Dissertations / Theses on the topic 'Internalizing psychopathology'

Thesis (Ph.D.)--Boston University
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Some of the more tested models in child literature that seek to elucidate the links between anxiety and depression are variants of the tripartite model, which specifies that anxiety and depression share a common component of Negative Affect but can be differentiated by low Positive Affect and high Physiological Arousal. However, recent studies in the child and adult literature have shown a more complicated picture in which Negative Affect is differentially linked to the various anxiety disorders, and in which Positive Affect and Physiological Hyperarousal are linked to both mood and anxiety disorders (Brown, 2007; Chorpita, Plummer, & Moffit, 2000). The overall aim of the present study is to assess various tripartite-based models in a clinical sample of youths with internalizing disorders. Exploratory and higher-order confirmatory factor analyses were conducted based on symptoms of unipolar depression and five anxiety disorders derived from structural interviews of 423 treatment-seeking children and their parents. Three a priori factor models were tested separately for child and parent report. These included a single, higher-order model examining the degree to which the covariation of the disorders can be accounted for by a higher-order factor, defined in this study as Negative Affect, a two-factor model representing Clark and Watson's (1991) model of Negative Affect and Positive Affect, and a two-factor model approximating Watson's (2005) recently proposed hierarchical structure of distress-based and fear-based internalizing disorders. The model that provided the best fit to the data showed the dimensions of anxiety and mood disorders to be hierarchically organized within a higher-order factor of Negative Affect, supporting the theory that Negative Affect serves as a common factor for these disorders. Depression and generalized anxiety loaded more highly onto Negative Affect than the other disorders, a possible explanation for high rates of comorbidity between the two. These results were consistent across child and parent ratings. Implications for the taxonomy of mood and anxiety disorders for children and adolescents are discussed.
2031-01-01

Despite our knowledge of environmental risk factors for psychopathology, the equifinality and multifinality observed in the extant literature reveals how little is known about the role of these risk factors in the development of psychopathology. The purpose of this study was to identify processes that differentiate internalizing, externalizing and co-occurring psychopathology. Specifically, emotion identification skill and cognitive appraisal style were examined as processes where individual differences may contribute to the development of mental illness. To date no study has been conducted to examine whether emotion identification and appraisal style may differentiate forms of internalizing, externalizing and co-occurring psychopathology and lack of clinically significant problems in one study. A better understanding of predictors or processes that differentiate forms of psychopathology may improve our understanding of developmental psychopathology as well as inform prevention and intervention efforts. One hundred and fifty eight participants were included in this study. Data supported emotion identification skill as important for predicting specific behavioral problem profiles. Implications for conceptualizations of psychopathology and directions for future studies are discussed.

Interparental conflict has been shown to be associated with child psychopathology (internalizing and externalizing behaviors). Adolescents are at risk for developing internalizing and externalizing behaviors because they are aware of the implications of the interparental conflict, they can attempt to mediate the conflict, and because of age-related responsibilities, they often experience new and unfamiliar stressors. A comprehensive review of the literature revealed four mediational models with substantial empirical support that explain the relation between interparental conflict and adolescent psychopathology: the cognitive-contextual model, the triangulation model, the spillover model, and the interparental conflict-parental psychopathology model. Typically, the mediators of these models (self-blame/perceived threat; triangulation; negative parenting behaviors; parental psychopathology, respectively) have been examined individually. The aim of this study was threefold: 1) examine the specificity of adolescent psychopathology (dimension versus diagnosis), 2) test each theoretical model, and 3) develop and test an integrative model that included the mediational mechanisms from the individual models. A community sample of 152 families (mother, father, adolescent) was recruited from the contiguous United States. Considering specific psychiatric diagnoses did not improve the fit of models that included the respective adolescent dimensional internalizing or externalizing behaviors. The hypotheses of the cognitive-contextual model (mediator: perceived threat), spillover model (mediators: maternal/paternal parenting), and the interparental conflict-parental psychopathology model (mediators: maternal/paternal internalizing) were supported in this study, but mediation was not supported for the triangulation model. Considering the mediators together, adolescent perceived threat, negative parenting, maternal internalizing and paternal externalizing behaviors were key in predicting adolescent psychopathology. Overall, the findings from the integrative models suggest that externalizing behaviors (interparental conflict, negative parenting, paternal externalizing behavior) lead to both adolescent internalizing and externalizing behaviors; whereas, parental internalizing behaviors leads to internalizing behaviors only. The implications of these findings, especially from the integrative model, have clinical implications and provide guidance for future research.

