Towards a youth mental health paradigm: a perspective and roadmap.

Most mental disorders have a typical onset between 12 and 25 years of age, highlighting the importance of this period for the pathogenesis, diagnosis, and treatment of mental ill-health. This perspective addresses interactions between risk and protective factors and brain development as key pillars accounting for the emergence of psychopathology in youth. Moreover, we propose that novel approaches towards early diagnosis and interventions are required that reflect the evolution of emerging psychopathology, the importance of novel service models, and knowledge exchange between science and practitioners. Taken together, we propose a transformative early intervention paradigm for research and clinical care that could significantly enhance mental health in young people and initiate a shift towards the prevention of severe mental disorders.

Testing the interpersonal theory of suicide in adolescents: A multi-wave longitudinal study.

BACKGROUND: Suicide is a major public health crisis among youth. Several prominent theories, including the Interpersonal Theory of Suicide (IPTS), aim to characterize the factors leading from suicide ideation to action. These theories are largely based on findings in adults and require testing and elaboration in adolescents. METHODS: Data were examined from high-risk 13-18-year-old adolescents (N = 167) participating in a multi-wave, longitudinal study; 63% of the sample exhibited current suicidal thoughts or recent behaviors (n = 105). The study included a 6-month follow-up period with clinical interviews and self-report measures at each of the four assessments as well as weekly smartphone-based assessments of suicidal thoughts and behaviors. Regression and structural equation models were used to probe hypotheses related to the core tenets of the IPTS. RESULTS: Feelings of perceived burdensomeness were associated with more severe self-reported suicidal ideation (b = 0.58, t(158) = 7.64, p < .001). Similarly, burdensomeness was associated with more frequent ideation based on weekly smartphone ratings (b = 0.11, t(1460) = 3.41, p < .001). Contrary to IPTS hypotheses, neither feelings of thwarted belongingness, nor interactions between burdensomeness and thwarted belongingness were significantly associated with ideation (ps > .05). Only elevated depression severity was associated with greater odds of suicide events (i.e., suicide attempts, psychiatric hospitalizations, and/or emergency department visits for suicide concerns) during the follow-up period (OR = 1.83, t(158) = 2.44, p = .01). No effect of acquired capability was found. CONCLUSIONS: Perceptions of burdensomeness to others reflect a critical risk factor for suicidal ideation among high-risk adolescents. Null findings with other IPTS constructs may suggest a need to adopt more developmentally sensitive models or measures of interpersonal and acquired capability risk factors for youth. Refining methods and theoretical models of suicide risk may help improve the identification of high-risk cases and inform clinical intervention.

Detecting adolescent depression through passive monitoring of linguistic markers in smartphone communication.

BACKGROUND: Cross sectional studies have identified linguistic correlates of major depressive disorder (MDD) in smartphone communication. However, it is unclear whether monitoring these linguistic characteristics can detect when an individual is experiencing MDD, which would facilitate timely intervention. METHODS: Approximately 1.2 million messages typed into smartphone social communication apps (e.g. texting, social media) were passively collected from 90 adolescents with a range of depression severity over a 12-month period. Sentiment (i.e. positive vs. negative valence of text), proportions of first-person singular pronouns (e.g. 'I'), and proportions of absolutist words (e.g. 'all') were computed for each message and converted to weekly aggregates temporally aligned with weekly MDD statuses obtained from retrospective interviews. Idiographic, multilevel logistic regression models tested whether within-person deviations in these linguistic features were associated with the probability of concurrently meeting threshold for MDD. RESULTS: Using more first-person singular pronouns in smartphone communication relative to one's own average was associated with higher odds of meeting threshold for MDD in the concurrent week (OR = 1.29; p = .007). Sentiment (OR = 1.07; p = .54) and use of absolutist words (OR = 0.99; p = .90) were not related to weekly MDD. CONCLUSIONS: Passively monitoring use of first-person singular pronouns in adolescents' smartphone communication may help detect MDD, providing novel opportunities for early intervention.

