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Importance Although different aspects of socioeconomic status (SES) may represent distinct risk factors for poor mental health in children, knowledge of their differential and synergistic associations with the brain is limited. Objective To examine the independent associations between distinct SES factors and child brain structure. Design, Setting, and Participants We used baseline data from participants aged 9 to 10 years in the Adolescent Brain Cognitive Development (ABCD) study. These data were collected from 21 US sites between September 2017 and August 2018. Study participants were recruited from schools to create a participant sample that closely reflects the US population. Exposures Neighborhood disadvantage was measured using the area deprivation index. We also used data on total parent or caregiver educational attainment (in years) and household income-to-needs ratio. Main Outcomes and Measures T1-weighted magnetic resonance imaging was used to assess measures of cortical thickness, surface area, and subcortical volume. Results Data from 8862 ABCD participants aged 9 to 10 years were analyzed. The mean (SD) age was 119.1 (7.5) months; there were 4243 girls (47.9%) and 4619 boys (52.1%). Data on race or ethnicity were available for 8857 of 8862 participants: 173 (2.0%) were Asian, 1099 (12.4%) were Black or African American, 1688 (19.1%) were Hispanic, 4967 (56.1%) were White, and 930 (10.5%) reported multiple races or ethnicities. Using 10-fold, within-sample split-half replication, we found that neighborhood disadvantage was associated with lower cortical thickness in the following brain regions (η2 = 0.004-0.009): cuneus (B[SE] = −0.099 [0.013];P < .001), lateral occipital (B [SE] = −0.088 [0.011];P < .001), lateral orbitofrontal (B[SE] = −0.072 [0.012];P < .001), lingual (B[SE] = −0.104 [0.012];P < .001), paracentral (B[SE] = −0.086 [0.012];P < .001), pericalcarine (B [SE] = −0.077 [0.012];P < .001), postcentral (B [SE] = −0.069 [0.012];P < .001), precentral (B [SE] = −0.059 [0.011];P < .001), rostral middle frontal (B [SE] = −0.076 [0.011];P < .001), and superior parietal (B [SE] = −0.060 [0.011];P < .001). Exploratory analyses showed that the associations of low educational attainment or neighborhood disadvantage and low cortical thickness were attenuated in the presence of a high income-to-needs ratio (η2 = 0.003-0.007). Conclusions and Relevance The findings of this cross-sectional study suggest that different SES indicators have distinct associations with children’s brain structure. A high income-to-needs ratio may play a protective role in the context of neighborhood disadvantage and low parent or caregiver educational attainment. This study highlights the importance of considering the joint associations of different SES indicators in future work.

Examining neurobiological mechanisms that may transmit the effects of childhood maltreatment on mental health in youth is crucial for understanding vulnerability to psychopathology. This study investigated associations between childhood maltreatment, adolescent structural brain development, and mental health trajectories into young-adulthood. Structural magnetic resonance imaging data was acquired from 144 youth at three time points (age 12, 16, and 18 years). Childhood maltreatment was reported to occur prior to the first scan. Linear mixed models were utilized to examine the association between total childhood maltreatment, neglect, abuse and (i) amygdala and hippocampal volume development, and (ii) maturational coupling between amygdala/hippocampus volume and the thickness of prefrontal regions. We also examined whether brain development mediated the association between maltreatment and depressive and anxiety symptoms trajectories from age 12 to 28. Total maltreatment, and neglect, were associated with positive maturational coupling between the amygdala and caudal anterior cingulate cortex (cACC), whereby at higher and lower levels of amygdala growth, maltreatment was associated with lower and higher PFC thinning, respectively. Neglect was also associated with maturational coupling of the hippocampus with prefrontal regions. While positive amygdala-cACC maturational coupling was associated with greater increases in anxiety symptoms, it did not significantly mediate the association between maltreatment and anxiety symptom trajectories. We found maltreatment to be associated with altered patterns of coupling between subcortical and prefrontal regions during adolescence, suggesting that maltreatment is associated with the development of socio-emotional neural circuitry. The implications of these findings for mental health require further investigation.

