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![Differential effects of COVID‐19 economic adversity on anxiety and depression across neural‐based subgroups. Symptoms during COVID‐19 (wave 3) were elevated as a function of COVID‐19 economic adversity, especially for subgroup A. Subgroup–adversity interaction was significant for anxiety (b = .275, 95% CI = [.470, .080], p = .006), but not depression (b = .175, 95% CI = [−.026, .376], p = .088). Subgroup A slope is depicted in red and Subgroup B slope in blue. COVID‐19 adversity scores were mean‐centered to aid interpretation. LEFT: Subgroup–adversity interaction for anxiety symptoms. Subgroup A slope (b = .366, 95% CI = [.218, .514], p < .001); Subgroup B slope (b = .092, 95% CI = [−.035, .219], p = .154). RIGHT: Subgroup–adversity interaction for depressive symptoms. Subgroup A slope (b = .304, 95% CI = [.151, .457], p < .001); Subgroup B slope (b = .129, 95% CI = [−.001, .260], p = .053) [Color figure can be viewed at wileyonlinelibrary.com]](publication/366674143/figure/fig4/AS:11431281254678914@1719266638142/Differential-effects-of-COVID-19-economic-adversity-on-anxiety-and-depression-across.png)
Differential effects of COVID‐19 economic adversity on anxiety and depression across neural‐based subgroups. Symptoms during COVID‐19 (wave 3) were elevated as a function of COVID‐19 economic adversity, especially for subgroup A. Subgroup–adversity interaction was significant for anxiety (b = .275, 95% CI = [.470, .080], p = .006), but not depression (b = .175, 95% CI = [−.026, .376], p = .088). Subgroup A slope is depicted in red and Subgroup B slope in blue. COVID‐19 adversity scores were mean‐centered to aid interpretation. LEFT: Subgroup–adversity interaction for anxiety symptoms. Subgroup A slope (b = .366, 95% CI = [.218, .514], p < .001); Subgroup B slope (b = .092, 95% CI = [−.035, .219], p = .154). RIGHT: Subgroup–adversity interaction for depressive symptoms. Subgroup A slope (b = .304, 95% CI = [.151, .457], p < .001); Subgroup B slope (b = .129, 95% CI = [−.001, .260], p = .053) [Color figure can be viewed at wileyonlinelibrary.com]
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Background
Stressful events, such as the COVID‐19 pandemic, are major contributors to anxiety and depression, but only a subset of individuals develop psychopathology. In a population‐based sample (N = 174) with a high representation of marginalized individuals, this study examined adolescent functional network connectivity as a marker of susceptib...
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Importance
Adverse childhood experiences are pervasive and heterogeneous, with potential lifelong consequences for psychiatric morbidity and brain health. Existing research does not capture the complex interplay of multiple adversities, resulting in a lack of precision in understanding their associations with neural function and mental health.
Objectives
To identify distinct childhood adversity profiles and examine their associations with adolescent mental health and brain connectivity.
Design, Setting, and Participants
This population-based birth cohort used data for children who were born in 20 large US cities between 1998 and 2000 and participated in the Future Families and Child Well-Being Study. Families were interviewed when children were born and at ages 1, 3, 5, 9, and 15 years. At age 15 years, neuroimaging data were collected from a subset of these youths. Data were collected from February 1998 to April 2017. Analyses were conducted from March to December 2023.
Exposures
Latent profiles of childhood adversity, defined by family and neighborhood risks across ages 0 to 9 years.
Main Outcomes and Measures
Internalizing and externalizing symptoms at age 15 years using parent- and youth-reported measures. Profile-specific functional magnetic resonance imaging connectivity across the default mode network (DMN), salience network (SN), and frontoparietal network (FPN).
