Does social motivation in adolescence differentially predict the impact of childhood threat exposure on developing suicidal thoughts and behaviors

PROJECT SUMMARY This goal of this K23 Mentored Patient-Oriented Research Career Development Award is for the candidate to gain expertise in childhood threat exposure, social motivation (SM), and risk for suicidal thoughts and behaviors (STBs). Childhood threat exposure increases risk for STBs by affecting brain functioning associated interpersonal stress. Adolescence is filled with interpersonal stress; yet, not all adolescents with childhood threat exposure experience STBs, indicating that additional factors exacerbate risk. Identifying additional factors that interact with threat to increase STBs is imperative for identifying novel suicide prevention target mechanisms. This project will identify whether SM represents an additional factor that moderates the link between childhood threat exposure and STBs. Training objectives for this award will include skill acquisition in: (1) Developmental psychopathology models of childhood threat exposure and SM, (2) Neurobiological and behavioral mechanisms of risk for STBs, and (3) Advanced intensive time series modeling of brain connectivity. Training will facilitate the ability to conduct a study characterizing self-report, brain, and behavioral measures of SM in adolescents (Aim 1) to examine whether maladaptive social motivation strengthens the link between threat exposure and STBs (Aim 2). A final exploratory Aim 3 will allow for a preliminary investigation into how puberty, biological sex, and age further moderate the interaction between threat exposure and SM on STBs. This study will leverage two R01 projects to test Aims in two Cohorts; Cohort 1 (n = 220) includes early adolescent females aged 9 – 16, while Cohort 2 (n = 275) consists of adolescent male and females aged 15- 18. Experts from the University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill, Washington University St. Louis, and the University of Illinois Urbana-Champaign will mentor and consult with the candidate on the 3 training goals of this project: Margaret Sheridan Ph.D. & Adam Miller Ph.D. (Co-primary mentors), along with Karen Rudolph Ph.D., Deanna Barch Ph.D., Katie Gates, Ph.D. (Scientific Advisors), and Eva Telzer, Ph.D. and Joan Luby, M.D. (Consultants). This award provides the necessary training to become a unique, transdisciplinary researcher at the intersection of clinical, social, and developmental neuroscience. In consultation with the mentors, the candidate will use the training and the results of the research to inform the next steps in the candidate’s program of research on childhood adversity, social motivation, and risk for STBs during adolescence. Training and results from this award will also inform future R01 submission.