Background School connectedness reflects the quality of students’ engagement with peers, teachers, and learning in the school environment. It has attracted attention from both the health and education sectors as a potentially modifiable protective factor for common mental health problems. However, the extent to which school connectedness may prevent the onset of youth depression or anxiety or promote their remission is unclear. This systematic review examined evidence for prospective relationships between school connectedness and depression and anxiety, and the effect of interventions to improve school connectedness on depression and anxiety. Methods We searched MEDLINE, PsycINFO, PubMed, and ERIC electronic databases for peer-reviewed quantitative longitudinal, or intervention studies published from 2011–21 in English examining relationships between school connectedness and anxiety and/or depression. Participants were 14–24 years old when depression and anxiety outcomes were assessed in any education setting in any country. We partnered with five youth advisers (aged 16–21 years) with lived experience of mental health problems and/or the schooling system in Australia, Indonesia, and the Philippines to ensure that youth perspectives informed the review. Results Our search identified 3552 unique records from which 34 longitudinal and 2 intervention studies were ultimately included. Studies were primarily from the United States of America (69.4%). Depression and anxiety outcomes were first measured at 14 years old, on average. Most studies found a significant protective relationship between higher levels of school connectedness and depressive and/or anxiety symptoms; more measured depression than anxiety. A few studies found a non-significant relationship. Both intervention studies designed to increase school connectedness improved depression, one through improvements in self-esteem and one through improvements in relationships at school. Conclusions These findings suggest that school connectedness may be a novel target for the prevention of depression and anxiety. We were not able to determine whether improving school connectedness promotes remission in young people already experiencing depression and anxiety. More studies examining anxiety, diagnostic outcomes, and beyond North America are warranted, as well as intervention trials. Trial registration PROSPERO 2021 CRD42021270967.

Understanding the neurobiological underpinnings of childhood maltreatment is vital given consistent links with poor mental health. Dimensional models of adversity purport that different types of adversity likely have distinct neurobiological consequences. Adolescence is a key developmental period, during which deviations from normative neurodevelopment may have particular relevance for mental health. However, longitudinal work examining links between different forms of maltreatment, neurodevelopment, and mental health is limited. In the present study, we explored associations between abuse, neglect, and longitudinal development of within-network functional connectivity of the salience (SN), default mode (DMN), and executive control network in 142 community residing adolescents. Resting-state fMRI data were acquired at age 16 (T1; = 16.46 years, s.d. = 0.52, 66F) and 19 (T2; mean follow-up period: 2.35 years). Mental health data were also collected at T1 and T2. Childhood maltreatment history was assessed prior to T1. Abuse and neglect were both found to be associated with increases in within-SN functional connectivity from age 16 to 19. Further, there were sex differences in the association between neglect and changes in within-DMN connectivity. Finally, increases in within-SN connectivity were found to mediate the association between abuse/neglect and lower problematic substance use and higher depressive symptoms at age 19. Our findings suggest that childhood maltreatment is associated with altered neurodevelopmental trajectories, and that changes in salience processing may be linked with risk and resilience for the development of depression and substance use problems during adolescence, respectively. Further work is needed to understand the distinct neurodevelopmental and mental health outcomes of abuse and neglect.

The COVID-19 pandemic introduced unique stressors that posed significant threats to adolescent mental health. However, limited research has examined the impact of trauma exposure on vulnerability to subsequent stressor-related mental health outcomes in adolescents. Furthermore, it is unclear whether there are protective factors that promote resilience against the negative impacts of COVID-19 stressors in adolescents with prior trauma exposure. This preregistered study aimed to investigate the impact of trauma on COVID-19 stressor-related mental health difficulties in adolescents, in addition to the role of protective factors. Aims were investigated in a sample of 9696 adolescents (mean age 12.85 ± 0.88 years) from the Adolescent Brain Cognitive Development Study. Linear mixed-effects models were employed to examine (a) the associations of early trauma exposure (exposed non-exposed), COVID-19 stressors, and perceived stress, sadness, and positive affect levels during the pandemic period in the US, and (b) the role of protective factors (physical activity, parental support, and improvements in family and peer relationships) in these associations. There was a positive association between COVID-19 stressors and sadness, which was enhanced in trauma-exposed adolescents. Improvements in family and peer relationships mitigated the association between COVID-19 stressors and poor mental health outcomes, regardless of prior traumatic experience. These findings support the hypothesis that prior trauma elevates risk of mental health difficulties in the face of future stressors. Results underscore the protective role of enhanced social relationships as targets for early prevention and intervention in those experiencing acute stressors, regardless of prior traumatic experiences.