Results
Data from 4210 individuals (2211 [52.5%] male; 1959 [46.5%] Black, 1169 [27.7%] Hispanic, and 786 [18.7%] White) revealed 4 childhood adversity profiles: low-adversity (1230 individuals [29.2%]), medium-adversity (1973 [46.9%]), high-adversity (457 [10.9%]), and high maternal depression (MD; 550 [13.1%]). High-adversity, followed by MD, profiles had the highest symptoms. Notably, internalizing symptoms did not differ between these 2 profiles (mean difference, 0.11; 95% CI, −0.03 to 0.26), despite the MD profile showing adversity levels most similar to the medium-adversity profile. In the neuroimaging subsample of 167 individuals (91 [54.5%] female; 128 [76.6%] Black, 11 [6.6%] Hispanic, and 20 [12.0%] White; mean [SD] age, 15.9 [0.5] years), high-adversity and MD profiles had the highest DMN density relative to other profiles ( F (3,163) = 11.14; P < .001). The high-adversity profile had lower SN density relative to the low-adversity profile (mean difference, −0.02; 95% CI, −0.04 to −0.003) and the highest FPN density among all profiles ( F (3,163) = 18.96; P < .001). These differences were specific to brain connectivity during an emotion task, but not at rest.
Conclusions and Relevance
In this cohort study, children who experienced multiple adversities, or only elevated MD, had worse mental health and different neural connectivity in adolescence. Interventions targeting multiple risk factors, with a focus on maternal mental health, could produce the greatest benefits.
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Unstable and unpredictable environments are linked to risk for psychopathology, but the underlying neural mechanisms that explain how instability relate to subsequent mental health concerns remain unclear. In particular, few studies have focused on the association between instability and white matter structures despite white matter playing a crucial role for neural development. In a longitudinal sample recruited from a population-based study (N = 237), household instability (residential moves, changes in household composition, caregiver transitions in the first 5 years) was examined in association with adolescent structural network organization (network integration, segregation, and robustness of white matter connectomes; Mage = 15.87) and young adulthood anxiety and depression (six years later). Results indicate that greater instability related to greater global network efficiency, and this association remained after accounting for other types of adversity (e.g., harsh parenting, neglect, food insecurity). Moreover, instability predicted increased depressive symptoms via increased network efficiency even after controlling for previous levels of symptoms. Exploratory analyses showed that structural connectivity involving the left fronto-lateral and temporal regions were most strongly related to instability. Findings suggest that structural network efficiency relating to household instability may be a neural mechanism of risk for later depression and highlight the ways in which instability modulates neural development.
Enhancing the generalizability of neuroimaging studies requires actively engaging participants from under-represented communities. This paper leverages qualitative data to outline participant-driven recommendations for incorporating under-represented populations in neuroimaging protocols. Thirty-one participants, who had participated in neuroimaging research or could be eligible for one as part of an ongoing longitudinal study, engaged in semi-structured one-on-one interviews (84 % under-represented ethnic-racial identities and low-income backgrounds). Through thematic analysis, we identified nine relevant research practices from participants' reports, highlighting aspects of their experience that they appreciated and suggestions for improvement: (1) forming a diverse research team comprising members with whom participants can interact as equals; (2) increasing accessibility to research by providing transportation and flexible scheduling; (3) providing family-oriented spaces; (4) enriching the campus visits to include optional on-campus activities to connect with the University; (5) developing safe strategies to accommodate participants with tattoos during the MRI; (6) incorporating engaging and interactive tasks during neuroimaging sessions; (7) providing small gifts, such as a picture of one’s brain, in addition to financial compensation; (8) sharing research findings with the research participants; and (9) fostering long-term bidirectional relationships. The findings may be used to develop best practices for enhancing participant diversity in future neuroimaging studies.
Importance
Parenting is associated with brain development and long-term health outcomes, although whether these associations depend on the developmental timing of exposure remains understudied. Identifying these sensitive periods can inform when and how parenting is associated with neurodevelopment and risk for mental illness.
Objective
To characterize how harsh and warm parenting during early, middle, and late childhood are associated with brain architecture during adolescence and, in turn, psychiatric symptoms in early adulthood during the COVID-19 pandemic.
Design, Setting, and Participants
This population-based, 21-year observational, longitudinal birth cohort study of low-income youths and families from Detroit, Michigan; Toledo, Ohio; and Chicago, Illinois, used data from the Future of Families and Child Well-being Study. Data were collected from February 1998 to June 2021. Analyses were conducted from May to October 2023.
