Christopher C Conway1, Elizabeth B Raposa1, Constance Hammen2, Patricia A Brennan3. 1. Department of Psychological Sciences, College of William & Mary, Williamsburg, VA, USA. 2. Department of Psychology, University of California, Los Angeles, Los Angeles, CA, USA. 3. Department of Psychology, Emory University, Atlanta, GA, USA.
Abstract
BACKGROUND: Adverse family environments confer susceptibility to virtually all psychiatric problems. This study evaluated two possible models to explain this diversity of associations. Stressful family circumstances during childhood could either activate general, transdiagnostic liabilities to mental disorder or promote numerous disorder-specific liabilities. METHODS: We recruited a high-risk sample of 815 mother-offspring pairs and assessed social stressors in the family context prospectively from the perinatal period through offspring age 5. We factor analyzed offspring mental disorder diagnoses at age 20 to parse transdiagnostic and disorder-specific dimensions of psychopathology. RESULTS: Structural analyses revealed nearly equivalent prospective effects of early family stress on overarching Internalizing (β = .30) and Externalizing (β = .29) dimensions. In contrast, there was no evidence of disorder-specific effects. CONCLUSIONS: Social stressors early in life activate transdiagnostic, and not disorder-specific, liabilities to psychopathology. A focus on higher-order dimensions of psychopathology could accelerate etiological research and intervention efforts for stress-linked mental disorders.
BACKGROUND: Adverse family environments confer susceptibility to virtually all psychiatric problems. This study evaluated two possible models to explain this diversity of associations. Stressful family circumstances during childhood could either activate general, transdiagnostic liabilities to mental disorder or promote numerous disorder-specific liabilities. METHODS: We recruited a high-risk sample of 815 mother-offspring pairs and assessed social stressors in the family context prospectively from the perinatal period through offspring age 5. We factor analyzed offspring mental disorder diagnoses at age 20 to parse transdiagnostic and disorder-specific dimensions of psychopathology. RESULTS: Structural analyses revealed nearly equivalent prospective effects of early family stress on overarching Internalizing (β = .30) and Externalizing (β = .29) dimensions. In contrast, there was no evidence of disorder-specific effects. CONCLUSIONS: Social stressors early in life activate transdiagnostic, and not disorder-specific, liabilities to psychopathology. A focus on higher-order dimensions of psychopathology could accelerate etiological research and intervention efforts for stress-linked mental disorders.
Authors: Christopher C Conway; Miriam K Forbes; Kelsie T Forbush; Eiko I Fried; Michael N Hallquist; Roman Kotov; Stephanie N Mullins-Sweatt; Alexander J Shackman; Andrew E Skodol; Susan C South; Matthew Sunderland; Monika A Waszczuk; David H Zald; Mohammad H Afzali; Marina A Bornovalova; Natacha Carragher; Anna R Docherty; Katherine G Jonas; Robert F Krueger; Praveetha Patalay; Aaron L Pincus; Jennifer L Tackett; Ulrich Reininghaus; Irwin D Waldman; Aidan G C Wright; Johannes Zimmermann; Bo Bach; R Michael Bagby; Michael Chmielewski; David C Cicero; Lee Anna Clark; Tim Dalgleish; Colin G DeYoung; Christopher J Hopwood; Masha Y Ivanova; Robert D Latzman; Christopher J Patrick; Camilo J Ruggero; Douglas B Samuel; David Watson; Nicholas R Eaton Journal: Perspect Psychol Sci Date: 2019-03-07
Authors: Nicole R DeTore; Lauren Luther; Wisteria Deng; Jordan Zimmerman; Logan Leathem; Anne S Burke; Maren B Nyer; Daphne J Holt Journal: Psychol Med Date: 2022-03-01 Impact factor: 10.592
Authors: David Watson; Holly F Levin-Aspenson; Monika A Waszczuk; Christopher C Conway; Tim Dalgleish; Michael N Dretsch; Nicholas R Eaton; Miriam K Forbes; Kelsie T Forbush; Kelsey A Hobbs; Giorgia Michelini; Brady D Nelson; Martin Sellbom; Tim Slade; Susan C South; Matthew Sunderland; Irwin Waldman; Michael Witthöft; Aidan G C Wright; Roman Kotov; Robert F Krueger Journal: World Psychiatry Date: 2022-02 Impact factor: 79.683