Gene-by-Intervention Effects on Alcohol Dependence Symptoms in Emerging Adulthood

The Importance of Peer Influence for LGBTQ+ Youth in Rural Communities Aaron Kemmerer supported by findings from Safe as Yourself (SAY) Project Traci Wike (PI), Leah Bouchard, Maurico Yabar, and Aaron Kemmerer Objectives: To explore the experiences and narratives of LGBTQ+ youth in rural North Carolina. To elaborate on the influence of peer support and impact of peer victimization for LGBTQ+ youth in rural North Carolina. Methods: Data was collected from eleven young people who were interviewed from 2019-2020 at an LGBTQ+ youth center in rural North Carolina. The interviews were coded and analyzed using narrative analysis on a team of interraters; the team consisted of four members from VCU School of Social Work: the principle investigator, two doctoral research assistants, and an MSW research assistant. Results: Analysis of the interviews, though still in process, so far highlights the impact of the dual impact of participants’ peers --- simultaneously pointing to LGBTQ+ youth experiences with both peer victimization (as a risk factor) and peer support (as a resilience factor). Conclusions: Peer support is vital for LGBTQ+ youth in rural communities and may help offset the negative impact of peer victimization.https://scholarscompass.vcu.edu/gradposters/1059/thumbnail.jp

Research Review: Do parent ratings of infant negative emotionality and self‐regulation predict psychopathology in childhood and adolescence? A systematic review and meta‐analysis of prospective longitudinal studies

Background Identifying low‐cost and easy to implement measures of infant markers of later psychopathology may improve targeting of early intervention for prevention. Because of their early manifestation, relative stability and overlap with constructs central to affect‐based dimensions of child and adolescent psychopathology, negative emotionality and self‐regulation have been the focus of this research. We conducted a meta‐analysis of longitudinal studies examining the prospective association between infant temperament measured with parent ratings and child/adolescent psychopathology. Methods A systematic literature search for prospective longitudinal studies, which included measures of questionnaire‐assessed infant temperament (negative emotionality, self‐regulation, behavioural inhibition, surgency/extraversion, activity level) and symptoms of child or adolescent mental health (externalising, internalising) and neurodevelopmental problems (attention deficit/hyperactivity disorder [ADHD], autism spectrum disorder [ASD]), was conducted. Standardised estimates of association were calculated and pooled in meta‐analyses. Results Twenty‐five studies (n = 28,425) met inclusion criteria. Small associations were seen between psychopathology aggregated across all domains and infant negative emotionality (r = .15; p < .001) and self‐regulation (r = −.19; p = .007). Effects were also significant but weaker for behavioural inhibition (r = .10; p = .027) and activity level (r = .08; p = .016). Surgency/extraversion was not significantly associated with psychopathology in general (r = −.04; p = .094); however, it was negatively associated with ASD (r = −.10, p = .015). Significant correlations were observed with some outcomes isomorphic with predictors, internalising problems and behavioural inhibition (r = .10; p = .013), ADHD symptoms and activity level (r = .19; p = .009). Conclusion Questionnaire‐based assessments of infant negative emotionality may have transdiagnostic potential to contribute to a risk index of later childhood psychopathology. Behavioural inhibition, surgency/extraversion and activity ratings may provide more specific predictive power. More data from prospective studies are required before the potential of self‐regulation and surgency/extraversion can be properly gauged

Trajectories and Predictors of Children’s Early-Starting Conduct Problems: Child, Family, Genetic, and Intervention Effects

Several research teams have previously traced patterns of emerging conduct problems (CP) from early or middle childhood. The current study expands on this previous literature by using a genetically-informed, experimental, and long-term longitudinal design to examine trajectories of early-emerging conduct problems and early childhood discriminators of such patterns from the toddler period to adolescence. The sample represents a cohort of 731 toddlers and diverse families recruited based on socioeconomic, child, and family risk, varying in urbanicity and assessed on nine occasions between ages 2 and 14. In addition to examining child, family, and community level discriminators of patterns of emerging conduct problems, we were able to account for genetic susceptibility using polygenic scores and the study's experimental design to determine whether random assignment to the Family Check-Up (FCU) discriminated trajectory groups. In addition, in accord with differential susceptibility theory, we tested whether the effects of the FCU were stronger for those children with higher genetic susceptibility. Results augmented previous findings documenting the influence of child (inhibitory control [IC], gender) and family (harsh parenting, parental depression, and educational attainment) risk. In addition, children in the FCU were overrepresented in the persistent low versus persistent high CP group, but such direct effects were qualified by an interaction between the intervention and genetic susceptibility that was consistent with differential susceptibility. Implications are discussed for early identification and specifically, prevention efforts addressing early child and family risk

