Risk Factor For Psychopathology Research Articles

Bivariate latent change score analysis of peer relations from early childhood to adolescence: Leading or lagging indicators of psychopathology.

Understanding longitudinal associations between problematic peer relations and psychopathology are needed to inform public health. Three models have been proposed: poor peer relations i) lead or are a risk factor for psychopathology; ii) lag or are a consequence of psychopathology; iii) both lead and lag psychopathology. Another model is that poor peer relations lead or lag psychopathology depending upon the developmental period. To test these models, youth's peer relations and clinical symptoms were assessed up to 6 times between ages 3-11 in 306 children. Bivariate latent change score models tested leading/lagging longitudinal relationships between children's peer relations (peer victimization/rejection, peer-directed aggression, social withdrawal, prosocial behavior) and psychopathology (depression, anxiety, and externalizing symptoms). Peer victimization/rejection was a leading indicator of depression from early childhood into preadolescence. Peer-directed aggression was a leading indicator of externalizing symptoms (in late childhood).

Early life stress sensitizes youth to the influence of stress-induced cortisol on memory for affective words.

Early life stress (ELS) is a well-established risk factor for psychopathology across the lifespan. Cognitive vulnerability to stress-induced cortisol may explain risk and resilience. The current study aimed to elucidate a psychobiological pathway linking stress to altered memory for affective words among youth with and without exposure to ELS. One hundred and fifteen youth (ages 9-16, 47% female) were randomized either to a psychosocial stressor or a control condition. Immediately following the stress or control condition, participants completed a memory task for affective words. Change in salivary cortisol from immediately before to 25min after stress onset were used to predict memory for affective words. Exposure to the acute laboratory stressor led to activation of the HPA axis. Greater cortisol reactivity was associated with less accurate recognition of negative valence words. Among youth exposed to ELS, greater cortisol reactivity to acute stress was associated with poorer recognition of dysphoric and neutral words. Acute increases in cortisol may interfere with negatively-valenced information processing that has implications for memory. Youth exposed to high ELS may be particularly vulnerable to the effects of cortisol, which may explain one pathway through which stress leads to psychopathology among at-risk youth.

The psychiatric phenotypes of 1q21 distal deletion and duplication

Copy number variants are amongst the most highly penetrant risk factors for psychopathology and neurodevelopmental deficits, but little information about the detailed clinical phenotype associated with particular variants is available. We present the largest study of the microdeletion and -duplication at the distal 1q21 locus, which has been associated with schizophrenia and intellectual disability, in order to investigate the range of psychiatric phenotypes. Clinical and cognitive data from 68 deletion and 55 duplication carriers were analysed with logistic regression analysis to compare frequencies of mental disorders between carrier groups and controls, and linear mixed models to compare quantitative phenotypes. Both children and adults with copy number variants at 1q21 had high frequencies of psychopathology. In the children, neurodevelopmental disorders were most prominent (56% for deletion, 68% for duplication carriers). Adults had increased prevalence of mood (35% for deletion [OR = 6.6 (95% CI: 1.4–40.1)], 55% for duplication carriers [8.3 (1.4–55.5)]) and anxiety disorders (24% [1.8 (0.4–8.4)] and 55% [10.0 (1.9–71.2)]). The adult group, which included mainly genetically affected parents of probands, had an IQ in the normal range. These results confirm high prevalence of neurodevelopmental disorders associated with CNVs at 1q21 but also reveal high prevalence of mood and anxiety disorders in a high-functioning adult group with these CNVs. Because carriers of neurodevelopmental CNVs who show relevant psychopathology but no major cognitive impairment are not currently routinely receiving clinical genetic services widening of genetic testing in psychiatry may be considered.

Psychopathological Risk Factors Associated with Body Image, Body Dissatisfaction and Weight-Loss Dieting in School-Age Adolescents.