Childhood obesity is a growing concern for practitioners and researchers. In addition to obesity being a risk factor for cardiovascular disease, children classified as obese are more likely to demonstrate other risk factors associated with cardiovascular disease. Furthermore, children classified as obese are more likely to be victims of bullying and discrimination. This dissertation tested a dynamic cascade model of the development of childhood obesity. It was hypothesized that externalizing behaviors and internalizing problems would lead to increased body mass index. This model was tested in Mplus v7 (Muthén & Muthén, 1998) using data from the NICHD Study of Early Child Care. This dissertation used parent report of externalizing behaviors and internalizing behaviors, teacher report of externalizing behaviors, and body mass index to examine several different ways in which developmental psychopathology related to childhood obesity. The results suggested that body mass index predicts the development of internalizing problems in late childhood. However, externalizing behaviors were not directly or indirectly associated with body mass index. These findings suggested that the assessment of children with internalizing problems should include an assessment of their weight and weight related concerns.

The present study was motivated by a need to employ multilevel studies to better understand why the experience of stressful life events is predictive of increased rates of psychopathology. Specifically, this study aimed to test the moderating role of coping on associations between stress reactivity (autonomic arousal) and broad-spectrum internalizing and externalizing problems in a normative sample. Participants were 140 adolescents and emerging adults (ages 14-30 years; 60% female) who completed questionnaires on coping, stressful life events, personality, and behavioral/emotional problems. Skin conductance and heart rate data were also measured while participants completed two laboratory stress tasks: a public speaking task and a task involving serial subtraction. Path analytic results suggested negative main effects for primary and secondary control coping, and positive main effects for disengagement coping, on internalizing and externalizing problems. Evidence was also found for interactive effects of skin conductance reactivity to the public speaking task and secondary control coping on externalizing problems for adolescents only, such that there was a negative association between SCL reactivity and externalizing problems for individuals reporting low use of secondary control coping, but SCL reactivity and externalizing problems were unrelated for individuals reporting high use of secondary control coping. Associations were also found between personality variables and both coping and internalizing and externalizing problems, but not with autonomic arousal. Although a priori hypotheses regarding interaction effects were mainly unsupported, results from the present study suggest that future research examining the interplay among stress reactivity, coping, and personality will be important in furthering our understanding of the development of psychopathology and helping to tailor effective efforts at prevention and intervention.

Substance use disorders (SUDs) are often comorbid with other psychopathology such as mood disorders, anxiety disorders, and personality disorders. While some research suggests individuals with comorbid psychopathology are more likely to seek substance use treatment than those with independent disorders, other studies have also shown many individuals with dual diagnoses still never seek treatment. Moreover, few studies have tried to elucidate the underlying structure of SUD treatment rejection, and instead examined it in more simplistic terms. In addition, studies have tended to examine the impact of individual disorders on treatment rejection, but have not incorporated an empirically supported approach to conceptualizing psychopathology in terms of comorbidity between broad latent dimensions referred to as internalizing (e.g., depression, anxiety) and externalizing (e.g., antisocial personality disorder, polysubstance use) psychopathology. Modeling psychopathology in terms of internalizing and externalizing psychopathology is becoming a prominent approach to understanding mental disorders, yet little research to date has investigated the effects these broad dimensions have on SUD treatment rejection. The current study utilized latent variable modeling techniques to (1) determine the latent structure of SUD treatment rejection in a large U.S. sample, and investigate whether treatment rejection is a multidimensional construct; and (2), to explore the ability of internalizing psychopathology, externalizing psychopathology, and personality pathology to predict the SUD treatment rejection factor(s). The current study relied on use of a general population sample of 43,093 individuals from the first wave of National Institute on Alcohol Abuse and Alcoholism's National Epidemiologic Survey on Alcohol and Related Conditions (NESARC) study. Support was found for the hypothesis that SUD treatment rejection would be a multidimensional construct.  Exploratory structural equation modeling indicated a three-factor model best fit the data. Operational definitions and clinical implications of these three treatment rejection factors ("Objective barriers," "Psychological barriers," and "Self-focused barriers") are discussed. Among internalizing psychopathology, externalizing psychopathology, and personality pathology, structural equation modeling identified internalizing psychopathology as the most robust predictor of these three factors for alcohol treatment rejection (n = 1063), indicating endorsement of treatment barriers increased as levels of internalizing psychopathology increased. This pattern also held true for externalizing psychopathology, while personality pathology only negatively predicted objective treatment barriers.  For drug treatment rejection (n = 562), only internalizing psychopathology significantly predicted the treatment rejection factors, indicating treatment endorsement of drug treatment barriers increased as levels of internalizing psychopathology increased. Implications of these findings and directions for future research are discussed.

