan module shows promise for high-sensitivity ASD screening. In contrast, once feature-selection leakage was removed with a fully nested pipeline, the Buddy Drill module did not robustly differentiate ASD from SCD, and the apparent advantage of objective features over self-report features seen in leaky analyses did not persist. Because the results derive from internal cross-validation in a single, predominantly male Korean cohort without external validation or IQ matching, they represent preliminary evidence of screening feasibility rather than validated clinical differentiation. Prospective, externally validated, IQ- and language-matched studies are required.

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8. Lee S. Reconceptualizing Testimonial Reliability in Children with Intellectual and Developmental Disabilities: A Systematic Review and Process-Oriented Framework. Intellect Dev Disabil. 2026: 1-20.

Children with intellectual and developmental disabilities (IDD) face elevated risks of victimization and may participate in forensic interviews, yet their reports are often evaluated through deficit-based assumptions. Following Preferred Reporting Items for Systematic Reviews and Meta-Analyses (PRISMA) 2020 guidelines, this review synthesized 67 studies (2000-2026; PsycINFO, PubMed, Web of Science) examining how cognitive, linguistic, adaptive, executive, and social-interactive factors, together with interview conditions, relate to testimonial performance. Findings revealed a recurring but not universal quantity-accuracy dissociation: children with IDD often provided fewer details than typically developing peers, yet their accuracy was sometimes comparable once developmental level and elicitation conditions were considered. Suggestibility varied across studies and was more pronounced under repeated, leading, or linguistically complex questioning. Fuzzy-trace theory and source monitoring theory jointly explained the preservation of core event information despite reduced detail, and source errors under demanding retrieval conditions. The resulting framework conceptualizes accuracy, completeness, consistency, and suggestibility as conditional outcomes of the fit between functional developmental profiles and interview demands, extending existing developmental and forensic interviewing models and providing a basis for developmentally calibrated assessment and practice.

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9. Ogunmola OA, Nabors LA, Workman BT, Merianos AL. Associations Among Demographic Factors, Bullying, Victimization and Weight Status Among Children with and Without Current Autism Spectrum Disorder Using the National Survey of Children’s Health. Epidemiologia (Basel). 2026; 7(5).

Background: School-aged children belong to a distinct developmental stage in which bullying and weight status can have significant short- and long-term consequences, particularly for those with autism spectrum disorder (ASD). Methods: Data were analyzed from the 2023 National Survey of Children’s Health (N = 17,689), including perpetration and victimization among school-aged children. Results: They were more likely to be White non-Hispanic compared to multiracial (OR 2.24; 95% CI 2.17-2.31), less likely to be female (OR 0.40; 95% CI 0.38-0.41), younger [6-9 years] (OR 0.42; 95% CI 0.41-0.43), from families within the 100-199% (OR 0.40; 95% CI 0.39-0.42) and 200-299% (OR 0.26; 95% CI 0.26-0.27) poverty level. Adjusted models indicated that children with ASD had higher odds of being underweight (OR 1.75; 95% CI 1.70-1.81) or overweight (OR 3.55; 95% CI 3.37-3.73) than of being obese. They were also more likely to be victimized 1-2 times/week (OR 1.30; 95% CI 1.24-1.37), but less likely to bully others 1-2 times/month (OR 0.31; 95%CI 0.29-0.33). Conclusions: These findings suggest that school-aged children with ASD may face elevated risks of victimization and unhealthy weight status.

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10. Peng G, Li F, Su Y, Tang W. The Vitamin D-Gut-Brain Axis in Autism Spectrum Disorder: A Bidirectional Crosstalk. Int J Gen Med. 2026; 19: 632977.