Importance of investing in adolescence from a developmental science perspective.

This review summarizes the case for investing in adolescence as a period of rapid growth, learning, adaptation, and formational neurobiological development. Adolescence is a dynamic maturational period during which young lives can pivot rapidly-in both negative and positive directions. Scientific progress in understanding adolescent development provides actionable insights into windows of opportunity during which policies can have a positive impact on developmental trajectories relating to health, education, and social and economic success. Given current global changes and challenges that affect adolescents, there is a compelling need to leverage these advances in developmental science to inform strategic investments in adolescent health.

Brain volumes in alcohol use disorder: Do females and males differ? A whole-brain magnetic resonance imaging mega-analysis.

Emerging evidence suggests distinct neurobiological correlates of alcohol use disorder (AUD) between sexes, which however remain largely unexplored. This work from ENIGMA Addiction Working Group aimed to characterize the sex differences in gray matter (GM) and white matter (WM) correlates of AUD using a whole-brain, voxel-based, multi-tissue mega-analytic approach, thereby extending our recent surface-based region of interest findings on a nearly matching sample using a complementary methodological approach. T1-weighted magnetic resonance imaging (MRI) data from 653 people with AUD and 326 controls was analyzed using voxel-based morphometry. The effects of group, sex, group-by-sex, and substance use severity in AUD on brain volumes were assessed using General Linear Models. Individuals with AUD relative to controls had lower GM volume in striatal, thalamic, cerebellar, and widespread cortical clusters. Group-by-sex effects were found in cerebellar GM and WM volumes, which were more affected by AUD in females than males. Smaller group-by-sex effects were also found in frontotemporal WM tracts, which were more affected in AUD females, and in temporo-occipital and midcingulate GM volumes, which were more affected in AUD males. AUD females but not males showed a negative association between monthly drinks and precentral GM volume. Our results suggest that AUD is associated with both shared and distinct widespread effects on GM and WM volumes in females and males. This evidence advances our previous region of interest knowledge, supporting the usefulness of adopting an exploratory perspective and the need to include sex as a relevant moderator variable in AUD.

Longitudinal changes in within-salience network functional connectivity mediate the relationship between childhood abuse and neglect, and mental health during adolescence.

BACKGROUND: Understanding the neurobiological underpinnings of childhood maltreatment is vital given consistent links with poor mental health. Dimensional models of adversity purport that different types of adversity likely have distinct neurobiological consequences. Adolescence is a key developmental period, during which deviations from normative neurodevelopment may have particular relevance for mental health. However, longitudinal work examining links between different forms of maltreatment, neurodevelopment, and mental health is limited. METHODS: In the present study, we explored associations between abuse, neglect, and longitudinal development of within-network functional connectivity of the salience (SN), default mode (DMN), and executive control network in 142 community residing adolescents. Resting-state fMRI data were acquired at age 16 (T1; M = 16.46 years, s.d. = 0.52, 66F) and 19 (T2; mean follow-up period: 2.35 years). Mental health data were also collected at T1 and T2. Childhood maltreatment history was assessed prior to T1. RESULTS: Abuse and neglect were both found to be associated with increases in within-SN functional connectivity from age 16 to 19. Further, there were sex differences in the association between neglect and changes in within-DMN connectivity. Finally, increases in within-SN connectivity were found to mediate the association between abuse/neglect and lower problematic substance use and higher depressive symptoms at age 19. CONCLUSIONS: Our findings suggest that childhood maltreatment is associated with altered neurodevelopmental trajectories, and that changes in salience processing may be linked with risk and resilience for the development of depression and substance use problems during adolescence, respectively. Further work is needed to understand the distinct neurodevelopmental and mental health outcomes of abuse and neglect.

Development of morning-eveningness in adolescence: implications for brain development and psychopathology.