BackgroundAlthough perceived threats in a child’s social environment, including in the family, school, and neighborhood, are known to increase risk for adolescent psychopathology, the underlying biological mechanisms remain unclear. To investigate, we examined whether perceived social threats were associated with the functional connectivity of large-scale cortical networks in early adolescence, and whether such connectivity differences mediated the development of subsequent mental health problems in youth.MethodsStructural equation models were used to analyze data from 8,690 youth (50% female, 45% non-White, age 9–10 years) drawn from the large-scale, nationwide Adolescent Brain Cognitive Development study that has 21 clinical and research sites across the United States. Data were collected from 2016 to 2018.ResultsConsistent with Social Safety Theory, perceived social threats were prospectively associated with mental health problems both 6 months (standardized \\( =0.27,p<.001 \\)) and 30 months (\\( =0.14,p<.001 \\)) later. Perceived social threats predicted altered connectivity patterns within and between the default mode (DMN), dorsal attention (DAN), frontoparietal (FPN), and cingulo-opercular (CON) networks. In turn, hypoconnectivity within the DMN and FPN – and higher (i.e., less negative) connectivity between DMN-DAN, DMN-CON, and FPN-CON – mediated the association between perceived social threats and subsequent mental health problems.ConclusionsPerceiving social threats in various environments may alter neural connectivity and increase the risk of psychopathology in youth. Therefore, parenting, educational, and community-based interventions that bolster social safety may be helpful.

ObjectiveThe relationship between low income and adverse perinatal outcomes, such as low birth weight and developmental delays, is well established making the search for protective factors important. One such factor may be neighbourhood greenspace. This study elucidates the role of urban neighbourhood greenspace in the relationship between income and perinatal outcomes in a nationally representative birth cohort from the UK.MethodsData on 14 050 infants participating in the initial wave at age 9 months of the Millennium Cohort Study were used (51% male, 20% non-white, 52% living in disadvantaged areas). We tested whether the association between income and perinatal outcomes is moderated by urban greenspace (measured in deciles) before and after adjustments for confounding. The perinatal outcomes included birth weight, gestational age (in days), communication and motor delays. The models were adjusted for the infant’s sex and ethnicity, mother’s age, education, substance use and mental health as well as area disadvantage and air pollution.ResultsNeighbourhood greenspace moderated the association between income and gestational age, even after adjustment for all confounders, b=-0.11, 95% CI (-0.215, -0.004). For births in low-income households, in particular, it was associated with an increase in gestational age by an average of approximately 3 days. However, after adjustment, greenspace was not found to influence birth weight, communication or motor delays at age 9 months.ConclusionThe biophilic design of urban environments is a modifiable factor for improving perinatal outcomes in the UK as urban greenspaces appear to be mitigating the risk of preterm birth associated with family poverty.

Abstract Background and hypothesis Schizophrenia is highly heritable, with a polygenic effect of many genes conferring risk. Evidence on whether cumulative risk also predicts alterations in brain morphology and function is inconsistent. This systematic review examined evidence for schizophrenia polygenic risk score (sczPRS) associations with commonly used magnetic resonance imaging (MRI) measures. We expected consistent evidence to emerge for significant sczPRS associations with variation in structure and function, specifically in frontal, temporal, and insula cortices that are commonly implicated in schizophrenia pathophysiology. Study Design In accordance with Preferred Reporting Items for Systematic Reviews and Meta-Analyses (PRISMA) guidelines, we searched MEDLINE, Embase, and PsycINFO for peer-reviewed studies published between January 2013 and March 2022. Studies were screened against predetermined criteria and National Institutes of Health (NIH) quality assessment tools. Study Results In total, 57 studies of T1-weighted structural, diffusion, and functional MRI were included (age range = 9–80 years, Nrange = 64–76 644). We observed moderate, albeit preliminary, evidence for higher sczPRS predicting global reductions in cortical thickness and widespread variation in functional connectivity, and to a lesser extent, region-specific reductions in frontal and temporal volume and thickness. Conversely, sczPRS does not predict whole-brain surface area or gray/white matter volume. Limited evidence emerged for sczPRS associations with diffusion tensor measures of white matter microstructure in a large community sample and smaller cohorts of children and young adults. These findings were broadly consistent across community and clinical populations. Conclusions Our review supports the hypothesis that schizophrenia is a disorder of disrupted within and between-region brain connectivity, and points to specific whole-brain and regional MRI metrics that may provide useful intermediate phenotypes.