Determining the comorbidity patterns leading to suffering behavioural eating disorders (BED) that are identifiable in the early stages of life, can help prevent their becoming chronic, as well as preventing the consequences deriving from the cost and effectiveness of intervention programs. The paper focuses mainly on analysing the association between behavioural/emotional risk factors and body image, body satisfaction and diet in school children, as well as confirming whether there are differences based on sex. Several questionnaires (Strengths and Difficulties Questionnaire and several items of Health Behaviour in School-age Children) including these variables were distributed and completed by the 647 adolescents (16 year olds on average) who took part in the research project. The findings confirmed a differentiated risk profile in adolescent girls in that they had greater prevalence of emotional symptoms as a general psychopathological trait, although this was offset with their prosocial behaviour. Additionally, the findings also allowed us to conclude that the factors that predict vulnerability to BEDs are sex, the presence of emotional symptoms and social and behavioural issues. At the end of this paper, we discuss some implications and consequences that should be taken into account for future work.

Association of gray matter volumes with general and specific dimensions of psychopathology in children.

Childhood is an important time for the manifestation of psychopathology. Psychopathology is characterized by considerable comorbidity which is mirrored in the underlying neural correlates of psychopathology. Both common and dissociable variations in brain volume have been found across multiple mental disorders in adult and youth samples. However, the majority of these studies used samples with broad age ranges which may obscure developmental differences. The current study examines associations between regional gray matter volumes (GMV) and psychopathology in a large sample of children with a narrowly defined age range. We used data from 9607 children 9-10 years of age collected as part of the Adolescent Brain Cognitive DevelopmentSM Study (ABCD Study®). A bifactor model identified a general psychopathology factor that reflects common variance across disorders and specific factors representing internalizing symptoms, ADHD symptoms, and conduct problems. Brain volume was acquired using 3T MRI. After correction for multiple testing, structural equation modeling revealed nearly global inverse associations between regional GMVs and general psychopathology and conduct problems, with associations also found for ADHD symptoms (pfdr-values ≤ 0.048). Age, sex, and race were included as covariates. Sensitivity analyses including total GMV or intracranial volume (ICV) as covariates support this global association, as a large majority of region-specific results became nonsignificant. Sensitivity analyses including income, parental education, and medication use as additional covariates demonstrate largely convergent results. These findings suggest that globally smaller GMVs are a nonspecific risk factor for general psychopathology, and possibly for conduct problems and ADHD as well.

Poly-victimization and psychopathological symptoms in adolescence: Examining the potential buffering effect of positive childhood experiences

BackgroundChildhood maltreatment are well-established risk factors for adolescent psychopathology. Positive childhood experiences (PCEs) known protective factors. However, few studies have simultaneously investigated childhood maltreatment and PCEs in the context of longitudinal study. The aim of this paper was to assess the buffering effect of PCEs in adolescence in the association between chronic childhood maltreatment and psychological symptoms in adolescence. MethodsData were from an ongoing longitudinal study with 2288 children aged 8.15 y at baseline who were recruited from 3 large elementary schools in China. Participants were followed up for four waves across 6 years. The associations between re-victimization and poly-victimization with adolescent psychopathological symptoms across different PCEs contexts were explored. ResultsPoly-victimization was highly predictive of depressive symptoms, oppositional defiant disorder and conduct disorder. PCEs may mitigate the negative effect of chronic childhood maltreatment on adolescent psychopathology in a dose-response manner. For adolescents with 4-5 PCEs, psychopathological symptoms score decreased significantly and showed similar level with those low/no-victimization comparison peers. While experiencing multiple PCEs does decrease the risk of psychopathological symptoms, certain PCEs, such as parental warmth and peer support, appear to entailed protective effect on all the three psychopathological symptoms. LimitationsIt is not clear whether the patterns of effects would vary across developmental periods. ConclusionsA focus of interventions should be not only on ameliorating childhood maltreatment, but also on expanding the availability of social support related PCEs, which may help inform suitable strategies for providing intervention and support to best help reduce the psychopathology burden for children.

