Associations of neighborhood threat and deprivation with psychopathology: Uncovering neural mechanisms
Year: 2025
Type: article
Study design: Observational Study
Abstract: BACKGROUND: Assessing dimensions of neighborhoods could aid identification of contextual features that influence psychopathology in children and contribute to uncovering mechanisms underlying these associations. METHOD: The ABCD sample included 8,339 participants aged 9-10 from 21 U.S. sites. Mixed effect and structural equation models estimated associations of self-reported neighborhood threat/safety and county-level neighborhood threat (i.e., crime) and tract-level deprivation with psychopathology symptoms and indirect effects. Hypothesized mechanisms included emotion processing (adaptation to emotional conflict, task-active ROIs for emotional n-back) and cognition (EF and task-active ROIs for the stop-signal task); exploratory analyses included neural function (of amygdala to network and within-network resting state connectivity). RESULTS: Associations of neighborhood deprivation and all symptoms were mediated by EF; links with psychotic-like experiences (PLEs) were mediated by retrosplenial temporal and dorsal attention within-network connectivity. In contrast, neighborhood threat was associated with attention difficulties, internalizing problems, and PLEs uniquely via default mode within-network connectivity; with attention difficulties, externalizing symptoms, and PLEs through amygdala-dorsal attention within-network connectivity, with PLEs and externalizing symptoms through visual within-network connectivity; with PLEs and attention difficulties through amygdala-sensorimotor connectivity, and with PLEs through amygdala-salience network connectivity. CONCLUSION: Neighborhood deprivation and threat predicted symptoms through distinct neural and cognitive pathways, with implications for prevention and intervention efforts at contextual levels.
Source: Development and Psychopathology
Institutions: Harvard University, King's College London, University of Oregon
Language: English
Subfield: Clinical Psychology
Field: Psychology
Domain: Social Sciences
Open Access status: green
Awards: G1058358382, G1356784645, G1436251778, G1510635755, G1569016918, G1586463187, G2735337927, G2998093352, G3305455594, G343603955, G3438786812, G3738900353, G3755973507, G613261251, G815084465, G8281824583, G9000006386, G9000008241, G9000034221, G9000108491, G9000112882, G9000128776, G9000163168, G9000205938, G9000241459, 9/21 ABCD-USA CONSORTIUM: RESEARCH PROJECT SITE AT U MICHIGAN, 8/21 ABCD-USA CONSORTIUM: RESEARCH PROJECT SITE AT CHLA, 6/21 ABCD-USA CONSORTIUM: RESEARCH PROJECT SITE AT OHSU, 2/21 ABCD-USA CONSORTIUM: RESEARCH PROJECT SITE AT UMB, Neurodevelopmental Mechanisms Underlying Stress Vulnerability during Adolescence
OpenAlex ID: W4411839826