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Abstract

Adolescent Victimization, Brain Development Quinlan EB, Barker ED, Luo Q, Banaschewski T, Bokde ALW, Bromberg U, et al. Peer victimization and its impact on adolescent brain development and psychopathology. Mol Psychiatry. Published online December 2018. There is limited neuroimaging research on peer victimization (PV). The aim of this study was to determine the relationship between chronic PV and regional brain volumes. Participants (n 5 682, 46% male) were from the IMAGEN project, a multisite, longitudinal study of adolescent brain development and mental health. At 14, 16, and 19 years of age, PV was assessed using a questionnaire, and a brain MRI was performed. At the age of 19 years, psychopathology symptoms were assessed using the computer-administered Developmental and Well-Being Assessment (DAWBA) and Strengths and Difficulties Questionnaire (SDQ). Results showed the following PV scores (mean [SD, range]) at 14, 16, and 19 years of age, respectively: (4.0 [1.6, 3–13]); (3.5 [1.2, 3–13]); and (3.3 [1.0, 3–15]), respectively. In the latent profile analysis, there were 2 groups identified with no significant difference in sex: chronically high PV (high peer victimization [HPV], n 5 36, 38% male) and low PV (low peer victimization [LPV], n 5 646, 46% male). Compared with the LPV group, the HPV group had higher SDQ scores (emotional symptoms: U 5 7829.0, r 5 20.13, p 5 0.001; hyperactivity: U 5 8223.0, r 5 20.11, p 5 0.003) and higher DAWBA scores (depression: U 5 6557.0, r 5 20.13, p 5 0.001; generalized anxiety: U 5 9101.5, r 5 20.10, p 5 0.006). Further analysis showed that HPV participants had larger left putamen volume at 14 years (t522.966, p5 0.003, d 5 0.49) but not at 19 years (t 5 21.834, p 5 0.067, d 5 0.30), suggesting greater decreases in putamen volume over time compared with LPV, even after controlling for confounders such as sex and childhood trauma. There was also a negative relationship between generalized anxiety and change in putamen volume (t 5 22.31, p 5 0.021). In the indirect effects analysis, PV was indirectly associated with generalized anxiety by decreases in putamen volume (b 5 0.439, 95% confidence interval [95% CI], 0.004–0.109) and decreases in caudate volume (b 5 0.036, [95% CI], 0.002–0.099). The authors concluded that adolescent mental health is related to PV mediated by structural brain changes. These have implications for early intervention among HPV adolescents to prevent PVassociated pathological brain changes. J.H.S.