BACKGROUND: Morning-evening preference is defined as an individual's preference for a morning- or evening-oriented rhythm. Across adolescence, a preference for eveningness becomes more predominant. Although eveningness is cross-sectionally associated with internalizing and externalizing psychopathology, few studies have examined developmental changes in eveningness and its potential biological substrates. Here, we investigated the longitudinal relationships among the trajectory of eveningness preference, internalizing and externalizing psychopathology and white matter development, across adolescence. METHODS: Two-hundred and nine adolescents (49% male) were assessed longitudinally at four separate time points between 12 and 19 years of age. Morning-evening preference and internalizing and externalizing symptoms were assessed at each time point. Diffusion-weighted images were acquired on a subset of participants at the final two time points to estimate changes in global mean fractional anisotropy (FA). Linear mixed models were performed to estimate the change in eveningness over time. A series of linear regression models assessed the influence of change in eveningness on psychopathology and white matter development at age 19. RESULTS: Across the sample, a preference for eveningness became more predominant by 19 years of age. Greater individual-level change towards eveningness significantly predicted greater severity in externalizing, but not internalizing, symptoms at 19 years of age. In contrast, change in psychopathology from 12 to 19 years of age was not associated with morning-eveningness at age 19. A change towards eveningness predicted an attenuated increase in FA between 17 and 19 years of age. CONCLUSIONS: This study suggests that developmental changes in morning-evening preference may predict both neurodevelopmental and psychological outcomes in adolescents.

Maternal depression, parental attributions, and adolescent psychopathology: An evaluation using observational and video-mediated recall methods.

Parenting styles associated with maternal depression are a risk factor for adolescent psychopathology, and maternal attributional styles may be a key mechanism in this relationship. Mother-adolescent dyads (N = 180; 96 male; ages 10-15) completed in-person interactions and then the mothers participated in a video-mediated recall procedure to assess maternal attributions. Maternal depression was associated with negative attributions. Negative attributions were associated with low parental acceptance, aggressive parenting, and low positive parenting. Positive maternal attributions were associated with less aggressive parenting, and more positive parenting during one interaction task. Adolescent externalizing behaviors were associated with negative attributions. Future research should evaluate whether maternal attributions mediate the association between maternal depression and both parenting behaviors and adolescent mental health.

The Impact of Time and State Opioid Legislation on Opioid Prescription Filling in Total Ankle Arthroplasty.

Total ankle arthroplasty (TAA) is an increasingly utilized treatment for ankle arthritis, and opioids are commonly used as part of perioperative pain control. However, many states have enacted opioid-limiting legislation to reduce perioperative opioid prescribing. The aim of this study was to evaluate the impact of time and state legislation on perioperative opioid prescribing in TAA. This study is a retrospective, observational review of 90-day perioperative opioid prescribing in 1,829 patients undergoing TAA throughout the United States using a large insurance database. Initial and cumulative volumes and rates of opioid prescription filling were recorded along with baseline patient and operative characteristics. Dates of state legislation enactment were also recorded. Student t-tests, analysis of variance, and multivariable linear and logistic regression were utilized to analyze the impact of time and state legislation on opioid prescription filling. In the 90-day perioperative time period, initial and cumulative opioid prescription filling in oxycodone 5-mg equivalents has decreased significantly from 2010 (63.8 initial and 163.3 cumulative) to 2019 (41.1 initial and 67.2 cumulative). States with opioid-limiting legislation saw larger and more significant reductions in initial and cumulative opioid prescription filling preact to postact (63.3-50.6 with legislation vs 61.4-51.9 without legislation initial and 146.4-93.3 with legislation vs 125.1-108.6 without legislation cumulative). This study demonstrates that foot and ankle surgeons in states with opioid-limiting legislation have responded by significantly reducing 90-day perioperative opioid prescribing in TAA. These results encourage states without legislation to enact opioid-specific laws to reduce opioid prescribing.

Parental internalizing disorder and the developmental trajectory of infant self-regulation: The moderating role of positive parental behaviors.

