By identifying specific forms of adversity that differentially impact youth development, research opens the door for precision-based approaches to early intervention and prevention efforts.
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A new study has found that various types of childhood adversity, such as family conflict and poverty, have significant and lasting effects on young people’s mental health and cognitive development.1 While some adversities, such as Peer aggression, such as aggression, can lead to worsening mental health, while others, such as B. a community threat, lead to adaptive suppression of symptoms, according to research published today in JAMA Psychiatry.
The number of young people struggling with mental illness has increased by 28% since 2018, with an even more staggering 48% increase seen in the number diagnosed with at least two mental health problems.2 According to a report released earlier this year, over a quarter of parents surveyed said their child was struggling with mental health issues, whether diagnosed or undiagnosed.
The new study, based on data from nearly 12,000 children, builds on the well-known Adverse Childhood Experiences (ACEs) framework by introducing a more nuanced and data-driven approach to understanding the impact of childhood adversity.1 The research, published as part of Adolescent Brain Cognitive Development (ABCD) research, identifies eight different types of traumatic and adverse childhood experiences (TRACEs) and examines their varying impact on young people’s mental health and cognitive abilities.
While the traditional ACE model highlights the negative mental health and cognitive impacts associated with childhood adversity, its clinical utility is often limited by a lack of specificity. However, this study refines this understanding by grouping 268 different childhood adversities into thematic components such as family conflict, interpersonal violence, and poverty. Researchers used nonlinear principal component analysis, which found that TRACEs have distinct and variable effects on youth development, highlighting the complexity of how childhood trauma affects mental health and cognitive function over time.
The authors analyzed data from 11,876 adolescent participants aged 9 to 10 years at baseline who were participating in the ongoing ABCD study. The study spanned 2016 to 2021, with youth and their caregivers completing up to four annual behavioral assessments at 21 sites across the United States. The team used mixed-effects and latent change score models to assess how TRACEs affected mental health outcomes. These included internalizing (anxiety, depression, etc.), externalizing (aggression, behavioral problems, etc.), and cognitive abilities throughout adolescence.
At baseline assessment, almost any form of adversity was associated with poorer mental health and cognitive abilities. However, the study found that different types of adversity affected youth in different ways over time.
Family conflict and peer aggression were strongly associated with increased mental health problems, including increased internalizing and externalizing problems as adolescents aged. Family conflict had a particularly high correlation (t = 5.67) with worsening mental health.
Community threat and poverty were associated with reductions in mental health problems over time. The authors suggest that this may be due to adaptive mechanisms whereby some adolescents faced with chronic adversity develop resilience and suppress symptoms of mental disorders.
Adversities of lack of resources associated with poverty and caregiver maladjustment showed a notable association with cognitive decline during early adolescence, highlighting the long-term impact of lack of resources on cognitive development.
The study’s results show that not all childhood adversities are created equal when it comes to predicting mental health and cognitive outcomes. By identifying specific forms of adversity that differentially impact youth development, research opens the door for precision-based approaches to early intervention and prevention efforts. This could allow clinicians and policymakers to better target at-risk youth with tailored support strategies that respond to the unique impact of the adversities they face, the study says.
“ACEs are the strongest known preventable risk factor for adverse mental health outcomes and are increasingly recognized as a general public health indicator. However, implementing the ACEs framework into clinical practice requires more precise delineation of adversity and its differential impact on psychopathology and cognitive development,” the authors wrote. “This work describes a novel, data-driven approach to identifying thematic components of adversity by distilling a broad range of negative life experiences and circumstances.”
References
1. Russell J, Heyn SA, Peverill M, DiMaio S, Herringa RJ. Traumatic and adverse childhood experiences and developmental differences in psychiatric risk. JAMA Psychiatry. Published online October 23, 2024. doi:10.1001/jamapsychiatry.2024.3231
2. Grossi G. Mental health diagnoses and caregiving problems among U.S. youth are increasing, a report says. AJMC®. April 26, 2024. Accessed October 23, 2024. https://www.ajmc.com/view/mental-health-diagnoses-care-challenges-rise-among-us-youth-report-finds