A sizeable proportion of adults suffer from an anxiety disorder and many of those adults are parents. Parental anxiety, as well as dysfunctional family environment, contributes to both internalizing and externalizing problems in children. Specifically, family control, conflict, and cohesion have been shown to predict child internalizing and externalizing symptoms to varying degrees. However, few studies have examined the association between all three components in the same study: parental psychopathology, family environment, and child outcomes. The current study tested the relationships among these variables in a sample of 189 children (66% male, 93% Caucasian, mean age = 10.34 years). Family conflict predicted child externalizing symptoms for both mothers and fathers, and mediated the relationship between maternal anxiety and child externalizing symptoms. Family cohesion predicted child externalizing problems based on maternal report and mediated the relationship between maternal anxiety and child externalizing symptoms. Furthermore, family cohesion moderated the relationship between maternal anxiety and child internalizing symptoms. These findings provide preliminary support for the role of the family environment in the relationship between parental anxiety and child psychopathology, and these environmental variables may be important targets of intervention in families with elevated parental anxiety.
Master of Science

Psychology
Ph.D.
Within the field of developmental psychopathology, research has repeatedly demonstrated that there are multiple complex and dynamic pathways originating in childhood that may lead to the development of internalizing and externalizing problems among adolescents. However, additional research is needed that examines the unique and concurrent contributions among child-, parent-, and family-level risk and resilience factors during childhood that may be associated with internalizing and externalizing problems in adolescence. To address this gap, the current study utilized a person-centered approach to identify profiles of risk and resilience factors among youth in middle childhood (ages 10-12) characterized by the quality and quantity of (a) child-level factors (i.e., temperamental features, executive functioning abilities); (b) parent-level factors (i.e., parental acceptance, control, disciplinary style); and (c) family-level factors (i.e., family cohesion, conflict, organization) among a sample of 775 participants (Aim 1). The study also examined internalizing and externalizing symptom profiles in adolescence (age 16) by identifying subgroups of youth characterized by the quality and quantity of internalizing and externalizing problems within each of the identified childhood risk profiles (Aim 2). Lastly, the study investigated transitions from childhood risk profiles to adolescent symptom profiles (Aim 3). Results demonstrated that a four-class model best fit the data in regard to childhood risk profiles, with classes of youth most saliently characterized by (a) accepting parents, (b) controlling parents, (c) disengaged parents, and (d) chaotic homes. With regard to adolescent internalizing and externalizing symptom profiles, results indicated a three-class model best fit the data and included classes distinguished by the presence of (a) low symptoms, (b) moderate symptoms, and (c) high internalizing and moderate externalizing symptoms. Most youth from the four childhood risk profiles transitioned to the low symptom profile at age 16; however, youth from the chaotic home profile were more likely to transition into one of the two higher-level symptom profiles. Findings enhance our understanding of risk and resilience by identifying distinct childhood risk profiles and corresponding adolescent symptom profiles. These findings will have implications for both prevention and treatment efforts that target specific risk factors within each risk profile.
Temple University--Theses

