Faculty Bibliography

UNLABELLED: = 12.89, 55% female). They self-reported on CMC preferences and social media burden and on anxiety symptoms in two domains (generalized anxiety disorder (GAD) and social anxiety) and completed an eye-tracking assessment of attention bias. We tested the hypothesis that preferring CMC over face-to-face communications and perceiving greater social media burden would predict more severe anxiety symptoms, particularly among those with greater attention bias to threat. As predicted, greater feelings of social media burden predicted more severe anxiety symptom severity (GAD only) but only among those with greater attention bias to threat. The potential role of attention bias in associations between CMC and adolescent anxiety and the specificity of effects on GAD symptom severity is discussed. SUPPLEMENTARY INFORMATION/UNASSIGNED:The online version contains supplementary material available at 10.1007/s42761-024-00253-1.

Adolescence is a critical developmental period of biological and social change during which 1 in 3 youth experience significant anxiety symptoms. The social-emotional lives of the majority of adolescents are largely conducted via digital media use (DMU; e.g., social media, text messaging). Yet the past decade of research on DMU and anxiety has yielded mixed results (e.g., Keles et al., 2020 review), leaving the complex role that DMU might play in the emergence and maintenance of anxiety poorly understood. A key step forward is to leverage psychophysiology to identify individual differences in cognitive and emotional processes that confer vulnerability to potential negative effects of DMU. Further, given the ubiquity of DMU, a greater focus is needed on measurements that move beyond sheer frequency to capture DMU in comparison to face-to-face (FTF) social interactions. This study examined attention bias (AB), characterized by selective and exaggerated attention toward or away from threat, as a moderator of the link between DMU and anxiety in adolescents (N = 75; 42 female) aged 12-14 years (M = 13.28, SD = 0.87). AB was indexed during a dot probe task using reaction time metrics (i.e., trial-level bias) and via ERPs capturing attentional selection and discrimination (N170) and cognitive control (N2) to threat compared to neutral faces. AB moderated associations between DMU and anxiety. A greater preference to use DMU vs FTF predicted greater anxiety among those with a greater behavioral bias away from threat, blunted N170, and blunted N2 in the presence of threat. Future research should examine potential causal and bidirectional links between DMU and anxiety and explore whether preferences for technology-mediated interactions and individual differences in threat processing increase risk.

Neurocognitive models of pediatric irritability suggest a prominent role of anger; however, few studies have investigated anger-related biases and their neural correlates. Resting state functional connectivity (rsFC) of the amygdala was examined in relation to anger attribution bias (AAB) in a sample of young children (5-9 years old; N = 60; 55% White, 26.7% Hispanic) with clinically significant irritability characterized by impairing emotional outbursts (IEOs). Children completed a resting state functional magnetic resonance imaging scan as well as the assessment of children's emotional skills (ACES), which yields three measures of AAB in the context of social situations, social behaviors, and facial expressions. ACES scores were entered into a general linear model to examine associations with rsFC of the bilateral amygdalae. Children with IEOs exhibited significant biases in attributing anger to others across all three ACES domains. Greater biases toward attributing anger in social situations were associated with reduced rsFC of the bilateral amygdalae with the fusiform/lingual gyri and lateral occipital cortex. Alternatively, greater biases toward attributing anger to facial expressions positively predicted right amygdala-precuneus rsFC. Greater bias toward attributing anger to others based on their behaviors was associated with heightened rsFC of the right amygdala with the left middle frontal gyrus. Findings extend previous work implicating functional connections among regions of default mode and frontoparietal networks in pediatric irritability. Longitudinal studies are needed to further investigate the putative role of AAB in the etiology and long-term outcomes of pediatric irritability. (PsycInfo Database Record (c) 2023 APA, all rights reserved).