Child self-regulation (SR), a key indicator for later optimal developmental outcomes, may be compromised in the presence of parental mental disorders, especially those characterized by affective dysregulation. However, positive parental behaviors have been shown to buffer against such negative effects, especially during infancy when SR shows great plasticity to environmental inputs. The current study investigated the effect of maternal and paternal lifetime and current internalizing disorders on the developmental trajectory of infant SR from 3 to 24 months, and the potential moderating role of positive parental behaviors. A latent growth model revealed that SR increased overall from 3 to 24 months. Mothers' positive parental behaviors demonstrated significant moderation effects, such that maternal lifetime internalizing disorder was associated with higher SR intercept only among those with low levels of positive parental behavior. Mothers' lifetime internalizing disorder was also associated with a lower linear slope in SR development with a moderate effect size. Fathers' current internalizing disorder was significantly associated with a higher intercept and lower linear slope of the SR trajectory. The current study expands the infant SR literature by describing its early developmental trajectory as well as early risk and protective factors within the parent-infant environment, taking into consideration developmental inputs from both parents.

Effects of Automated Diurnal Variation in Electronic Screen Temperature on Sleep Quality in Young Adults: A Randomized Controlled Trial.

OBJECTIVE: Determine whether automated changes in electronic screen color temperature of personal electronic devices is associated with changes in objective and self-reported indices of sleep and mental health in young adults, as well as determine feasibility and acceptability of the experimental manipulation. PARTICIPANTS: A single-blind randomized controlled trial was conducted at a large public university in the Pacific Northwest region of the United States. Fifty-five participants (female=78%, mean age=19.45 years) who reported using a smartphone and/or laptop computer two hours before bedtime were randomized into either an experimental group (EG; n=29) or active control group (ACG; n=26). METHODS: Both the EG and ACG had installed on their devices a piece of software that automatically lowers the color temperature of these devices' screens as the day progresses ("f.lux"). However, only the EG had the blue-light-reducing features activated, and participants were blind to condition. Before and after the one-week long experimental manipulation period, participants completed the Pittsburgh Sleep Quality Index (PSQI), Pediatric Daytime Sleepiness Scale (PDSS), Pre-Sleep Arousal Scale (PSAS), and Patient Health Questionnaire (PHQ) and wore an actiwatch for seven consecutive nights. RESULTS: Participants in the EG did not show greater improvement in objective sleep, self-reported sleep, or mental health compared to participants in the ACG. Participants in the EG rated the software as more distracting and purposely disabled the software more often compared to participants in the ACG. CONCLUSIONS: Automated diurnal variation in electronic screen temperature in personal devices did not improve sleep or mental health in young adults.

Increasing age and modifiable comorbidities are associated with short-term complications after open reduction and internal fixation of ankle fractures.

BACKGROUND: Ankle fractures are common orthopedic injuries with complication rates fixation of up to 40%. Limited evidence exists in the literature regarding complications in the elderly population, and moreover, these studies frequently define elderly arbitrarily at 60-65 years old. The purpose of the present study was to utilize a large, validated database to evaluate whether there is an inflection point of age when postoperative complications after an ankle fracture significantly increase. METHODS: A retrospective review of all patients in the American College of Surgeons National Surgical Quality Improvement Program database who underwent fixation of an ankle fracture between 2012 and 2018 was performed. Patients were identified within the database using the Current Procedural Terminology codes. Appropriate statistical analysis was performed with p value less than 0.05 considered statistically significant. RESULTS: A total of 27,633 fractures were including and comprised of 221 posterior malleolar, 1567 medial malleolar, 8495 lateral malleolar, 10,175 bimalleolar, and 7175 trimalleolar. A total of 1545 complications were encountered (5.6%). There was a statistically significant association between increasing age and complications (OR = 1.03; p < 0.001). Further analysis shows the largest spike in complications within the age 78 + bracket. There were no overall interaction effects between age and fracture subtype (p = 0.223). CONCLUSION: ORIF of ankle fractures is a common orthopedic procedure performed on patients of all ages, with complications ranging in severity. In order to best counsel patients on their individual postoperative risks, large datasets are often necessary to prognosticate. This study found that postoperative complications increase with advanced age. The incidence of complications did not spike for patients around the age of 65, but rather followed an incremental linear pattern with the largest increase in odds ratio occurring at age 78 and above. Complication rate was not associated with specific fracture type based off of ICD codes.