Since Bowlby (1958, cited in Bowlby, 1969) originally introduced the theory of attachment it has been written about extensively and a vast amount of research has contributed to the development of the theory. In more recent years research has focused on the possible link between attachment and psychopathology. The major aim of the present meta-analysis was to contribute to this research effort by establishing the magnitude of the effect size for the relationship between attachment security and internalizing psychopathology; and attachment security and externalizing psychopathology, in children and adolescents. Four separate meta-analyses were conducted investigating internalizing and externalizing problems in cross-sectional and prospective studies. A comprehensive literature search was conducted to identify relevant studies for inclusion in the analysis. Identified studies were assessed for eligibility according to stringent inclusion and exclusion criteria. A total of 23 studies contributing 45 effect size correlations, involving 3793 different participants were considered eligible for inclusion. Relevant information was extracted and coded from the studies before the analyses were conducted. For cross-sectional studies the mean effect size correlation for attachment security and internalizing psychopathology was r = -0.24 (k = 14; p <0.01; 95% CI = -0.31, -0.17). For attachment security and externalizing psychopathology the mean effect size was r = -0.28 (k = 16; p <0.01; 95% CI = -0.34, -0.21). In terms of prospective studies the mean effect size correlation for attachment security and internalizing psychopathology was r = -0.17 (k = 8; p = 0.01; 95% CI = -0.28, -0.04); and for externalizing psychopathology it was r = -0.09 (k = 7; p = 0.02; 95% CI = -0.16, -0.01). When attachment security and psychopathology were measured concurrently, there was evidence of a negative association for both internalizing and externalizing psychopathology. Although the magnitude of effect was smaller for prospective studies evidence was also found for the predictive validity of a lower level of attachment security in the development of both internalizing and externalizing psychopathology. Theoretical explanations for these findings are presented and the research and clinical implications are discussed in terms of the limitations of the study.

eer victimization is a common experience that is associated with later psychopathology. However, there is inconsistency in the strength and statistical significance of this effect. The current study used two methods to try to understand this inconsistency. First, co-occurring internalizing and externalizing symptoms were considered dimensionally. Second, the present study considered temperament as a potential moderator to explain the multifinality of outcomes that occur following peer victimization. A community sample (N = 387; 52% female) of early adolescents (11-15) from a longitudinal study of risk and resilience factors for psychopathology was utilized to test hypotheses. Cross-lagged examinations between victimization and psychopathology were examined, including the moderating effect of temperament. No longitudinal relationship between victimization and psychopathology was found. A significant interaction between victimization and effortful control predicted externalizing and co-occurring symptoms. Future researchers should consider improving the measurement of victimization and temperament to get a better understanding of the effect.

Schools need accurate and efficient ways to identify youth with mental health problems, in part to provide services to such students whose mental health concerns pose barriers to learning. The present study involved an investigation of the accuracy of one method--relying on educators (teachers, a team of school-based mental health professionals, and a school nurse) to identify early adolescents who self-report elevated levels of anxiety or depression. With respect to teachers as screening agents, the possible variability in rates of accurate identification as a function of number of teachers involved in the process (i.e., pooling nominations from multiple subject area teachers for a single student rather than from a single subject area teacher) was examined. The present study also included an examination of the demographic and psychological features of students who are more likely to be missed (i.e., self-report elevated symptoms but are not detected) or misidentified (i.e., self-reported symptoms in the typical range but were incorrectly identified as symptomatic) by educators. Participants included 233 middle school students in grades 7 to 8, 19 teachers, and 6 school-based mental health professionals. Approximately 15.5% and 12% of student participants twice-reported at-risk levels of anxiety and depression, respectively. At-risk was defined as T-scores more than one standard deviation from the norm group mean on psychometrically sound narrowband measures of anxiety and depression. Teachers correctly identified 58.33% of these anxious students and 32.14% of the students with elevated depression, but misidentified 34.52% of non-symptomatic students for anxiety and 23.41% for depression. The school-based mental health staff was largely less accurate than the teachers. The team of school-based mental health professionals accurately identified 12.50% of students for anxiety and 26.32% for depression, and falsely identified 10.31% for anxiety and 25.49% for depression. The school nurse correctly identified 14.81% of students for anxiety and 14.29% for depression, and misidentified 16.26% for anxiety and 17.83% for depression. Taken together, the use of educator nominations in identification of internalizing middle school students appears most defensible when relying on teacher judgments to identify youth with elevated anxiety. The combined group of core subject area teachers (language arts, math, and social studies) was more accurate than teachers from a single subject area, suggesting that teacher nominations should be elicited from multiple groups of core subject area teachers, particularly math and language arts. Rather than nominating students themselves, school-based mental health professionals may be better situated to deliver professional development to teachers regarding the identification of anxiety and depression. Additionally, although several demographic (i.e., gender, race/ethnicity, socioeconomic status) and psychological features (i.e., symptom severity, symptom type; also socially desirable responding and life satisfaction) were examined for students who were missed and misidentified, few differences emerged between the pairs of groups with similar self-reported levels of symptoms. Exceptions included that students who were misidentified reported higher levels of depressive symptoms (albeit still in the typical range) and less satisfaction with their lives than students who were not nominated by teachers. Thus, teachers may detect some mild mood or quality of life differences among students that do not align with students' self-report of symptoms. The practical implications of all study findings, as well as directions for future research, are discussed

