(PS4-D84) A Dimensional Approach to Early Life Adversity; Associations Between Threat, Deprivation, and Externalizing Behavior in Childhood

Friday, November 18, 2022

1:30 PM – 2:30 PM EST

Location: Westside Ballroom, 5th Floor

Author(s)

MS

Michaela Sisitsky, B.S.

Doctoral Student
Florida International University
Miami, Florida

Co-Author(s)

Geraldine D. Cadet, B.A.

Clinical Research Coordinator
Florida International University
Miami, Florida
AG

Adriana Gallat, B.A.

Lead Research Assitant
Florida International University
Miami, Florida
FB

Faith F. Baez, B.A.

Student Researcher
Florida International University
Miami, Florida
NB

Neraldis Barcelo, B.S.

Research Assistant
Florida International University
Miami, Florida
JP

Justin Parent, Ph.D.

Assistant Professor (Research)
Alpert Medical School of Brown University
Providence, Rhode Island

Exposure to adverse childhood experiences (ACE’s) such as abuse, neglect, and witnessing violence, has detrimental consequences for physical and mental health that may persist across the lifespan. Specifically, ACE’s have been associated with increased externalizing behaviors such as aggression and opposition. However, little is known about how distinct dimensions of adversity impact youth outcomes. The goal of the present study is to understand how two core dimensions of adversity exposure (threat and deprivation) influence externalizing symptoms in childhood, specifically within a sample comprised of majority (75%) urban, BIPOC youth. The present study included data from the Fragile Families and Child Wellbeing Study (FFCWS), a large population-based, birth cohort study of children born between 1998 and 2000 across 20 large cities in the United States. The present study includes a subset of the original sample (N= 3,082, 47.9% female). At time of birth, mothers of focal children self-identified as Black non-Hispanic (N= 1550, 50.3%), Hispanic (N= 760, 24.7%), white non-Hispanic (N=664, 21.5%), or another race/ethnicity (N=102, 3.3%). Threat was measured at age 3 and was conceptualized as an average of the child’s exposure to 1) emotional, verbal, and physical abuse, 2) community violence and 3) intimate partner violence reported by the child’s primary caregiver. Deprivation was measured at age 3 and was conceptualized as an average of 1) physical and emotional neglect, 2) cognitive and social stimulation, and 3) access to toys and books in the home reported by the child’s primary caregiver. Externalizing symptoms at age 9 were reported by the primary caregiver on the Child Behavior Checklist (CBCL). A multiple regression model was estimated to predict child externalizing symptoms at age 9 from threat and deprivation at age 3. The regression model statistically significantly predicted externalizing symptom severity, F (2, 3081) = 37.12, p< .001, R2= .024. Threat, b=1.34, 95% CI [1.02, 1.65], p< .001, was a significant predictor of externalizing behavior, such that higher levels of threat were associated with increases in child externalizing symptoms at age 9. Deprivation, b=.15, 95% CI [-.12, .41], p=.28, was not a significant predictor of externalizing behavior. Results from the present study suggest that exposure to threats, but not deprivation, in early life is associated with increased externalizing behaviors in childhood. Findings have implications for early intervention and prevention efforts aimed at reducing exposure to threatening experiences in a child’s environment, such as physical abuse or witnessing violence, to protect against downstream negative mental health outcomes.