Early Life Stress, Neurodevelopment, and Adolescents' Response to the Pandemic

• In Event: Early-Life Stress and Neurobiological Development

Abstract

The transition through adolescence is difficult for many individuals and is characterized by high rates of depression; indeed, one-quarter of adolescents will experience depression by the end of their teenage years, and many will go on to experience recurrent episodes of depression. Adolescent-onset depression is associated with longer and more severe episodes that are often refractory to treatment, and with functional impairment that places adolescents at risk for longstanding difficulties. In attempting to identify factors that contribute to, or protect adolescents from experiencing, depression, investigators have focused on exposure to early life stress (ELS), stress reactivity, and patterns of brain structure, function, and connectivity. Over the past 8 years we have recruited and phenotyped a sample of over 200 boys and girls, ages 9-13 years, with respect to their psychobiological functioning and have re-assessed them every two years. We also conducted an online assessment during the COVID-19 pandemic. In this talk I will describe findings of our study characterizing associations among ELS, neurodevelopment, and mental health in adolescents, including their functioning during this pandemic.

Author

• Ian Gotlib, Stanford University
  Presenting Author