Lasting effects of residential mobility during childhood on psychopathology among Chinese University students

BackgroundResidential mobility during childhood increases risk of psychopathology in adulthood and is a common experience among Chinese children. This study investigated associations between number and age of first move, etiological risk factors for psychopathology, and common mental disorders in adolescence and early adulthood.MethodsThe sample included 39,531 undergraduates (84.5% completion rate) age 15–34 years in their first year at a Chinese comprehensive university in annual cross-sectional surveys during 2014–2018. Common mental disorders measured using standardised self-report instruments. Data analysed using logistic regression models and interaction analysis.ResultsHalf of all students experienced one or more moves of residence before age 15 years. Outcomes of Depression, Somatisation, Obsessive-compulsive disorder, Hallucinations and Delusions, and Suicide attempts showed dose-response relationships with increasing number of moves. Other etiological risk factors, including childhood disadvantage and maltreatment, showed similar dose response relationships but did not confound associations with mobility. We found interactions between reporting any move and being a left-behind child on depression and somatisation; number of moves and younger age at first move on depression, somatisation, suicide attempts and hallucinations and delusions.ConclusionsResidential mobility in childhood is associated with psychopathology in adulthood and this association increases with increasing number of moves. Mobility is also associated with childhood disadvantage and maltreatment but associations with psychopathology are independent of these factors. Multiplicative effects were shown for multiple moves starting at a younger age and if the participant had been a left-behind child.

Infant temperament prospectively predicts general psychopathology in childhood.

Recent models of psychopathology suggest the presence of a general factor capturing the shared variance among all symptoms along with specific psychopathology factors (e.g., internalizing and externalizing). However, few studies have examined predictors that may serve as transdiagnostic risk factors for general psychopathology from early development. In the current study we examine, for the first time, whether observed and parent-reported infant temperament dimensions prospectively predict general psychopathology as well as specific psychopathology dimensions (e.g., internalizing and externalizing) across childhood. In a longitudinal cohort (N = 291), temperament dimensions were assessed at 4 months of age. Psychopathology symptoms were assessed at 7, 9, and 12 years of age. A bifactor model was used to estimate general, internalizing, and externalizing psychopathology factors. Across behavioral observations and parent-reports, higher motor activity in infancy significantly predicted greater general psychopathology in mid to late childhood. Moreover, low positive affect was predictive of the internalizing-specific factor. Other temperament dimensions were not related with any of the psychopathology factors after accounting for the general psychopathology factor. The results of this study suggest that infant motor activity may act as an early indicator of transdiagnostic risk. Our findings inform the etiology of general psychopathology and have implications for the early identification for children at risk for psychopathology.

A pilot study on alexithymia in adopted youths: prevalence and relationships with emotional-behavioral problems

Adopted adolescents show high rates of emotional-behavioral problems and they could also be more vulnerable to alexithymia, a risk factor for psychopathology in adolescents, that is more frequent in case of early relational trauma(s), often experienced by adoptees in pre-adoption life. However, no studies investigate alexithymia in adopted adolescents, therefore this pilot study aimed to: (a) assess the prevalence of alexithymia in adoptees in comparison with a national representative sample; (b) examine the relationships between alexithymia and emotional-behavioral problems in adoptees. Participants were 33 adoptees aged 10-19 years (54.5% boys), enrolled through social services. Measures were the self-report questionnaire Toronto Alexithymia Scale 20-item to measure participants’ alexithymia, and the Youth Self Report 11-18 years to assess emotional-behavioral problems. Main results highlighted: 1) 71% of adoptees with moderate-to-high levels of alexithymia, with adoptees as significantly more border-alexithymic (55%) than in normative peers; 2) Alexithymia and its factors Difficulty to identifying Feelings and Externally Oriented Thinking were related to more total, internalizing, externalizing and other problems (social, attentional, thought, binge-drinking, substance abuse, suicidality, etc...); 3) The difficulty identifying feelings was the unique predictor for 38% of total problems, 40% of internalizing ones, 22% of externalizing ones and 30% of other problems. In conclusion , the results suggest the clinical and scientific relevance of continuing the study of alexithymia in adopted adolescents, and future directions of research are suggested.