OBJECTIVE:Irritability, typically defined as a proneness to anger, particularly in response to frustration, falls at the intersection of emotion and disruptive behavior. Despite well-defined translational models, there are few convergent findings regarding the pathophysiology of irritability. Most studies utilize computer-based tasks to examine neural responses to frustration, with little work examining stress-related responding to frustration in social contexts. The present study is the first to utilize the novel Frustration Social Stressor for Adolescents (FSS-A) to examine associations between adolescent irritability and psychological and physiological responses to frustration. METHOD:The FSS-A was completed by a predominantly male, racially, ethnically, and socioeconomically diverse sample of 64 12- to 17-year-olds, who were originally recruited as children with varying levels of irritability. Current irritability was assessed using the Multidimensional Assessment Profiles-Temper Loss scale (MAP-TL-Youth). Adolescents rated state anger and anxiety before and after the FSS-A, and usable salivary cortisol data were collected from 43 participants. RESULTS:Higher MAP-TL-Youth scores were associated with greater increases in anger during the FSS-A, but not increases in anxiety, or alterations in cortisol. Pre-task state anger negatively predicted the slope of the rise in cortisol observed in anticipation of the FSS-A. CONCLUSIONS:Results provide support for unique associations between adolescent irritability and anger during, and in anticipation of, frustrating social interactions. Such findings lay a foundation for future work aimed at informing physiological models and intervention targets.

OBJECTIVES/OBJECTIVE:Heightened irritability in adolescence is an impairing symptom that can lead to negative outcomes in adulthood, but effective screening tools are lacking. This study aimed to derive clinically-optimized cutoff scores using the Multidimensional Assessment Profile Scales-Temper Loss (MAPS-TL) to pragmatically identify adolescents with impairing irritability. METHODS:A diverse sample of 79 adolescents and their parents completed the MAPS-TL-Youth version. Stepwise logistic regression analyses were used to determine the items associated with impairment, and receiver operator characteristic (ROC) analyses were conducted to derive optimal cutoff scores. RESULTS:Three parent-report items (become frustrated easily, angry/irritable/grouchy throughout the day, difficulty calming down when angry) and two youth-report items (hit/shove/kick when lost temper, difficulty calming down when angry) were strongly associated with impairment. Optimal cutoff scores garnered very good sensitivity (91%, 73%) and specificity (77%, 75%) for the parent- and youth-report versions respectively. Scores above these cutoffs were associated with increased internalizing and externalizing problems and lower overall quality of life. CONCLUSIONS:The MAPS-TL clinically optimized irritability scores show preliminary validity for implementation in practical settings to efficiently identify adolescents who need additional evaluation and/or intervention. Further research is important to validate these cutoff scores with larger population-based samples and real-world settings.

OBJECTIVES/OBJECTIVE:Developmentally specified measures that identify clinically salient irritability are needed for early school-age youth to meaningfully capture this transdiagnostic risk factor for psychopathology. Thus, the current study modeled the normal:abnormal irritability spectrum and generated a clinically optimized screening tool for this population. METHODS:The irritability spectrum was modeled via the youth version of the Multidimensional Assessment Profile Scales-Temper Loss Scale (MAPS-TL-Youth) in children (n = 474; 6.0-8.9 years) using item response theory (IRT). Both cross-cutting core irritability items from the early childhood version and new developmentally specific items were included. Items uniquely associated with impairment were identified and used to derive a brief, clinically optimized irritability screener. Longitudinal data were then utilized to test the predictive utility of this clinically optimized screener in preadolescence (n = 348; 8.0-12.9 years). RESULTS:Most children exhibit irritability regularly, but daily occurrence was rare. Of the top 10 most severe items from the IRT analyses, 9 were from the developmentally specific items added for the MAPS-TL Youth version. Two items associated with concurrent impairment were identified for the clinically optimized irritability screener ("Become frustrated easily" and "Act irritable"). The MAPS-TL-Youth clinically optimized screener demonstrated good sensitivity (69%) and specificity (84%) in relation to concurrent DSM 5 irritability-related diagnoses. Youth with elevated scores on the screener at early school age (ESA) had more than 7x greater odds of irritability-related psychopathology at pre-adolescence. CONCLUSIONS:The MAPS-TL-Youth characterized the developmental spectrum of irritability at ESA and a clinically optimized screener showed promise at predicting psychopathology risk. Rigorous testing of clinical applications is a critical next step.