Background: Effective interventions for maltreated children are impeded by gaps in our knowledge of the etiopathogenic mechanisms leading from maltreatment to mental disorders. Although some studies have already identified individual risk factors, there is a lack of large-scale multilevel research on how psychosocial, neurobiological, and genetic factors act in concert to modulate risk of internalizing psychopathology in childhood following maltreatment. To help close this gap, we aim to delineate gender-specific pathways from maltreatment to psychological disorder/resilience. To this end, we examine the interplay of specific maltreatment characteristics and psychological, endocrine, metabolomic, and (epi-)genomic stress response patterns as well as cognitive-emotional/social processes as determinants of developmental outcome. Specifically, we will explore endocrine, metabolomic, and epigenetic mechanisms leading from maltreatment to a higher risk of depression and anxiety disorders.

Harm reduction strategies can mitigate against some of the deleterious effects of alcohol on families. These strategies are most feasible and cost-effective when they can be targeted at those who are most at risk. Previous studies examining the relation between parents’ alcohol use and their children’s psychological adjustment have failed to consider important contextual questions such as drinking motives. The current investigation set out to identify the extent to which parents’ drinking motives predict internalizing and externalizing psychopathology in their children. The investigation consisted of cross sectional analysis of parents’ drinking motives and their children’s adjustment using data from 154 families recruited from the local community. Utilizing Bayesian data analytic techniques, we examined the role of parents’ drinking motives along with possible mediating variables including familial conflict, parental depression, and parenting style. Results showed that maternal social drinking motives were better predictors of children’s maladjustment than either coping or enhancement drinking motives. Unexpectedly, maternal enhancement drinking motives were associated with fewer adjustment problems. Maternal enhancement drinking motives also predicted higher levels of collaborative conflict resolution and lower levels of parental depression, both of which were associated with reduced levels of children’s externalizing problems. Paternal alcohol consumption and drinking motives were not associated with children’s internalizing or externalizing problems. Clinical implications and directions for future research are discussed.

Thesis (Ph. D.)--Georgia State University, 2007.
Title from file title page. Christopher C. Henrich, committee chair; Gregory Jurkovic, Gabriel P. Kuperminc, Roger Bakeman, committee members. Electronic text (124 p. : ill. (some col.)) : digital, PDF file. Description based on contents viewed May 7, 2008. Includes bibliographical references (p. 100-124).

Há um consenso crescente de que os sistemas de diagnóstico disponíveis são insuficientes e carecem de validação empírica. As perturbações mentais não são independentes e a investigação revela uma série de mecanismos transversais que estão na base da comorbilidade entre manifestações psicopatológicas. Uma solução para superar as limitações de classificação atuais surge de novos modelos com base empírica - o modelo de Internalização-Externalização e Reserach Domain Criteria (RDoC). O trabalho atual abrange esses dois quadros e conduz um conjunto de estudos em torno de um índice fisiológico da matriz RDoC - o Error-Related Negativity (ERN). O ERN está representado em vários construtos RDoC (Performance monitoring, Inhibitory Control, Reward Learning, Sustained Threat) e é considerado um marcador transdiagnóstico da internalização e externalização. Consistente com resultados anteriores, o Estudo 1 - uma meta-análise de 160 estudos publicados (N = 8123) - testa as hipóteses de que amplitudes ERN mais altas e reduzidas estão, respetivamente, associadas a problemas de internalização e externalização. Encontramos evidência para esse efeito dissociável, mas os efeitos foram menores para a internalização enquanto moderados por tarefas incluindo contingências de punição. A partir da última evidência, desenvolvemos uma tarefa no Estudo 2 para medir a modulação de ERN no construto RDoC de Sustained Threat (N = 46). Encontramos evidência de que as amplitudes do Pe (mas não ERN) foram maiores para a contingência de punição por ameaça sustentada, particularmente no grupo de alta ansiedade. Para o ERN, o efeito aversivo da ameaça sustentada foi observado exclusivamente para o grupo de baixa ansiedade. No Estudo 3 (N = 182), não se encontrou a dissociação de ERN preconizada no Estudo 1, nomeadamente quando se controlou a variância partilhada entre internalização e externalização. Neste estudo, os construtos RDoC incluindo várias unidades de análise (autorrelato, comportamento, ERN e outras métricas fisiológicas) foram mais informativos para explicar os padrões de comorbidade implicados na internalização (Performance monitoring, Inhibitory Control) e externalização (Sustained Threat). As implicações para a investigação e prática clínica são discutidas à luz das descobertas atuais.