Aggression and delinquent behavior in a large representative sample of high school students: Cannabis use and victimization as key discriminating factors

PurposeSince conduct problems (CP) vary distinctly across youths, better subtyping CP may be an important vehicle to study specific risk factors associated to differential patterns of CP. In a sample of 63,196 adolescents, we employed a two-step method to the identify such CP patterns and to help classify youths based on several sociodemographic and psychopathological risk factors associated with CP. MethodsK-means clustering methods were first used to reduce the heterogeneity of CP by analyzing patterns of aggressive (AGG) and rule-breaking (RB) behaviors. A multi-class Classification and Regression Tree approach was further employed to examine the hierarchical interactions between risk factors specific to the emergence of different CP patterns. ResultsResults revealed a three-cluster solution: (i) Low AGG-RB, (ii) High AGG and low RB, and (iii) High AGG-RB. The frequency of cannabis use, level of victimization and hyperactivity symptoms were the three factors best discriminating youths’ membership to distinct patterns of CP. The model displayed a moderate to strong discriminatory capacity. ConclusionAlthough this study provides evidence of key factors that may increase the risk of youths following specific patterns of disruptive behavior, additional research is necessary to clarify the etiology, longitudinal trajectories and outcomes related to these patterns.

Psilocybin-Assisted Group Therapy and Attachment: Observed Reduction in Attachment Anxiety and Influences of Attachment Insecurity on the Psilocybin Experience.

Attachment insecurity is determined early in life, is a risk factor for psychopathology, and can be measured on two separate continuous dimensions: attachment anxiety and attachment avoidance. Therapeutic changes toward more secure attachment correlate with reduction in psychiatric symptoms. Psilocybin-assisted psychotherapy has demonstrated promise in the treatment of psychopathology, such as treatment-resistant depression and substance use disorders. We hypothesized that psilocybin-assisted psychotherapy would reduce attachment anxiety and attachment avoidance, thus increasing attachment security. We also hypothesized that baseline measures of attachment insecurity, which can reflect a diminished capacity for trust and exploration, would inform the quality of the psilocybin session. Participants were male long-term AIDS survivors with moderate-severe demoralization (n = 18). Using the Experiences in Close Relationships scale, we measured attachment insecurity at baseline as well as immediately, and 3 months, after completion of a brief group therapy course, which included a single midtreatment open-label psilocybin session conducted individually. Clinically important aspects of the psilocybin session were assessed using the revised Mystical Experience Questionnaire and the Challenging Experience Questionnaire the day following psilocybin administration. Self-reported ratings of attachment anxiety decreased significantly from baseline to 3-months post-intervention, t(16) = -2.2; p = 0.045; d rm = 0.45; 95% CI 0.01, 0.87. Attachment avoidance did not change significantly. Baseline attachment anxiety was strongly correlated with psilocybin-occasioned mystical-type experiences, r(15) = 0.53, p = 0.029, and baseline attachment avoidance was strongly correlated with psilocybin-related challenging experiences, r(16) = 0.62, p = 0.006. These findings have important implications for the general treatment of psychopathology as well as optimizing psilocybin-assisted psychotherapy as a broadly applicable treatment modality.

Transdiagnostic Risk and Protective Factors for Psychopathology in Young People: Systematic Review Protocol.