Background Low socioeconomic status is associated with lower cognitive performance and long‐term disparities in achievement and success. However, not all children from low‐income backgrounds exhibit lower cognitive performance. Characterizing the factors that promote such resilience in youth from low‐income households is of crucial importance. Methods We used baseline data from participants in the lowest tertile of income‐to‐needs in the Adolescent Brain Cognitive Development study and machine learning to identify the factors that predict fluid and crystallized cognitive resilience among youth from low‐income backgrounds. Predictors included 164 variables across child characteristics, family and developmental history, and environment. Results Our models were reliably able to predict resilience but were substantially more accurate for crystallized cognition (AUC = 0.75) than for fluid cognition (AUC = 0.67). Key predictors included developmental factors such as birthweight and duration of breastfeeding, neighborhood‐level factors (e.g., living in concentrated privilege, enrollment in advanced placement courses), children's own temperament and mental health, and other factors such as physical activity and involvement in extracurricular activities. Conclusion Our findings highlight the importance of a multifaceted approach to promoting cognitive resilience among children from low‐income households in future intervention work. Machine learning based prediction of cognitive resilience among low income youth.

Background Low socioeconomic status (SES) during childhood is associated with higher levels of youth psychopathology. However, limited longitudinal work has examined the role of both household and neighborhood SES in shaping mental health trajectories over time using population‐based data. The goal of the present study was to characterize associations between SES and changes in mental health problems during early adolescence. Methods We investigated independent and joint associations of household income‐to‐needs ratio, parent educational attainment, material hardship, and neighborhood disadvantage with internalizing, externalizing, and attention symptom trajectories using longitudinal data from the Adolescent Brain Cognitive Development (ABCD) Study. Given sex‐based differences in mental health trajectories in the ABCD study, analyses were conducted separately in males and females. SES was assessed at baseline and youth‐reported mental health was assessed across six time‐points from age 10–13 years (M = 10.4, SD = 0.63 years; first assessed at the 6‐month follow‐up; N = 9488). Results Main effects indicated that, in general, high SES was associated with lower mental health symptoms. However, longitudinally, lower SES was associated with lower increases in mental health problems over time relative to higher SES. In females, while internalizing symptoms increased at all levels of income‐to‐needs, the association was most positive at higher levels of income‐to‐needs (B = 0.036, SE = 0.008, p < 0.001). In males, income‐to‐needs positively predicted externalizing (B = 0.022, SE = 0.007, p = 0.002) and attention (B = 0.023, SE = 0.007, p = 0.001) symptom trajectories, with lower income‐to‐needs linked to lower increases in externalizing and attention symptoms relative to higher income‐to‐needs. Two‐way interactions between SES indicators predicting changes in symptoms were non‐significant. Conclusion Our finding that youth from lower‐SES backgrounds exhibited lower increases in mental health problems during early adolescence contrasts with findings from prior cross‐sectional studies. However, mental health problems are on the rise and the landscape of risk for psychopathology is changing. More research is needed to understand how childhood SES contributes to risk and resilience for psychopathology during the transition to adolescence. High SES was associated with lower mental health symptoms cross‐sectionally. However, longitudinally, higher SES was associated with greater increases in mental health problems over time. A higher income‐to‐needs ratio predicted greater increases in internalizing, externalizing, and attention problems.