Exposures
Parent-reported harsh parenting (psychological aggression or physical aggression) and observer-rated warm parenting (responsiveness) at ages 3, 5, and 9 years.
Main Outcomes and Measures
The primary outcomes were brainwide (segregation, integration, and small-worldness), circuit (prefrontal cortex [PFC]–amygdala connectivity), and regional (betweenness centrality of amygdala and PFC) architecture at age 15 years, determined using functional magnetic resonance imaging, and youth-reported anxiety and depression symptoms at age 21 years. The structured life-course modeling approach was used to disentangle timing-dependent from cumulative associations between parenting and brain architecture.
Results
A total of 173 youths (mean [SD] age, 15.88 [0.53] years; 95 female [55%]) were included. Parental psychological aggression during early childhood was positively associated with brainwide segregation (β = 0.30; 95% CI, 0.14 to 0.45) and small-worldness (β = 0.17; 95% CI, 0.03 to 0.28), whereas parental psychological aggression during late childhood was negatively associated with PFC-amygdala connectivity (β = −0.37; 95% CI, −0.55 to −0.12). Warm parenting during middle childhood was positively associated with amygdala centrality (β = 0.23; 95% CI, 0.06 to 0.38) and negatively associated with PFC centrality (β = −0.18; 95% CI, −0.31 to −0.03). Warmer parenting during middle childhood was associated with reduced anxiety (β = −0.05; 95% CI −0.10 to −0.01) and depression (β = −0.05; 95% CI −0.10 to −0.003) during early adulthood via greater adolescent amygdala centrality.
Conclusions and Relevance
Neural associations with harsh parenting were widespread across the brain in early childhood but localized in late childhood. Neural associations with warm parenting were localized in middle childhood and, in turn, were associated with mental health during future stress. These developmentally contingent associations can inform the type and timing of interventions.
Developmental psychopathology started as an intersection of fields and is now a field itself. As we contemplate the future of this field, we consider the ways in which a newer, interdisciplinary field – human developmental neuroscience – can inform, and be informed by, developmental psychopathology. To do so, we outline principles of developmental psychopathology and how they are and/or can be implemented in developmental neuroscience. In turn, we highlight how the collaboration between these fields can lead to richer models and more impactful translation. In doing so, we describe the ways in which models from developmental psychopathology can enrich developmental neuroscience and future directions for developmental psychopathology.
Poverty is associated with changes in brain development and elevates the risk for psychopathology in childhood, adolescence, and adulthood. Although the field is rapidly expanding, there are methodological challenges that raise questions about the validity of current findings. These challenges include the interrelated issues of reliability, effect size, interindividual heterogeneity, and replicability. To address these issues, we propose a multipronged approach that spans short-, medium-, and long-term solutions, including changes to data pipelines along with more comprehensive data acquisition of environment, brain, and mental health. Additional suggestions are to use open science approaches, more robust statistical analyses, and replication testing. Furthermore, we propose increased integration between advanced analytical approaches using large samples and neuroscience models in intervention research to enhance the interpretability of findings. Collectively, these approaches will expand the application of neuroimaging findings and provide a foundation for eventual policy changes designed to improve conditions for children in poverty.
Expected final online publication date for the Annual Review of Developmental Psychology, Volume 5 is December 2023. Please see http://www.annualreviews.org/page/journal/pubdates for revised estimates.
The COVID-19 pandemic has presented unprecedented challenges for youths and families, dramatically increasing exposure to stressors and stress-related psychopathology. Increasing work has leveraged pre-pandemic neuroimaging data to predict adolescent psychopathology and stress responses during the pandemic, with a particular focus on internalizing symptoms. We review this recent literature on pre-pandemic brain structure and function and adolescent internalizing psychopathology during the pandemic. At present, existing studies have not consistently identified specific alterations in brain structure and function that predict anxiety or depressive symptoms during the pandemic. In contrast, exposure to stress and adversity before and during the pandemic as well as access to peer and family support have emerged as consistent and reliable predictors of youth mental health during the pandemic.