The current investigation compared the fit of three models of internalizing in middle childhood: (1) a unitary factor model, (2) a two-factor model corresponding to the DSM-IV Anxiety/Depression distinction, and (3) a two-factor model corresponding to the Fear/Distress distinction observed in structural studies of adult psychopathology (Krueger, 1999; Slade & Watson, 2006). Mothers of 344 children (50.6% female, mean age = 9.97, SD = .82) reported on childhood internalizing symptoms and personality traits. Confirmatory factor analyses revealed acceptable fit indices for all three models. The unitary factor model provided the most parsimonious fit to the data. Although the structural analyses suggested that internalizing subfactors were not differentiated in middle childhood, hierarchical regression analyses revealed that personality dimensions uniquely predicted fear and distress disorders. These results suggest that personality foreshadows later psychopathology structure before it is manifest at the symptom level.

The internalizing and externalizing dimensions of psychopathology have been shown to effectively identify groups that are at higher risk for experiencing certain forms of psychopathology. Many studies have shown that chronic physical health conditions are a risk factor for psychological distress, yet there has been very little research examining the association between chronic physical health conditions and dimensional models of psychopathology to date. In the present study we examined the factor structure of internalizing and externalizing symptoms in a sample of adults with postural orthostatic tachycardia syndrome (POTS; n =172) and in a sample of adults without any chronic illness diagnoses (n = 199). Confirmatory factor analyses suggested that psychological distress in individuals with POTS can be effectively characterized by an internalizing dimension composed of distress and fear subcomponents as well as an externalizing dimension. Tests of measurement invariance allowed for the examination of latent means, which showed that individuals with POTS tend to have higher scores on the internalizing dimension and lower scores on the externalizing dimension than healthy controls. Regression analyses suggested that within the sample of people with POTS, those who were more accepting of their illness and had higher health related quality of life tended to have lower scores on the internalizing dimension. Findings suggest that individuals with POTS are at heightened risk for experiencing internalizing symptoms of psychopathology. A dimensional conceptualization of psychopathology seems like an effective way to identify symptoms of psychopathology that are separate from symptoms of autonomic nervous system dysfunction.

abstract: Stress in individuals presents in various forms and may accumulate across development to predict maladaptive physical and psychological outcomes, including greater risk for the onset of internalizing symptoms. Early life stress, daily life experiences, and the stress response of the hypothalamic-pituitary-adrenal (HPA) axis have all been examined as potential predictors of the development of psychopathology, but rarely have researchers attempted to understand the covariation or interaction among these stress domains using a longitudinal design when looking at the influence of stress on internalizing psychopathology. Further, most research has examined these processes in adulthood or adolescence with much less attention given to the influence of these dynamic stress pathways in childhood. Guided by the biopsychosocial model of stress, this study explored early life stress, daily life stress, diurnal cortisol (cortisol AM slope), and internalizing symptoms in a racially/ethnically and socioeconomically diverse sample of twins participating in an ongoing longitudinal study (N=970 children; Arizona Twin Project; Lemery-Chalfant et al. 2013). An additive model of stress and a stress sensitization framework model were considered as potential pathways of stress to internalizing symptoms in middle childhood. Based on a thorough review of relevant literature, it was expected that each stress indicator would individually predict internalizing symptoms. It was also predicted that early life stress would moderate the associations between diurnal cortisol and internalizing symptoms, as well as daily life stress and internalizing symptoms. Multilevel modeling analyses showed that early life stress and cortisol AM slope, but not daily life stress, predicted internalizing symptoms. Early life stress did not moderate the associations between daily life stress and internalizing symptoms or cortisol AM slope and internalizing symptoms. Results support independent additive contributions of both physiological stress processes and early life parental stressors in the development of internalizing symptoms in middle childhood. Future investigation is needed to better understand the sensitizing effects of early parental life stress during this developmental stage.
Dissertation/Thesis
Masters Thesis Psychology 2020