A longitudinal analysis of puberty-related cortical development.

The brain undergoes extensive structural changes during adolescence, concurrent to puberty-related physical and hormonal changes. While animal research suggests these biological processes are related to one another, our knowledge of brain development in humans is largely based on age-related processes. Thus, the current study characterized puberty-related changes in human brain structure, by combining data from two longitudinal neuroimaging cohorts. Beyond normative changes in cortical thickness, we examined whether individual differences in the rate of pubertal maturation (or "pubertal tempo") was associated with variations in cortical trajectories. Participants (N = 192; scans = 366) completed up to three waves of MRI assessments between 8.5 and 14.5 years of age, as well as questionnaire assessments of pubertal stage at each wave. Generalized additive mixture models were used to characterize trajectories of cortical development. Results revealed widespread linear puberty-related changes across much of the cortex. Many of these changes, particularly within the frontal and parietal cortices, were independent of age-related development. Males exhibiting faster pubertal tempo demonstrated greater thinning in the precuneus and frontal cortices than same-aged and -sex peers. Findings suggest that the unique influence of puberty on cortical development may be more extensive than previously identified, and also emphasize important individual differences in the coupling of these developmental processes.

Towards understanding neurocognitive mechanisms of parenting: Maternal behaviors and structural brain network organization in late childhood.

A substantial body of knowledge suggests that exposure to adverse family environments - including violence and neglect - influences many aspects of brain development. Relatively less attention has been directed toward the influence of "normative" differences in parenting behaviors. Given the rapid brain reorganization during late childhood, parenting behaviors are particularly likely to impact the structure of the brain during this time. This study investigated associations between maternal parenting behaviors and the organization of structural brain networks in late childhood, as measured by structural covariance. One hundred and forty-five typically developing 8-year-olds and their mothers completed questionnaire measures and two observed interaction tasks; magnetic resonance imaging (MRI) scans were obtained from the children. Measures of maternal negative, positive, and communicative behavior were derived from the interaction tasks. Structural covariance networks based on partial correlations between cortical thickness estimates were constructed and estimates of modularity were obtained using graph theoretical analysis. High levels of negative maternal behavior were associated with low modularity. Minimal support was found for an association between positive maternal behaviors and modularity and between maternal communicative behaviors and modularity. Our findings suggest that variation in negative maternal behavior is associated with the structural organization of brain networks in children.

Psychobiological markers of allostatic load in depressed and nondepressed mothers and their adolescent offspring.

BACKGROUND: A substantial body of research has emerged suggesting that depression is strongly linked to poor physical health outcomes, which may be partly due to increased allostatic load across stress response systems. Interestingly, health risks associated with depression are also borne by the offspring of depressed persons. Our aim was to simultaneously investigate whether maternal depression is associated not only with increased allostatic load across cardiac control, inflammation, cellular aging, but also if this is transmitted to adolescent children, possibly increasing the risk for early onset of psychiatric conditions and disease in these offspring. METHODS: A preregistered, case-control study of 180 low-income mothers (50% mothers depressed, 50% mothers nondepressed) and their adolescent offspring was conducted to determine how depressed mothers and their adolescent offspring systematically differ in terms of autonomic, sympathetic, and parasympathetic cardiac control; inflammation; cellular aging; and behavioral health in offspring, which are indicators suggestive of higher allostatic load. RESULTS: Findings indicate that depressed mothers and their adolescent offspring differ in terms of comorbid mental and physical health risk profiles that are suggestive of higher allostatic load. Findings indicate that depressed mothers exhibit elevated resting heart rate and decreased heart rate variability, and adolescent offspring of depressed mothers exhibit greater mental health symptoms, elevated heart rate, and accelerated biological aging (shorter telomeres). These effects persisted after controlling for a range of potential covariates, including medication use, sex, age, and adolescents' own mental health symptoms. CONCLUSIONS: Findings indicate that maternal depression is associated with increased allostatic load in depressed women and their adolescent children, possibly increasing risk for early onset of psychiatric conditions and disease in these offspring. Future research is needed to delineate why some biological systems are more impacted than others and to explore how findings might inform preventative programs targeted at adolescent offspring of depressed mothers.

