Associations of Behavioral Reward Processing with Distinct Dimensions of Childhood Adversity and Psychopathology

This is a project funded by NIMH (R01-MH103291, awarded to Dr. Katie McLaughlin) that seeks to identify mechanisms linking child maltreatment to child and adolescent psychopathology, with a particular focus on the role of emotion regulation. Abstract: Childhood adversity is common and strongly associated with risk for psychopathology. Identifying factors that buffer children from experiencing psychopathology following adversity is critical for developing more effective intervention approaches. The present study examined several behavioral metrics of reward processing reflecting global approach motivation for reward and the degree to which reward responses scaled with reward value (i.e., behavioral sensitivity to reward value) as potential moderators of the association of multiple dimensions of adversity—including trauma, caregiver neglect, and food insecurity—with depression and externalizing psychopathology in a sample of youth aged 8-16 years (n = 132). Trauma exposure and externalizing problems were positively associated at low and moderate levels of reward reactivity, but this association became non-significant at high levels of reward reactivity. Our findings extend prior work, suggesting that high behavioral sensitivity to reward value may buffer against externalizing problems following exposure to trauma

Psychology's Contributions to Anti-Blackness in the United States within Psychological Research, Criminal Justice, and Mental Health

The mass incarceration of Black people in the United States is gaining attention as a public health crisis with extreme mental health implications. Although it is well-documented that historical efforts to oppress and control Black people in the United States helped shape definitions of mental illness and crime, many psychologists are unaware of the ways our field has contributed to the conception and perpetuation of anti-Blackness and, consequently, the mass incarceration of Black people. In this paper, we draw from existing theory and empirical evidence to demonstrate historical and contemporary examples of psychology’s oppression of Black people through research and clinical practices and consider how this history directly contradicts the American Psychological Association (APA)’s ethics code. First, we outline how anti-Blackness informed the history of psychological diagnoses and research. Next, we discuss how contemporary systems of forensic practice, including assessment and treatment approaches informed by psychological research, maintain historical harm. Specific recommendations highlight strategies for interrupting the criminalization of Blackness and offer example steps psychologists can take to redefine psychology’s relationship with justice. We conclude by calling on psychologists to recognize our unique power and responsibility to interrupt the criminalization and pathologizing of Blackness as researchers and mental health providers

COVID-19 Experiences Surveys

These surveys were created to capture the experiences of children and families during the beginning of the COVID-19 pandemic

Social experiences and youth psychopathology during the COVID-19 pandemic: A longitudinal study

The early stages of the COVID-19 pandemic and associated stay-at-home orders resulted in a stark reduction in daily social interactions for children and adolescents. Given that peer relationships are especially important during this developmental stage, it is crucial to understand the impact of the COVID-19 pandemic on social behavior and risk for psychopathology in children and adolescents. In a longitudinal sample (N=224) of children (7-10y) and adolescents (13-15y) assessed at three strategic time points (before the pandemic, during the initial stay-at-home order period, and six months later after the initial stay-at-home order period was lifted), we examine whether certain social factors protect against increases in stress-related psychopathology during the pandemic, controlling for pre-pandemic symptoms. Youth who reported less in-person and digital socialization, greater social isolation, and less social support had worsened psychopathology during the pandemic. Greater social isolation and decreased digital socialization during the pandemic were associated with greater risk for psychopathology after experiencing pandemic-related stressors. In addition, children, but not adolescents, who maintained some in-person socialization were less likely to develop internalizing symptoms following exposure to pandemic-related stressors. We identify social factors that promote well-being and resilience in youth during this societal event

Promoting youth mental health during COVID-19: A Longitudinal Study spanning pre- and post-pandemic

The COVID-19 pandemic has introduced novel stressors into the lives of youth. Identifying factors that protect against the onset of psychopathology in the face of these stressors is critical. We examine a wide range of factors that may protect youth from developing psychopathology during the pandemic. We assessed pandemic-related stressors, internalizing and externalizing psychopathology, and potential protective factors by combining two longitudinal samples of children and adolescents (N=224, 7-10 and 13-15 years) assessed prior to the pandemic, during the stay-at-home orders, and six months later. We evaluated how family behaviors during the stay-at-home orders were related to changes in psychopathology during the pandemic, identified factors that moderate the association of pandemic-related stressors with psychopathology, and determined whether associations varied by age. Internalizing and externalizing psychopathology increased substantially during the pandemic. Higher exposure to pandemic-related stressors was associated with increases in internalizing and externalizing symptoms early in the pandemic and six months later. Having a structured routine, less passive screen time, lower exposure to news media about the pandemic, and to a lesser extent more time in nature and getting adequate sleep were associated with reduced psychopathology. The association between pandemic-related stressors and psychopathology was reduced for youths with limited passive screen time and was absent for children, but not adolescents, with lower news media consumption related to the pandemic. We provide insight into simple, practical steps families can take to promote resilience against mental health problems in youth during the COVID-19 pandemic and protect against psychopathology following pandemic-related stressors

Contributions of emotion regulation and brain structure and function to adolescent internalizing problems and stress vulnerability during the COVID-19 pandemic: A longitudinal study

Background: Adolescence is a period of increased vulnerability for internalizing problems, particularly following exposure to stressful life events. We examine how patterns of emotion regulation and brain structure and function predict internalizing problems during the COVID-19 pandemic, as well as moderate the association between pandemic-related stressors and internalizing problems. Methods: Data are from a longitudinal sample (N=145, aged 10-15) strategically assessed at three crucial timepoints: prior to the pandemic, early during the stay-at-home order period, and again six months later. We examined associations of neural structure and function during an emotional processing task prior to the pandemic, use of emotion regulation strategies prior to and during the pandemic, and pandemic-related stressors with internalizing problems. Results: Greater exposure to pandemic-related stressors was associated with higher levels of internalizing symptoms both early (ß=.437, p<.001) and later (ß=.225, p=.004) in the pandemic. Youth who reported more frequent use of maladaptive emotion regulation strategies, including rumination (ß=.204, p=.026) and expressive suppression (ß=.177, p=.023), also had higher internalizing problems. Higher left amygdala activation to neutral relative to fearful faces prior to the pandemic was associated with greater internalizing symptoms (ß=-.229, p=.007), and a stronger relation between pandemic-related stressors and internalizing problems (ß=-.186, p=.014). Conclusion: Pandemic-related stressors are strongly associated with internalizing problems in adolescents, and individual differences in emotional reactivity and regulation and their underlying neural mechanisms contribute to stress-related vulnerability. Interventions that reduce pandemic-related stressors and foster adaptive emotion regulation skills may protect against adolescent psychopathology during this period of heightened exposure to stress

An Ethics and Social Justice Approach to Collecting and Using Demographic Data for Psychological Researchers

The collection and use of demographic data in psychological sciences has the potential to aid in transforming inequities brought about by unjust social conditions. However, current methods surrounding demographic data often accomplish the opposite: at best, reducing (but not eliminating) inequities and, at worst, perpetuating harmful stereotypes, invalidating marginalized identities, and excluding key groups from research participation or access to disseminated findings. As such, this paper aims to (1) review key ethical and social justice dilemmas inherent to working with demographic data in psychological research, and (2) introduce a framework positioned in ethics and social justice to help psychologists and researchers in aligned social science fields make thoughtful decisions about the collection and use of demographic data. Our overarching aim is to support key stakeholders in psychology (e.g., researchers, funding agencies, journal editors, peer reviewers) in making ethical and socially just decisions about the collection, analysis, reporting, and interpretation of demographic data