Autism spectrum disorder (ASD) is a complex neurodevelopmental disorder arising from the interaction of genetic and environmental triggers. In recent years, vitamin D deficiency and gut microbiota dysbiosis have emerged as two pivotal environment-related factors in ASD pathogenesis. Rather than acting independently, these factors jointly participate in the onset and progression of ASD through intricate bidirectional interaction mechanisms. This article presents a narrative review that summarizes the current research progress regarding the association between vitamin D deficiency and gut microbiota dysbiosis in ASD. Mechanistically, vitamin D modulates the gut-brain axis across multiple levels, including gut microbiota composition, intestinal barrier function, intestinal inflammation, bacterial translocation, microbial metabolites, blood-brain barrier integrity and neuroinflammation. In turn, the gut microbiota influences vitamin D metabolism and bioactivity through short-chain fatty acids, establishing a bidirectional vitamin D-gut-brain axis. This axis likely contributes to ASD phenotypes by regulating neuroinflammation, gut-brain crosstalk and neurodevelopmental processes. Notably, most available evidence in this field is derived from preclinical studies, while relevant clinical evidence remains limited. Future studies should focus on dissecting the underlying molecular crosstalk and developing personalized intervention strategies targeting vitamin D status and microbial signatures.

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11. Roldan-Anzures E, Flores-Prieto BS, Ortega-Pineda LA, Manzo J, Coria-Avila GA, Herrera-Covarrubias D, Fernández-Cañedo L, Aranda-Abreu GE, Rojas-Durán F, Maldonado E, Pérez-Estudillo CA, Hernández-Aguilar ME, Toledo-Cárdenas MR. Environmental Enrichment Exerts a Selective, Stage-Dependent Modulation on the Autism-like Behavioral Phenotype Induced by Embryonic Valproic Acid in Zebrafish. NeuroSci. 2026; 7(5).

Autism Spectrum Disorder (ASD) is characterized by deficits in communication, socialization, and restricted behavioral patterns. Valproic acid (VPA) is a teratogen that, through epigenetic mechanisms, induces ASD-like phenotypes in animal models. The zebrafish (Danio rerio) represents an ideal model for evaluating these alterations due to its complex behavioral repertoire. This study analyzed the longitudinal effect of an enriched environment (EE) on VPA-induced behavioral alterations in juvenile and adult stages (n = 72; n = 18 per group: CTRL-SE, CTRL-EE, VPA-SE, and VPA-EE). Subjects were evaluated across the novel tank, mirror test, and social interaction tests. The results reveal a selective, stage-dependent modulation: in the novel tank test, VPA fish housed in EE presented a significant reduction in erratic movements (stereotypies) and increased time spent in the upper zone (reduced anxiety), whereas specific modifications in shoal approach were observed in the social interaction test. These modulating effects were evident from the juvenile stage and consolidated in adulthood across specific locomotor and exploratory metrics. It is concluded that the enriched environment may act as a neuromodulatory strategy capable of mitigating selective aspects of the autism-like behavioral phenotype in zebrafish.

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12. Samadi SA, Biçak CA, Rashid HM, McConkey R. Caregiving for individuals with autism in forceful displacement crisis: experiences of refugees in the Kurdistan Region of Iraq. Med Confl Surviv. 2026: 1-24.

This study examined the challenges faced by refugee parents caring for children with autism spectrum disorder (ASD) in the Kurdistan Region of Iraq. Twenty-two parents participated in a mixed-methods study that included surveys and semi-structured interviews. The findings revealed significant challenges, including reduced parental well-being, increased family strain, and limited access to specialized support services. Parental satisfaction with caregiving was correlated with the perceived severity of autism symptoms. Thematic analysis of interviews identified five key domains of challenges: institutional, personal, financial, family, and social. Family cohesion and presence of dependents emerged as protective factors mitigating the negative impacts of displacement. The study concludes that refugee parents caring for children with autism require comprehensive support, including specialized healthcare, psychological support, and financial assistance. The findings are discussed within the broader context of developmental disabilities in humanitarian settings, highlighting both shared challenges and autism-specific needs.

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13. Silver J, Reicher D, Klein DN, Carlson GA. Associations Between Autism-Related Characteristics and Tonic Versus Phasic Irritability Across Parent and Teacher Report. J Child Adolesc Psychopharmacol. 2026: 10445463261490868.