Feasibility, acceptability and affective consequences of at-home sleep extension in young women with depressive symptoms: A pilot study.

Insufficient sleep is common in young adults and has meaningful consequences for daytime functioning, including increased sleepiness, affective disruption and depressive symptoms. This study provides a preliminary evaluation of the feasibility, acceptability and affective consequences of extended sleep opportunity in young women with insufficient sleep and depressive symptoms. Participants were 32 women, 18-22 years of age, who regularly obtained less than 8-hr sleep/night and had daytime sleepiness and depressive symptoms at or above population averages. Participants were asked to maintain a sleep schedule of their typical duration for 7 days and were then randomly assigned to either extend sleep opportunity (ESO) by 90 min per night or maintain typical sleep opportunity (TSO), for the next 7 days. Sleep characteristics and daytime sleepiness were measured using continuous actigraphy and daily sleep diary, and affect, stress and depressive symptoms were assessed with daily and weekly questionnaires. Extended sleep opportunity increased sleep duration by over 1 hr, improved morning sleepiness and positive affect, and diminished anhedonia and depressive symptoms in study completers (n = 11 ESO, 11 TSO). However, 31.3% of participants (n = 10) were withdrawn from the study due to difficulty maintaining the sleep schedule. These results provide initial evidence that sleep extension is beneficial for young women who usually have inadequate sleep and mood disruption and can maintain a consistent sleep schedule. If extending sleep opportunity improves sleep, daytime sleepiness and affect in young adults who typically have insufficient sleep, it could broaden the range of interventions for sleep and mental wellness.

Social networking and symptoms of depression and anxiety in early adolescence.

BACKGROUND: Use of social networking in later childhood and adolescence has risen quickly. The consequences of these changes for mental health are debated but require further empirical evaluation. METHODS: Using data from the Childhood to Adolescence Transition Study (n = 1,156), duration of social networking use was measured annually at four time points from 11.9 to 14.8 years of age (≥1 h/day indicating high use). Cross-sectional and prospective relationships between social networking use and depressive and anxiety symptoms were examined. RESULTS: In adjusted (age, socioeconomic status, prior mental health history) cross-sectional analyses, females with high social networking use had greater odds of depressive (odds ratio [OR]: 2.15; 95% confidence interval [CI]: 1.58-2.91) and anxiety symptoms (OR: 1.99; 95% CI: 1.32-3.00) than those that used a few minutes at most, while males with high social networking use had 1.60 greater odds of reporting depressive symptoms (95% CI: 1.09-2.35). For females, an increased odds of depressive symptoms at age 14.8 was observed for high social networking use at one previous wave and at two or three previous waves, even after adjustment (OR: 1.76; 95% CI: 1.11-2.78; OR: 2.06, 95% CI: 1.27-3.37, respectively) compared to no wave of high use. CONCLUSIONS: Our results suggest weak to moderate increased odds of depression and anxiety in girls and boys with high social networking use versus low/normal use. These findings indicate that prevention programs for early mental health problems might benefit from targeting social networking use in early adolescence.

Earlier age at menarche as a transdiagnostic mechanism linking childhood trauma with multiple forms of psychopathology in adolescent girls.

