Childhood maltreatment and the structural development of hippocampus across childhood and adolescence.

Background: Prior studies suggest that childhood maltreatment is associated with altered hippocampal volume. However, longitudinal studies are currently scarce, making it difficult to determine how alterations in hippocampal volume evolve over time. The current study examined the relationship between childhood maltreatment and hippocampal volumetric development across childhood and adolescence in a community sample.

The effects of recent stressful life events on outcomes in individuals at clinical high risk for psychosis: results from the longitudinal EU-GEI high-risk study.

Background: Recent stressful life events (SLE) are a risk factor for psychosis, but limited research has explored how SLEs affect individuals at clinical high risk (CHR) for psychosis. The current study investigated the longitudinal effects of SLEs on functioning and symptom severity in CHR individuals, where we hypothesized CHR would report more SLEs than healthy controls (HC), and SLEs would be associated with poorer outcomes.

Methods: The study used longitudinal data from the EU-GEI High Risk study.

A transdiagnostic model to prevention in mental and behavioral disorders: a comprehensive review and delineation of a new proposal.

Introduction: Current disease-specific models for prevention of mental disorders are challenged by the overlap of psychopathology, biological mechanisms, and risk factors. Moreover, mental disorders usually begin during childhood or adolescence, when symptoms fluctuate and are highly non-specific.

Discussion: We propose a staging model that integrates three domains - psychopathology, functional impairment and risk factors-, in which prevention is defined as actions to avoid stage progression, irrespective of diagnosis.

Childhood Anxiety Symptoms as a Predictor of Psychotic Experiences in Adolescence in a High-Risk Cohort for Psychiatric Disorders.

Background And Hypothesis: When occurring in adolescence, psychotic experiences (PE), subclinical psychotic symptoms, can be an early marker of mental illnesses. Studies with high-risk populations for psychosis show that anxiety symptoms often precede the onset of psychosis. Although anxiety symptoms are frequently experienced across the continuum of psychosis, no previous study has analyzed this association using a cross-lagged panel model (CLPM) longitudinally to identify if anxiety can be a predictor of PE over time or vice versa.