OBJECTIVE: Irritability in youth is increasingly understood as comprising tonic irritability, reflecting persistent irritable mood, and phasic irritability, reflecting acute anger outbursts. This study examined whether these dimensions showed distinct associations with autistic characteristics across parent and teacher report. METHODS: Clinical records were examined for 1534 youth ages 5-18 referred to a university outpatient psychiatric clinic, including 334 youth with a PDD/ASD diagnosis. Analyses were conducted separately in the PDD/ASD-restricted sample (n = 334) and the full diagnostic sample (N = 1534). Multiple regression models examined associations of social interaction differences, communication differences, and restricted and repetitive behaviors (RRBs) with standardized tonic and phasic irritability, adjusting for the alternate irritability dimension, psychiatric diagnoses, age, and gender. RESULTS: RRBs were associated with parent-reported tonic and phasic irritability in both samples and with teacher-reported tonic and phasic irritability in the full diagnostic sample. Social interaction differences were more consistently associated with tonic than phasic irritability. Tonic irritability increased with age, whereas phasic irritability decreased with age across informants and samples. Psychiatric correlates varied by irritability dimension and informant. CONCLUSIONS: Tonic and phasic irritability showed overlapping but partially differentiated associations with autistic characteristics. RRBs were linked to both dimensions, whereas social interaction differences were more closely related to tonic irritability.

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14. Smout S, Jung S, Bergink V, Mahjani B. Sex differences in post-traumatic stress disorder risk among autistic individuals: a population-based matched cohort study. Eur Child Adolesc Psychiatry. 2026.

BACKGROUND: Autistic individuals may experience elevated risk for post-traumatic stress disorder (PTSD). Although autism is more commonly diagnosed in males, females in the general population develop PTSD at approximately twice the rate, raising the question of whether autistic females face a particularly elevated burden. We examined the association between autism and incident PTSD, characterized sex differences in risk, identified high-risk subgroups, and described post-diagnosis clinical trajectories. METHODS: We conducted a population-based matched cohort study using Swedish national registers. All individuals born in Sweden from 1990 through 2010 were identified through the Medical Birth Register and followed from birth through December 31, 2017, death, or emigration. Autistic individuals (N = 49,049) were matched up to 1:10 to non-autistic individuals (N = 461,972) on sex and birth year. Cox proportional hazards regression with age as the underlying time scale estimated hazard ratios (HRs) for incident PTSD (ICD-9 code 309.81; ICD-10 F43.1), with models stratified by matched set and robust standard errors clustered on biological mother. Among individuals who developed PTSD, we compared care utilization, hospitalization rates, and persistence of care contacts. RESULTS: During a mean follow-up of 5.5 years, 411 autistic individuals (0.8%) and 942 non-autistic individuals (0.2%) developed PTSD. Autism was associated with a 4.3-fold increased risk of incident PTSD (HR = 4.27; 95% CI, 3.85-4.74). Risk was higher among females (HR = 4.61; 95% CI, 4.09-5.20) than males (HR = 3.47; 95% CI, 2.81-4.27; P for interaction = .02). Among autistic individuals, co-occurring ADHD conferred additional risk (HR = 1.43; 95% CI, 1.17-1.73). Joint sex-ADHD stratification revealed marked heterogeneity: relative to autistic males without ADHD, HRs were 1.84 for males with ADHD, 7.42 for females without ADHD, and 10.46 for females with ADHD, with 10-year cumulative incidence reaching 5.7% among autistic females with ADHD. Autistic individuals with PTSD had higher care utilization (mean visits: 5.6 vs 4.6; P < .001), more psychiatric hospitalizations (27.5% vs 20.5%; P = .006), and more persistent care contacts (24.8% vs 13.9%; P = .006). CONCLUSIONS: Autism is associated with substantially elevated PTSD risk, particularly among females with co-occurring ADHD. When PTSD occurs, autistic individuals experience more severe and persistent clinical courses, supporting targeted screening and sustained follow-up.