This study examined individual variability in the strength of association between psychophysiological reactivity to trauma cues and clinician-rated PTSD symptoms in a sample of female survivors of sexual and non-sexual assault. PTSD is a heterogeneous disorder, and individual differences in symptom presentation and accompanying comorbidities may be accounted for by internalizing and externalizing latent temperament-based dimensions of psychopathology. The present study proposed that these dimensions may also account for heterogeneity in the association between psychophysiological reactivity and PTSD. Prior research has demonstrated that most individuals with PTSD display elevated psychophysiological reactivity when exposed to trauma reminders, although some do not. As well, research has shown that externalizing pathologies are typically associated with diminished psychophysiological reactivity to aversive cues whereas internalizing pathologies are associated with elevated psychophysiological reactivity. This study therefore employed structural equation modeling to test hypotheses that externalizing and internalizing pathologies would display mitigating and enhancing moderator effects, respectively, on the prediction of PTSD by psychophysiological reactivity. To that end, confirmatory factor analysis first established a viable internalizing and externalizing model based on an array of clinical measures in one participant subgroup (n = 329) and then affirmed the reliability of the model in a second subgroup (n = 245). Structural equation modeling in the latter subgroup, in which PTSD was regressed on Internalizing, Externalizing, and Psychophysiological Reactivity factors as well as Internalizing by Psychophysiological Reactivity and Externalizing by Psychophysiological Reactivity moderator terms, revealed a significant moderator effect for externalizing but not internalizing pathology. However, the nature of the externalizing moderator effect differed from the hypothesized direction, with higher levels of externalizing pathology strengthening the association between PTSD and psychophysiological reactivity rather than weakening it. It therefore appears that variability in the association between PTSD and psychophysiological reactivity may be partially accounted for by individual differences in the externalizing dimension of psychopathology. As well, the psychophysiology of the externalizing dimension may also be marked by heterogeneity, with externalizing pathology being linked with increased rather than decreased psychophysiological reactivity among women who have experienced sexual or non-sexual assault.

