Social processes as the missing link: Cross-sectionally testing a conceptual model on social mediators of early psychopathological development
Abstract
Background: Research suggests that most mental health conditions have their onset in the critically social period of adolescence. Yet, we lack understanding of the potential social processes underlying early psychopathological development. We propose a conceptual model where daily-life social interactions and social skills form an intermediate link between known risk and protective factors (adverse childhood experiences, bullying, social support, maladaptive parenting) and psychopathology in adolescents – that is explored using cross-sectional data.Methods: N=1913 Flemish adolescent participants (Mean age=13.8; 63% girls) were assessed as part of the SIGMA study, a large-scale, accelerated longitudinal study of adolescent mental health and development. Self-report questionnaires (on risk/protective factors, social skills, and psychopathology) were completed during class time; daily-life social interactions were measured during a subsequent six-day experience-sampling period. Results: Registered uncorrected multilevel linear regression results revealed significant associations between all risk/protective factors and psychopathology, between all risk/protective factors and social processes, and between all social processes and psychopathology. Social processes (social skills, quantity/quality of daily social interactions) were uniquely predicted by each risk/protective factor and were uniquely associated with both general and specific types of psychopathology. For older participants, some relationships between social processes and psychopathology were stronger. Conclusions: Unique associations between risk/protective factors and psychopathology signify the distinct relevance of these factors for youth mental health, whereas the broad associations with social processes support these processes as broad correlates. Results align with the idea of a social pathway towards early psychopathology, although follow-up longitudinal research is required to verify any mediation effect.
Authors 16
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Robin Achterhof corresponding
Affiliation as printed
Center for Contextual Psychiatry , Research Group Psychiatry , Department of Neurosciences , KU Leuven , Leuven , Belgium
Center for Contextual Psychiatry, Research Group Psychiatry, Department of Neurosciences, KU Leuven, Leuven, Belgium
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Affiliation as printed
Center for Contextual Psychiatry , Research Group Psychiatry , Department of Neurosciences , KU Leuven , Campus Gasthuisberg , Herestraat 49 O&N5B bus 1029 , 3000 Leuven , Belgium
Center for Contextual Psychiatry , Research Group Psychiatry , Department of Neurosciences , KU Leuven , Leuven , Belgium
Center for Contextual Psychiatry, Research Group Psychiatry, Department of Neurosciences, KU Leuven, Leuven, Belgium
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Affiliation as printed
Center for Contextual Psychiatry , Research Group Psychiatry , Department of Neurosciences , KU Leuven , Leuven , Belgium
Research Group on Quantitative Psychology and Individual Differences , Faculty of Psychology , KU Leuven , Leuven , Belgium
Center for Contextual Psychiatry, Research Group Psychiatry, Department of Neurosciences, KU Leuven, Leuven, Belgium
Research Group on Quantitative Psychology and Individual Differences, Faculty of Psychology, KU Leuven, Leuven, Belgium
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Affiliation as printed
Center for Contextual Psychiatry , Research Group Psychiatry , Department of Neurosciences , KU Leuven , Leuven , Belgium
Center for Contextual Psychiatry, Research Group Psychiatry, Department of Neurosciences, KU Leuven, Leuven, Belgium
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Affiliation as printed
Center for Contextual Psychiatry , Research Group Psychiatry , Department of Neurosciences , KU Leuven , Leuven , Belgium
Flemish Scientific Society for Youth Health Care (VWVJ) , Leuven , Belgium
Center for Contextual Psychiatry, Research Group Psychiatry, Department of Neurosciences, KU Leuven, Leuven, Belgium
Flemish Scientific Society for Youth Health Care (VWVJ), Leuven, Belgium
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Affiliation as printed
Center for Contextual Psychiatry , Research Group Psychiatry , Department of Neurosciences , KU Leuven , Leuven , Belgium
Strategy and Academic Affairs , Administration and Central Services , Leiden University , Leiden , The Netherlands
Center for Contextual Psychiatry, Research Group Psychiatry, Department of Neurosciences, KU Leuven, Leuven, Belgium
Strategy and Academic Affairs, Administration and Central Services, Leiden University, Leiden, The Netherlands
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Affiliation as printed
KU Leuven
Center for Clinical Psychiatry, Research Group Psychiatry,
Department of Neurosciences, KU Leuven, Leuven, Belgium
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Affiliation as printed
Center for Developmental Psychiatry , Research Group Psychiatry , Department of Neurosciences , KU Leuven , Leuven , Belgium
Center for Developmental Psychiatry, Research Group Psychiatry, Department of Neurosciences, KU Leuven, Leuven, Belgium
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Open University of the Netherlands
Affiliation as printed
Open University of the Netherlands , Heerlen , the Netherlands
Open University of the Netherlands, Heerlen, the Netherlands
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Affiliation as printed
Clinical Psychology Unit for Intellectual and Developmental Disabilities , Faculty of Psychology and Educational Sciences , University of Geneva , Geneva , Switzerland
Clinical Psychology Unit for Intellectual and Developmental Disabilities, Faculty of Psychology and Educational Sciences, University of Geneva, Geneva, Switzerland
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Affiliation as printed
Center for Contextual Psychiatry , Research Group Psychiatry , Department of Neurosciences , KU Leuven , Leuven , Belgium
Center for Contextual Psychiatry, Research Group Psychiatry, Department of Neurosciences, KU Leuven, Leuven, Belgium
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University of Twente · KU Leuven
Affiliation as printed
Center for Contextual Psychiatry , Research Group Psychiatry , Department of Neurosciences , KU Leuven , Leuven , Belgium
Center for eHealth and Well-being Research , Department of Psychology, Health, and Technology , University of Twente , Enschede , The Netherlands
Center for Contextual Psychiatry, Research Group Psychiatry, Department of Neurosciences, KU Leuven, Leuven, Belgium
Center for eHealth and Well-being Research, Department of Psychology, Health, and Technology, University of Twente, Enschede, The Netherlands
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Affiliation as printed
Center for Clinical Psychiatry , Research Group Psychiatry ,
Center for Clinical Psychiatry, Research Group Psychiatry,
Department of Neurosciences, KU Leuven, Leuven, Belgium
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Open University of the Netherlands
Affiliation as printed
Open University of the Netherlands , Heerlen , the Netherlands
Open University of the Netherlands, Heerlen, the Netherlands
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King's College London · Heidelberg University · Economic and Social Research Council · Central Institute of Mental Health · Medizinische Fakultät Mannheim
Affiliation as printed
Department of Public Mental Health, Central Institute of Mental Health, Medical Faculty Mannheim, Heidelberg University, Mannheim, Germany
ESRC Centre for Society and Mental Healthand Centre for Epidemiology and Public Health,
Health Service and Population Research Department, Institute of Psychiatry, Psychology & Neuroscience, King's College London, London, London, UK
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Affiliation as printed
Center for Contextual Psychiatry , Research Group Psychiatry , Department of Neurosciences , KU Leuven , Leuven , Belgium
Center for Contextual Psychiatry, Research Group Psychiatry, Department of Neurosciences, KU Leuven, Leuven, Belgium
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