Author ORCID Identifier
0000-0002-1243-109X
Defense Date
2024
Document Type
Dissertation
Degree Name
Doctor of Philosophy
Department
Psychology
First Advisor
Marcia A. Winter
Second Advisor
Sunny H. Shin
Third Advisor
David Chester
Fourth Advisor
Wendy Kliewer
Fifth Advisor
Ellen Carpenter
Abstract
Affecting one in every seven children in the United States, child maltreatment (CM) is a major public health issue associated with a myriad of adverse outcomes (e.g., alcohol and drug abuse, mental illness, interpersonal violence, sexual risk taking, etc.). While any subtype of CM (e.g., physical abuse, sexual abuse, emotional abuse, and neglect) increases the likelihood of subsequent psychopathology, heterogeneity in psychiatric sequelae of CM is associated with different CM subtypes. Elucidating the underlying mechanisms of this heterogeneity is vital for improving intervention and treatment of CM, and research aimed at accomplishing this is a critical need. One possible explanatory mechanism is structural brain development, though the distinct impact of CM subtype brain morphology has not been thoroughly explored. The goal of this longitudinal study was to examine neurodevelopmental trajectories of the hippocampus, with attention given to the distinct role CM subtype may have, and ascertain if those trajectories act as a mechanistic explanation for anxiety, depression, and substance use following CM. Data were drawn from baseline (ages 9-11 years) as well as 2- and 4-year follow-ups from a large-scale, youth-centered, multi-site dataset: the Adolescent Brain Cognitive Development (ABCD) study. Hippocampus density was found to increase over time in both the left and right hemispheres; however, CM subtypes were not found to have distinct trajectories. Further, CM subtypes mostly did not predict anxiety, depression, and substance use outcomes, and hippocampal morphology did not mediate any present associations. Potential explanations for these null findings are discussed, and directions for future research are outlined.
Rights
© The Author
Is Part Of
VCU University Archives
Is Part Of
VCU Theses and Dissertations
Date of Submission
8-7-2024