Environmental sensitivity in adolescence: understanding early aetiological pathways to depression

• In Event: 3-207 - Investigating Differential Susceptibility across Childhood with Self- and Observed-Rated Measures of Environmental Sensitivity

Integrative Statement

Cognitive models of depression predict that stressful life experiences precipitate negative cognitive and affective changes, which can lead to psychopathology, if persistent for a significant period of time (Lewinsohn, Hoberman, Teri, & Hautzinger, 1985; Lewinsohn, Rohde, & Seeley, 1998). However, individual differences in personality are thought to moderate these pathways, as some people are more at risk to the negative effects of stressful life experiences than others (Monroe & Simons, 1991; Pluess, 2015). Sensory-Processing Sensitivity (SPS) is a personality trait that has shown to moderate the effect of childhood adversity on psychopathology, as high SPS individuals have been shown to be more sensitive to the environment predicting poor psychological outcomes (Booth, Standage, & Fox, 2015; Liss, Timmel, Baxley, & Killingsworth, 2005). However, this previous research in adults was limited as it was cross-sectional and relied on retrospective measures. Depression in adolescence presents with the same symptoms as depression in adults, however less research has been conducted in adolescence, despite typical onset occurring during this period. More research is needed in developing populations to understand the aetiology of depression. The current study assessed whether SPS moderates the effect of recent negative life events on cognitive and affective outcomes in adolescents (N = 450) aged 12-15 years (Mage = 14.5, SD = .8). Data was from a wider longitudinal study investigating cognitive and genetic risk and resilience factors implicated in adolescent mental health. We found that high SPS predicted more negative cognitive biases in interpretation and memory, as well as higher depressive symptoms. We also found that SPS moderated the effect of negative life events on both interpretation bias and depressive symptoms, as high SPS adolescents were more sensitive to negative life events, evident by more significant regression slopes. These findings were in line with a diathesis-stress model, suggesting that high SPS is a risk factor for developing psychopathology in adolescence. The current study was cross-sectional, however measures were taken again 12-18 months later (data completed in July, 2018), and therefore preliminary data will be presented assessing these models longitudinally.

Authors

• Charlotte Booth, Oxford University
  Presenting Author

• Elaine Fox, Oxford University
  Non-Presenting Author