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15. Tanyolaç D, Özdemir N. Electroconvulsive therapy for severe treatment-resistant self-injurious behavior in an adolescent with autism spectrum disorder: A case report. Asian J Psychiatr. 2026; 125: 105160.

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16. Tayebi-Hillali H, Blanco-Suárez M, Rivas-Mundiña B, Limeres-Posse J, Diniz-Freitas M, Diz-Dios P. Prenatal exposure to paracetamol and the risk of autism and attention-deficit/hyperactivity disorder: An umbrella review and meta-meta-analysis. Dev Med Child Neurol. 2026.

AIM: To evaluate whether prenatal exposure to paracetamol (acetaminophen) is associated with an increased risk of autism and attention-deficit/hyperactivity disorder (ADHD) in offspring, using a meta-meta-analytical (umbrella review) approach. METHOD: We conducted a registered umbrella review (PROSPERO CRD420251243790) of systematic reviews with meta-analyses assessing prenatal paracetamol exposure and autism or ADHD. Searches were performed in six major databases up to November 2025. Methodological quality was appraised using AMSTAR-2, and overlap of primary studies was quantified using the corrected covered area. Random-effects meta-meta-analyses were performed for unrestricted, partially quality-restricted, and fully quality-restricted models. When overlap was high, additional meta-analyses of low-risk primary studies were conducted, with risk of bias assessed using ROBINS-E. RESULTS: Seven meta-analyses were included, encompassing more than 3 million participants. Unrestricted meta-meta-analyses showed small positive associations between prenatal paracetamol exposure and both autism (risk ratio 1.17) and ADHD (risk ratio 1.29). However, after restricting analyses to higher-quality meta-analyses and low-risk primary studies, effect estimates were substantially attenuated and, in several models, approached the null. High heterogeneity and substantial overlap were observed, particularly in analyses of primary studies. INTERPRETATION: The observed associations between prenatal paracetamol exposure and neurodevelopmental disorders are probably influenced by methodological limitations, including residual confounding and exposure misclassification. Current epidemiological evidence does not support a robust causal relationship, and paracetamol remains an appropriate first-line treatment during pregnancy when clinically indicated.

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17. Wang J, Su X, Li Y, Zeng X. Parenting Stress, Anxiety, and Depressive Symptoms in Chinese Mothers of Children With ASD: Distinct Moderating Roles of Positive Self-Compassion and Self-Coldness. J Autism Dev Disord. 2026.

PURPOSE: Parenting stress is associated with anxiety and depressive symptoms among mothers of children with autism spectrum disorder (ASD), but these associations vary across mothers. Previous studies have generally treated self-compassion as a global construct, making it difficult to determine whether positive self-compassion and self-coldness play different roles. This distinction may be particularly relevant in the Chinese context, where mothers often face strong expectations regarding caregiving responsibility and social evaluation. The present study therefore examined the moderating roles of positive self-compassion and self-coldness among Chinese mothers of children with ASD. METHODS: A total of 175 Chinese mothers whose children with ASD were receiving rehabilitation services completed measures of parenting stress, positive self-compassion, self-coldness, anxiety symptoms, and depressive symptoms. Hierarchical regression analyses were used to test the main associations and interaction terms. RESULTS: Higher parenting stress was associated with more severe anxiety and depressive symptoms. Self-coldness moderated both associations, which were stronger among mothers with higher self-coldness. Positive self-compassion did not significantly moderate either association. CONCLUSION: In this sample, the associations between parenting stress and anxiety and depressive symptoms were stronger among mothers with higher self-coldness. Positive self-compassion did not show the same moderating role. These findings support the need to distinguish positive self-compassion from self-coldness and suggest that self-coldness may be particularly relevant to mothers’ psychological symptoms. Longitudinal studies with more geographically diverse samples are needed to confirm these findings.

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