BackgroundMental and substance use disorders are among the leading causes of burden of disease worldwide, with risk of onset peaking between the ages of 13 and 24 years. Comorbidity is also common among young people and complicates research, diagnosis and assessment, and clinical decision making. There is increasing support for empirically derived models of psychopathology that overcome issues of comorbidity and provide a transdiagnostic framework for investigating the specificity and generality of risk and protective factors for psychopathology.ObjectiveThis systematic review aims to identify transdiagnostic risk and protective factors for psychopathology in young people by synthesizing and evaluating findings from research investigating empirically based models of psychopathology.MethodsSearches will be conducted in Medline, EMBASE, and PsycINFO databases. Reference lists of selected articles will also be hand searched for other relevant publications. All studies will be screened against eligibility criteria designed to identify studies that examined empirical models of psychopathology in relation to risk and/or protective factors in young people with a mean age between 10 and 24 years. Study quality will be assessed using the Joanna Briggs Institute Critical Appraisal Checklists for Cohort Studies and Analytical Cross-Sectional Studies. Findings will be summarized in a narrative synthesis, and a meta-analysis will be conducted if sufficient data are available.ResultsThis review is ongoing. At the time of submission, full-text screening was completed, and hand searching of selected articles was underway. Results are expected to be completed by the end of 2020.ConclusionsThis protocol is for a systematic review of evidence for transdiagnostic risk and protective factors associated with empirically based models of psychopathology in young people. To our knowledge, the critical synthesis of this evidence will be the first to date and will provide a better understanding of the factors that contribute to the onset and maintenance of psychopathology in young people. Insights drawn from the review will provide critical new knowledge to improve the targeting of interventions to prevent or reduce mental health problems.Trial RegistrationThis systematic review is registered with PROSPERO (CRD42020161368) and is available via Open Science Framework.International Registered Report Identifier (IRRID)DERR1-10.2196/19779

Debate: Recognising and responding to the mental health needs of young people in the era of COVID-19.

The COVID‐19 pandemic is a ‘perfect storm’ for the mental health of young people, because of exposure to known risk factors for psychopathology and lack of support from the infrastructures that are normally in place to ensure safety and provide support. However, it is yet unclear if this ‘perfect storm’ will flood the Child & Adolescent Mental Health Services. The early, normative emotional responses observed may not lead to enduring psychopathology in most young people. Nevertheless, a minority of young people may show complex presentations, particularly in relation to bereavement. As epidemiology and clinical practice will reveal the actual needs of young people, the hope is that we will find the focus and determination to build new solutions to promote young people’s mental health.

RSA reactivity to parent-child conflict as a predictor of dysregulated emotion and behavior in daily life.

Individual variability in tonic (resting) and phasic (reactivity) respiratory sinus arrhythmia (RSA) may underlie risk for dysregulated emotion and behavior, two transdiagnostic indicators that permeate most psychological disorders in youth. The interaction between tonic and phasic RSA may specify unique physiological profiles during the transition to adolescence. The current study utilized clinically referred youth (Mage = 12.03; s.d. = 0.92) to examine baseline RSA, RSA reactivity, and their interaction as predictors of dysregulated emotion and behavior in daily life. Participants were 162 youth (47% female; 60% minority) in psychiatric treatment for any mood or behavior problem. RSA was assessed during three, 2-minute baselines and an 8-minute parent-child conflict discussion task. Dysregulated emotion and behavior were assessed during a 4-day ecological momentary assessment protocol that included 10 time-based prompts over a long weekend. Greater RSA withdrawal to the conflict was associated with dysregulated basic emotion (sadness, anger, nervousness, stress) in daily life. Two distinct interactions also emerged, such that baseline RSA was related to dysregulated complex emotion (shame, guilt, loneliness, emptiness) and dysregulated behavior as a function of RSA reactivity to conflict. Lower baseline RSA and greater RSA withdrawal were associated with dysregulated complex emotion, while higher baseline RSA and greater RSA withdrawal were associated with dysregulated behavior. Findings point to physiological profiles that increase the risk of dysregulated emotion and behavior during the transition to adolescence. Excessive RSA withdrawal uniquely, and in combination with baseline RSA, increased risk for dysregulation in daily life, underscoring the role of autonomic stress responding as a risk factor for psychopathology.