Relative Influence of Genetics and Shared Environment on Child Mental Health Symptoms Depends on Comorbidity

<div><p>Background</p><p>Comorbidity among childhood mental health symptoms is common in clinical and community samples and should be accounted for when investigating etiology. We therefore aimed to uncover latent classes of mental health symptoms in middle childhood in a community sample, and to determine the latent genetic and environmental influences on those classes.</p><p>Methods</p><p>The sample comprised representative cohorts of twins. A questionnaire-based assessment of mental health symptoms was used in latent class analyses. Data on 3223 twins (1578 boys and 1645 girls) with a mean age of 7.5 years were analyzed. The sample was predominantly non-Hispanic Caucasian (92.1%).</p><p>Results</p><p>Latent class models delineated groups of children according to symptom profiles–not necessarily clinical groups but groups representing the general population, most with scores in the normative range. The best-fitting models suggested 9 classes for both girls and boys. Eight of the classes were very similar across sexes; these classes ranged from a “Low Symptom” class to a “Moderately Internalizing & Severely Externalizing” class. In addition, a “Moderately Anxious” class was identified for girls but not boys, and a “Severely Impulsive & Inattentive” class was identified for boys but not girls. Sex-combined analyses implicated moderate genetic influences for all classes. Shared environmental influences were moderate for the “Low Symptom” and “Moderately Internalizing & Severely Externalizing” classes, and small to zero for other classes.</p><p>Conclusions</p><p>We conclude that symptom classes are largely similar across sexes in middle childhood. Heritability was moderate for all classes, but shared environment played a greater role for classes in which no one type of symptom predominated.</p></div

Item response plots for girls’ latent classes G5 and G1–G4 (upper panel) and girls’ latent classes G5 and G6–G9 (lower panel).

<p>Abbreviations: DE = Depression; OA = Overanxiousness; SA = Separation Anxiety; CN = Conduct Problems; OD = Oppositional Defiant Problems; IM = Impulsivity; AT = Inattention.</p

Weighted^a averages of external covariates for girls, by latent class.

a<p>Weighted by class membership probabilities.</p>b<p>Income categories: 8 = $40,001 to$45,000; 9 = $45,001 to$50,000; 10 = $50,001 to$60,000; 11 = $60,001 to$70,000; 12 = $70,001 to$80,000.</p>c<p>Self Impairment Scale ranges from 0 (no impairment) to 1.9 (highest observed impairment) and Family Impairment Scale ranges from 0 (no impairment) to 2.8 (highest observed impairment).</p>d<p>Any diagnosis refers to a diagnosis of MDD, GAD, SAD, CD, ODD, or ADHD.</p><p>Abbreviations: MDD = Major Depressive Disorder; GAD = Generalized Anxiety Disorder; SAD = Separation Anxiety Disorder; CD = Conduct Disorder; ODD = Oppositional Defiant Disorder; ADHD = Attention-Deficit/Hyperactivity Disorder.</p

Weighted^a averages of external covariates for boys, by latent class.

a<p>Weighted by class membership probabilities.</p>b<p>Income categories: 8 = $40,001 to$45,000; 9 = $45,001 to$50,000; 10 = $50,001 to$60,000; 11 = $60,001 to$70,000; 12 = $70,001 to$80,000.</p>c<p>Self Impairment scale ranges from 0 (no impairment) to 1.9 (highest observed impairment) and Family Impairment Scale ranges from 0 (no impairment) to 3.0 (highest observed impairment).</p>d<p>Any diagnosis refers to a diagnosis of MDD, GAD, SAD, CD, ODD, or ADHD.</p><p>Abbreviations: MDD = Major Depressive Disorder; GAD = Generalized Anxiety Disorder; SAD = Separation Anxiety Disorder;</p><p>CD = Conduct Disorder; ODD = Oppositional Defiant Disorder; ADHD = Attention-Deficit/Hyperactivity Disorder.</p