L’intimidation à l’école est un facteur de stress associé à de multiples manifestations psychiatriques. À ce jour, la recherche se limite à des études majoritairement transversales, or pour développer des stratégies d’intervention efficaces, il est nécessaire d’adopter une approche temporelle des liens. Cette étude invite à répondre à ce besoin en ayant pour objectif (1) d’étudier la direction des associations entre l’intimidation et les symptômes internalisés et externalisés, (2) d’examiner la spécificité des associations au travers des profils de personnalité comme modérateurs de la relation entre l’intimidation et les symptômes internalisés et externalisés, (3) d’explorer le rôle médiateur des symptômes internalisés et externalisés entre l’intimidation et la consommation d’alcool, (4) d’identifier les corrélats neuronaux qui sous-tendent les liens entre l’intimidation et les symptômes internalisés et externalisés à l’adolescence. Les données de deux cohortes longitudinales ont été utilisées. Co-Venture comprend 3800 adolescents âgés de 12 ans et suivis annuellement pendant cinq ans. Neuro-Venture correspond à un sous-échantillon de Co-Venture, soit 151 adolescents âgés de 12 ans et suivis à 12-14, 15 et 17 ans. Des random-intercepts cross-lagged panel model et des modèles multiniveaux ont été choisis afin d’estimer les effets cross-lagged (influences réciproques entre deux variables), les effets between-person (effet général, sur les cinq ans), les effets within-person (influences à court terme, au cours d’une année), les effets lagged-within-person (influences persistantes, d’une année à l’autre). Il existe des influences bidirectionnelles entre l’intimidation et les symptômes internalisés et une influence unidirectionnelle de l’intimidation vers les symptômes externalisés (étude 1). Être sensible à l’anxiété et avoir des pensées négatives augmentent le risque des adolescents intimidés à développer des symptômes internalisés dans la même année. Être impulsif et rechercher des sensations fortes augmentent le risque de développer des symptômes externalisés dans la même année (étude 2). Des voies médiatriques sont identifiées, de l’intimidation vers la consommation d’alcool par les symptômes internalisés et externalisés, ces voies sont renforcées avec les profils de personnalité (étude 3). Plus les adolescents sont intimidés plus ils ont tendance à avoir de grands volumes cérébraux (i.e., gyrus orbitofrontal supérieur droit, gyrus orbitofrontal moyen gauche, thalamus droit) et des petits (i.e., gyrus parahippocampique droit, putamen bilatéral, amygdale 6 bilatérale). Une augmentation des niveaux d’intimidation au cours d’une année est suivie par une plus forte diminution de volume du thalamus droit et d’une moins forte augmentation de volume de l’amygdale bilatérale dans la même année. Une augmentation des niveaux d’intimidation au cours d’une année est suivie d’une augmentation des symptômes externalisés à travers une moins forte augmentation du volume de l’amygdale droite dans la même année (étude 4). Les découvertes suggèrent que l’intimidation joue un rôle majeur dans l’émergence de nouveaux symptômes psychiatriques par le biais potentiel d’un développement cérébral atypique. Les différences individuelles (i.e., profils de personnalité) et les deux voies médiatrices symptomatiques suggèrent une complexité des liens, révélée par l’approche temporelle de l’étude. Les associations observées sont majoritairement à court terme, soulignant l’importance d’une prise en charge précoce de l’intimidation afin d’éviter ses multiples répercussions négatives.
Bullying victimization is a salient stressor that is associated with a broad variety of psychopathology. The lack of prospective studies has made it difficult to disentangle the temporal precedence of these associations. The present study aimed to (1) examine reciprocal cross-lagged associations between bullying victimization, internalizing, and externalizing symptoms, (2) study the specificity of effects through personality profiles as moderators in the association between bullying victimization, internalizing, and externalizing symptoms, (3) explore mediation effects between bullying victimization and alcool use through internalizing and externalizing symptoms, and (4) identify neural correlates underlying the association between bullying victimization, internalizing, and externalizing symptoms during adolescence. Data from a 5-year longitudinal cohort study (Co-Venture) of a population-based sample (n = 3800, 49.2% female, mean age = 12.8, SD = 0.4 years), and neuroimaging data from a sub-sample of 151 participants (54.3% female, mean age = 13.6, SD = 0.6 years, 3 neuroimaging sessions) were analyzed. Random intercepts cross-lagged panel models (objective 1) and multilevel models (objectives 2, 3, 4) were conducted to estimate cross-lagged effects (reciprocal influences between variables), between-person effects (overall effects, over a 5-year period), within-person effects (concurrent effects, within a year), and lagged-within-person effects (lasting effects, past year). Results provided evidence for bidirectional effects between bullying victimization and internalizing symptoms, and unidirectional effects from bullying victimization to externalizing symptoms (study 1). Anxiety sensitivity and hopelessness increased common vulnerability and concurrent effect of bullying victimization on internalizing symptoms. Impulsivity and sensation seeking increased common vulnerability and concurrent effect of bullying victimization on externalizing symptoms (study 2). There was significant between and within effects on alcohol use through internalizing symptoms for adolescents with high anxiety sensitivity and hopelessness, and significant between, within, and lagged effects on alcohol use through externalizing for adolescents with high impulsivity and sensation seeking (study 3). Adolescents prone to higher bullying victimization were prone to higher volumes in the right superior orbitofrontal gyrus, left middle orbitofrontal gyrus, and right thalamus, and, to lower volumes in the right para-hippocampal gyrus, bilateral putamen, and bilateral amygdala over the 5-year period. An increase in bullying 8 victimization in a given year is followed by a steeper decrease in the right thalamus volume, and a smaller volumetric increase in the bilateral amygdala during that same year. An increase in bullying victimization in a given year was associated with increased externalizing symptoms through a smaller volumetric increase in the right amygdala, during that year (study 4). Findings suggest that bullying victimization confers additional risk for psychopathological outcomes, and implicate two risk pathways that account for how bullying victimization enhances alcohol use risk and emphasize the importance of personality profiles that can shape the immediate and long-term consequences of victimization. Findings also suggest that bullying victimization plays a role in shaping brain development, but when victimization experiences can be addressed and stopped, such changes appears to be short-lived, and have immediate repercussion on mental health. Current interventions should broaden their scope to simultaneously target bullying victimization and psychopathology as each of these manifestations co-occurent within a year.