A narrative review on alexithymia in adolescents with previous adverse experiences placed for adoption, in foster care, or institutions. Prevalence, gender differences, and relations with internalizing and externalizing symptoms

Alexithymia is a recognized risk factor for psychopathology, showing relationships with internalizing and externalizing symptoms. The prevalence of alexithymia ranges from 7-21% in low-risk community adolescents, especially girls. Further, few retrospective studies suggest a higher incidence in individuals with past traumatic experiences, but they are mostly on clinical adults. Therefore, the current narrative review aimed to examine the state-of-art of literature on alexithymia (in terms of prevalence, gender differences, and relationships with internalizing-externalizing symptoms), in non-clinical adolescents potentially at “high-risk” for alexithymia because placed for adoption, in foster care or institutions due to adverse and potentially traumatic experiences (parental abandonment, neglect, abuse, etc). The review of the literature was computed on documents retrieved through electronic databases (ProQuest, PsycInfo, PsycArticles, PubMed, WOS, Scopus, Google Scholar), included according to their pertinence and type (empirical studies). Of 6379 documents, only 6 studies (0.2%) on institutionalized adolescents met the inclusion criteria, none in adopted and foster care groups. Main results revealed: 1) higher prevalence of alexithymia in institutionalized adolescents (38-85%) compared to community peers; 2) institutionalized girls as more alexithymic, showing more difficulty in identifying and describing feelings than boys, like in community groups; 3) Higher alexithymia was related to more total, internalizing and externalizing problems through similar mechanisms of risk than in community groups. Methodological limits and future directions of research are discussed for each topic, highlighting the need to bridge the research gap on adolescents with adverse backgrounds, potentially at “high-risk” for alexithymia and its negative consequences.

Validation and Clinical Correlates of the Behavioral Indicator of Resiliency to Distress Task (BIRD) in a University- and Community-Based Sample of Youth with Emotional Disorders

Distress tolerance (DT) is a transdiagnostic risk factor for psychopathology. The Behavioral Indicator of Resiliency to Distress (BIRD) task assesses DT by measuring task persistence in the face of distress. BIRD task performance has been associated with internalizing and externalizing symptoms in nonclinical youth, but these relationships have not been explored in clinical youth. Validating this task in a clinical sample would clarify its utility as a more objective indicator of DT. We aimed to investigate the correlates and predictors of BIRD task performance in a clinical sample of 348 youth assessed at pretreatment in community mental health clinics (CMHC; n = 209; ages 12–18; 66.8% female) or at a university-based research clinic (RC; n = 139; ages 10–18; 49.6% female). We aimed to evaluate the concurrent validity of the BIRD task by examining the associations between quitting the task and pre-task subjective units of distress (SUDs) and youth- and parent-reported anxiety, depressive, and externalizing symptoms, as well as youth-reported DT. Youth who reported greater subjective units of distress (SUDS) prior to the task reported greater anxiety and depressive symptoms, externalizing symptoms, and poorer DT. Those who quit the task early reported greater parent-reported school and separation anxiety. Surprisingly, fewer participants quit the task in this study compared with previous studies. The current results provide evidence that the BIRD may not be measuring the same construct as self-reported DT. Whereas a self-report measure captures one’s perceived ability to handle negative emotions, the BIRD captures one’s actual ability to persist in the face of frustration. These results suggest that youth’s perception of their ability to handle negative emotions may be distinct from their actual persistence when faced with distress. Assessing both perceived and actual DT may have clinical utility for youth with internalizing symptoms.

An interaction between early threat exposure and the oxytocin receptor in females: Disorder-specific versus general risk for psychopathology and social-emotional mediators.

Early threat exposure is a transdiagnostic risk factor for psychopathology, and evidence suggests that genetic variation in the oxytocin receptor (OXTR) moderates this association. However, it is unclear if this gene-by-environment (G×E) interaction is tied to unique risk for disorder-specific outcomes or instead increases shared risk for general psychopathology. Moreover, little is known about how this G×E interaction increases risk. The current study utilized a prospective, longitudinal sample of females (n = 2,020) to examine: (a) whether the interaction between early threat exposure and OXTR variation (rs53576, rs2254298) confers risk for disorder-specific outcomes (depression, anxiety, borderline and antisocial personality disorders) and/or general psychopathology in early adulthood; and (b) whether social-emotional deficits (emotion dysregulation, callousness, attachment quality) during adolescence constitute mediating mechanisms. Consistent with hypotheses, the interactive effects of early threat exposure and OXTR variation (rs53576) predicted general psychopathology, with threat-exposed women carrying at least one copy of the rs53576 A-allele at greatest risk. This interaction was mediated via emotional dysregulation in adolescence, with threat-exposed A-allele carriers demonstrating greater emotion dysregulation, and greater emotion dysregulation predicting general psychopathology in early adulthood. Findings suggest that this G×E places women at risk for a broad range of psychopathology via effects on emotion dysregulation.

