Enhancing Our Understanding of Risk Factors of Socioemotional Problems Through Cutting-Edge Methodological and Biopsychosocial Approaches

Session Type: Paper Symposium

Abstract

There is convincing evidence that a significant number of young children (10-20% worldwide) have socioemotional problems, which tend to persist over time and are associated with poor health and psychosocial outcomes later in life (Lyons-Ruth et al., 2017). Therefore, it is paramount that research achieves a better insight into the factors involved in the development of these problems. This symposium combines four studies using innovative methodological approaches and diverse samples to improve understanding of risk factors for socioemotional problems, including externalizing and internalizing problems, across the life span. The first talk utilizes a multilevel growth modeling approach to examine the roles of paternal and maternal depressive symptoms and sensitivity and their interactions in the prediction of patterns of growth in socioemotional problems during toddlerhood. The second talk presents a meta-analysis that demonstrates how prior parental experiences of childhood adversity conveys risk for child socioemotional problems. The third talk reports a promising new strategy to capture the genetic moderation of serotonergic genes in the association between family adversity, violence and children's antisocial outcomes, adding novel support to the Diathesis-stress model. The final talk, using phenotypic and genetic cross-lagged panel models, highlights genetic and environmental factors involved in the pathways leading to emotional symptoms, which provides new insight into possible causal pathways of reciprocal influences between emotional symptoms, social isolation, and victimization from early adolescence to emerging adulthood. Together, these talks enhance our understanding of the risk factors for socioemotional problems across the life span and provide recommendations for policies and interventions.

Sub Unit

• Developmental Psychopathology

Chairs

• Frederic Theriault-Couture, Laval University

• Célia Matte-Gagné, Laval University

Individual Presentations

• Paternal and Maternal Depressive Symptoms and Sensitivity: Links with Trajectories of Socioemotional Problems in Toddlerhood - Presenting Author: Frederic Theriault-Couture, Laval University; Célia Matte-Gagné, Laval University; Annie Bernier, University of Montreal; George M Tarabulsy, University Laval

• The Association Between Parental Adverse Childhood Experiences and Children’s Socioemotional Difficulties: A Meta-Analysis - Presenting Author: Nicole Racine, University of Ottawa; Jessica Cooke, University of Calgary (U of C); Rachel Eirich, University of Calgary (U of C); Audrey-Ann Deneault, University of Calgary (U of C); Sheri Madigan, University of Calgary (U of C)

• Do Associations Between Family Violence and Childhood Aggression Vary According to Polygenic Serotonergic Differences? - Presenting Author: Stephanie Langevin, Duke University; Isabelle Ouellet-Morin, Université de Montréal

• A Cross-Lagged Study of Emotional Symptoms, Social Isolation, and Victimisation from Adolescence to Young Adulthood - Presenting Author: Geneviève Morneau-Vaillancourt, King's College London; Elham Assary, King's College London; Olakunle A. Oginni, King’s College London/Obafemi Awolowo University, Ile-Ife, Nigeria; Ellen J. Thompson, King's College London; Georgina Krebs, King's College London; Elisavet Palaiologou, King's College London; Celestine Lockhart, King's College London; Louise Arseneault, King's College London; Thalia C. Eley, King's College London