Childhood Maltreatment, Repetitive Negative Thinking, and Mental Health in Adolescence
A 12-Year Longitudinal Study
Principal Investigator
Dr. Vergara-Lopez is conducting a 12-year longitudinal study examining the impact of childhood maltreatment (e.g., sexual/physical abuse, and/or neglect) and other adversities (e.g., witnessing domestic violence, community violence, trauma, stressors associated with poverty) on cognitive mechanisms and mental health outcomes among adolescents. We test the role of adversity, cognitive control, and attentional biases as underlying repetitive negative thinking (RNT), a transdiagnostic risk factor for both internalizing and externalizing problems. There are no studies that examine the role of RNT as it unfolds in vivo among adolescents with exposure to childhood adversity. This is a critical missed clinical opportunity because RNT may serve as a proximal malleable antecedent to a broad range of mental health problems. Adolescents with histories of childhood maltreatment and other adversities and their caregivers are recruited from a 12-year longitudinal cohort study. Participants attend a laboratory visit to assess mental health via diagnostic clinical interviews and self-report measures. We administer a cognitive control battery and assess RNT using a novel eye-tracking laboratory paradigm paired with ecological momentary assessment (EMA) to examine real-time RNT, thereby increasing external validity and elucidating potential future treatment target(s). Ultimately, this research aims to inform the development of technology deployed ecological momentary interventions (EMIs) or just-in-time adaptive interventions (JITAIs) that vary based on real-time needs and help prevent and curtail mental health problems following childhood adversity.