BACKGROUND: Although early life adversity (ELA) increases risk for psychopathology, mechanisms linking ELA with the onset of psychopathology remain poorly understood. Conceptual models have argued that ELA accelerates development. It is unknown whether all forms of ELA are associated with accelerated development or whether early maturation is a potential mechanism linking ELA with psychopathology. We examine whether two distinct dimensions of ELA - threat and deprivation - have differential associations with pubertal timing in girls, and evaluate whether accelerated pubertal timing is a mechanism linking ELA with the onset of adolescent psychopathology. METHODS: Data were drawn from a large, nationally representative sample of 4937 adolescent girls. Multiple forms of ELA characterized by threat and deprivation were assessed along with age at menarche (AAM) and the onset of DSM-IV fear, distress, externalizing, and eating disorders. RESULTS: Greater exposure to threat was associated with earlier AAM (B = -0.1, p = 0.001). Each 1-year increase in AAM was associated with reduced odds of fear, distress, and externalizing disorders post-menarche (ORs = 0.74-0.85). Earlier AAM significantly mediated the association between exposure to threat and post-menarche onset of distress (proportion mediated = 6.2%), fear (proportion mediated = 16.3%), and externalizing disorders (proportion mediated = 2.9%). CONCLUSIONS: Accelerated pubertal development in girls may be one transdiagnostic pathway through which threat-related experiences confer risk for the adolescent onset of mental disorders. Early pubertal maturation is a marker that could be used in both medical and mental health settings to identify trauma-exposed youth that are at risk for developing a mental disorder during adolescence in order to better target early interventions.

Maternal stress and social support prospectively predict infant inflammation.

Maternal stress has been suggested to be a risk factor for offspring health, while social support has been shown to be a protective factor for offspring functioning. Currently, research has yet to investigate how both of these factors may relate to infant inflammatory processes and associated biological aging in the first years of life. In 48 mother-infant dyads, we investigated whether maternal parenting stress and social support when infants were 12 and 18 months of age were cross-sectionally associated with infant salivary C-reactive protein (sCRP) during these times. In addition, we investigated whether parenting stress and social support were prospectively associated with later sCRP and changes in sCRP from 12 to 18 months of age, as well as whether those changes in sCRP were associated with subsequent infant salivary telomere length (sTL), a marker of biological aging. Analyses revealed that while there were no cross-sectional associations between maternal factors and infant sCRP, maternal parenting stress and social support when infants were 12 months of age predicted infant sCRP at 18 months of age. Further, maternal social support predicted changes in infant sCRP from 12 to 18 months of age. We observed a null association between infant sCRP and sTL. Implications for the ways that maternal mental health and social support may impact biological mechanisms related to disease processes in infants are discussed.

Parenting × Brain Development interactions as predictors of adolescent depressive symptoms and well-being: Differential susceptibility or diathesis-stress?

It is unclear how individual differences in parenting and brain development interact to influence adolescent mental health outcomes. This study examined interactions between structural brain development and observed maternal parenting behavior in the prediction of adolescent depressive symptoms and psychological well-being. Whether findings supported diathesis-stress or differential susceptibility frameworks was tested. Participants completed observed interactions with their mothers during early adolescence (age 13), and the frequency of positive and aggressive maternal behavior were coded. Adolescents also completed structural magnetic resonance imaging scans at three time points: mean ages 13, 17, and 19. Regression models analyzed interactions between maternal behavior and longitudinal brain development in the prediction of late adolescent (age 19) outcomes. Indices designed to distinguish between diathesis-stress and differential susceptibility effects were employed. Results supported differential susceptibility: less thinning of frontal regions was associated with higher well-being in the context of low levels of aggressive maternal behavior, and lower well-being in the context of high levels of aggressive maternal behavior. Findings suggest that reduced frontal cortical thinning during adolescence may underlie increased sensitivity to maternal aggressive behavior for better and worse and highlight the importance of investigating biological vulnerability versus susceptibility.