Dimensional adversity, brain-age, & mental health: Differences in male and female adolescents

Year: 2026

Type: article

Abstract: Early life adversity (ELA) has been linked to shifts in developmental pace. This study examined whether brain maturity during early adolescence was influenced by ELA, and whether it explained the relationship between ELA and mental health problems. A sample ( n = 7658, 46% female) from the Adolescent Brain and Cognitive Development (ABCD) Study was utilized, with data collected at three time points spanning 9 to 14 years of age. Exposure to threat, psychosocial deprivation, household instability, and socioeconomic stress were measured at baseline. A predictive model of normative brain development (brain age) trained on a large independent lifespan sample was applied to structural neuroimaging data from the second timepoint. Brain-age-gap (BAG) – the difference between model predicted brain age and chronological age – was tested as a mediator of adversity exposure and internalizing/externalizing problems at the third timepoint. A more positive BAG was associated with more externalizing problems, but hypothesized associations between adversity and BAG were not significant. Sex moderation of these pathways suggests adversity may differentially affect the pace of brain development for males and females, which uniquely explains vulnerability to externalizing problems. The findings highlight the importance of examining sex-specific effects of adversity on adolescent development and mental health. • Bayesian analysis tested brain-age-gap mediation in longitudinal ABCD Study • Dimensional adversity model: threat, deprivation, unpredictability & SES • Sex moderated dimensions of early life adversity with brain & psychopathology • Males: psychosocial deprivation predicted delayed structural brain maturation • Females: older brain age predicted adolescent externalizing problems

Source: Developmental Cognitive Neuroscience

DOI: 10.1016/j.dcn.2026.101671

Authors: Michelle Shaul, Sarah Whittle, Niousha Dehestani, Timothy J. Silk, Nandita Vijayakumar

Institutions: Deakin University, The University of Melbourne, Orygen, Murdoch Children's Research Institute

Language: English

Topic: Child Abuse and Trauma

Subfield: Clinical Psychology

Field: Psychology

Domain: Social Sciences

SDGs: Good health and well-being, Reduced inequalities

Open Access status: gold

Estimated APC paid: $3,650

Funders: National Institutes of Health, National Institute of Mental Health, National Institute on Drug Abuse

OpenAlex ID: W7123431635