Anxiety sensitivity and bodily kinematics

Anxiety sensitivity (AS) is an individual difference factor reflecting the fear of anxiety-related sensations and is one of the best researched risk factors for psychopathology. Decades of research have focused on exploring the relations between AS and clinical symptoms and disorders, although most of the research has employed self-report or interview-based methodologies to index primary dependent measures. No past research has sought to characterize the explanatory relevance of AS from a body kinematics perspective. The present study explored AS in relation to body kinematics to AS-specific images using a dual-task attentional control paradigm (i.e., approach versus avoidance) that employs AS-specific stimuli and motion-tracking technology. Participants included 108 young adults (58.3% female, M age = 25.3) who took part in a ball catching game to index their measures of behavioral engagement with the AS-specific and neutral stimuli presented at either side of the game environment. After adjusting for age, gender, race, handedness, physical functioning, and negative affectivity, self-reported AS was significantly associated with biokinematically-driven behavioral engagement with the AS-specific stimuli. The present study provides novel empirical evidence that AS is related to anxiety-related bodily kinematics. Future work is needed to extend the current results to clinical samples.

The Associations among Distress Tolerance, Unhelpful Coping Behaviors, and Symptoms of Depression: A Network Analysis

Difficulty tolerating emotional distress has been identified as a transdiagnostic risk factor for psychopathology. However, despite evidence that low distress tolerance is associated with increased symptoms of depression, little is known as to how and why this relationship exists. Previous work suggests that difficulty tolerating distress may lead to coping behaviors that reduce distress quickly, but ultimately prove to be problematic (e.g., avoidance, rumination). The use of unhelpful coping behaviors may be an important factor in explaining how one’s ability to tolerate distress may contribute to and maintain symptoms of depression. We have thus designed a study aimed to explore and identify important interactions among aspects of distress tolerance, unhelpful coping behaviors, and symptoms of depression. This study used network analysis to explore the relationships among distress tolerance, unhelpful coping behaviors, and symptoms of depression in a sample of college students (N = 1042). Results of this analysis show a strong association among aspects of distress tolerance, unhelpful coping behaviors, and symptoms of depression. This finding corroborates previous findings showing an association between distress tolerance and symptoms of depression and presents a need for future work in this area.

The mediating role of emotion regulation strategies on psychopathology and suicidal behaviour following negative childhood experiences

BackgroundChildhood adversities and maladaptive parenting practices, such as parental over-control, over-protection or over-indulgence can be significant risk factors for psychopathology and suicidal behaviour. Adaptive emotion regulation strategies can be protective. However, individuals may develop maladaptive emotion regulation strategies as a result of these early life experiences. ObjectiveThis study aims to determine if emotion regulation strategies (reappraisal and suppression) mediate the impact of negative childhood experiences on psychological health, and to identify predictors of such strategies. Participants and settingThe study utilizes data from the Ulster University Student Wellbeing Study, conducted in Northern Ireland (NI) as part of the WHO World Mental Health (WMH) International College Student Initiative (n = 739). The average age of participants was 21 (462 females, 274 males). MethodMediation analyses examined the role of emotion regulation strategies on psychopathology and suicidality following negative childhood experiences. ResultsMediation analyses revealed that individuals with adaptive emotion regulation strategies were less likely to have psychological problems following negative childhood experiences. The reduced use of suppression was particularly important. However, males and individuals who reported parental over-control were more likely to use suppression. Non-heterosexual students were less likely to use reappraisal which can be adaptive. ConclusionsThe study highlights the importance of developing adaptive emotion regulation strategies following negative childhood experiences since such strategies may reduce psychological problems.