OBJECTIVES/OBJECTIVE:Characterize the dimensional spectrum of preadolescent (PA) irritability, a robust transdiagnostic vulnerability marker, using the youth version of the Multidimensional Assessment Profiles Temper Loss (MAPS-TL-Youth) scale including common and with developmentally specific items. Based on this, derive and validate a clinically optimized irritability screener to flag psychopathology risk in preadolescents. METHODS:The normal:abnormal irritability spectrum was modeled using MAPS-TL-Youth data from the Multidimensional Assessment of Preschoolers Study (MAPS) Study PA wave (n = 340) via item response theory. Both cross-cutting core items from the MAPS scales and developmentally specific items were used to generate this dimension. Stepwise logistic regression was then used to optimize MAPS-TL-Youth irritability items in relation to Kiddie Schedule of Affective Disorders and Schizophrenia impairment to generate a clinically optimized irritability screener. Receiver operator characteristic analysis identified the irritability threshold for the screener. For the first time, youth self-report of their own irritability on the MAPS-TL was also modeled via the MAPS-TL-Youth-Self-Report (MAPS-TL-Youth-SR). RESULTS:Irritability was unidimensional and ranged from mild and common to severe and rare behaviors. Developmentally specific items allowed detection of more severe irritability. Items for the screener were identified in relation to concurrent impairment. These included low frustration tolerance and pathognomonic severe behaviors. The clinically optimized screener demonstrated very good sensitively (87%) and specificity (81%) in regard to concurrent irritability-related DSM disorders. Modeling of the MAPS-TL-Youth-SR yielded similar results. CONCLUSION/CONCLUSIONS:Characterizing the normal: abnormal spectrum of irritability in preadolescence advances application of Research Domain Criteria methods to this developmental period. This foundational work yielded two developmentally specified tools for irritability characterization in preadolescence: a nuanced dimensional scale to precisely characterize the full normal-abnormal irritability spectrum, and a pragmatic, clinically optimized screener suitable for real world use. Future application in mechanistic and clinical studies will be important for establishing validity and incremental utility.

Humans are reliant on their caregivers for an extended period of time, offering numerous opportunities for environmental factors, such as parental attitudes and behaviors, to impact brain development. The default mode network is a neural system encompassing the medial prefrontal cortex, posterior cingulate cortex, precuneus, and temporo-parietal junction, which is implicated in aspects of cognition and psychopathology. Delayed default mode network maturation in children and adolescents has been associated with greater general dimensional psychopathology, and positive parenting behaviors have been suggested to serve as protective mechanisms against atypical default mode network development. The current study aimed to extend the existing research by examining whether within- default mode network resting-state functional connectivity would mediate the relation between parental acceptance/warmth and youth psychopathology. Data from the Adolescent Brain and Cognitive Development study, which included a community sample of 9,366 children ages 8.9-10.9 years, were analyzed to test this prediction. Results demonstrated a significant mediation, where greater parental acceptance/warmth predicted greater within- default mode network resting-state functional connectivity, which in turn predicted lower externalizing, but not internalizing symptoms, at baseline and 1-year later. Our study provides preliminary support for the notion that positive parenting behaviors may reduce the risk for psychopathology in youth through their influence on the default mode network.

Initial research has indicated that college students have experienced numerous stressors as a result of the pandemic. The current investigation enrolled the largest and most diverse sample of college students to date (N = 4714) from universities in New York (NY) and New Jersey (NJ), the epicenter of the North American pandemic in Spring 2020. We described the impact on the psychological, academic, and financial health of college students who were initially most affected and examined racial/ethnic group differences. Results indicated that students' mental health was severely affected and that students of color were disproportionately affected by academic, financial, and COVID-related stressors. Worry about COVID-19 infection, stressful living conditions, lower grades, and loneliness emerged as correlates of deteriorating mental health. COVID-19's mental health impact on college students is alarming and highlights the need for public health interventions at the university level.

Pediatric irritability can be highly impairing and is implicated in adverse outcomes. The phasic component, characterized by temper outbursts, is a frequent impetus to seek treatment. This study tested whether a previously described anger-distress model of tantrums applies to an outpatient sample of school-age children with clinically impairing temper outbursts (TO; 5.0-9.9 years; N = 86), and examined the clinical relevance of resulting factors through associations with measures of psychopathology, and differences between children with TO and two groups without: children with ADHD (n = 60) and healthy controls (n = 45). Factor analyses established a three-factor model: High Anger, Low Anger, Distress. These factors had unique associations with measures of irritability, externalizing problems, and internalizing problems in the TO group. Additionally, an interaction between groups and outburst factors emerged. Results provide evidence for the presence and clinical utility of the anger-distress model in children's outbursts and suggest avenues for future pediatric irritability research.