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Early Behavioral Markers of Anxiety and Reduced Frontal Brain Alpha May Predict High Risk for Bullying Victimization

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Abstract

Bullying victimization has a profound negative impact on a child’s emotional, social, and cognitive development. Childhood bullying victimization is reported across various social settings, suggesting common characteristics that increase a child’s vulnerability to victimization. It is critical to identify early markers of such vulnerability to design preventative tools. Comprehensive semi-structured clinical interviews from mothers of child-victims and non-engaged control children included assessment of early developmental rituals and behavioral inhibition to social novelty, as potential behavioral correlates of anxiety. Neuropsychological and clinical assessment tools were used, and resting state spectral resting state EEG (rsEEG) was recorded. Increased frequency/severity of early developmental rituals and behaviorally inhibited responses to social novelty were apparent in all child-victims, alongside significantly reduced power of ventral prefrontal brain rsEEG alpha oscillations (8–13 Hz). This triad of findings, in line with prior studies, suggested an elevated early childhood anxiety, which, as current findings indicate, may be a cross-diagnostic marker of increased risk for life-long bullying victimization. Gaining insight into early childhood markers of anxiety may meaningfully complement neuropsychiatric prognosis and preventative efforts.

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Acknowledgements

We would like to thank Dr. Claudia Tesche for discussing with us alpha oscillatory analysis and interpretations.

Funding

This study was supported by Barbara Goldman Garland Memorial Scholarship (Grant no. 2020, Psychology, UNM), to Isabel Solis.

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Authors and Affiliations

  1. Pediatric Neuroscience Laboratory, Psychology Clinical Neuroscience Center, Department of Psychology, University of New Mexico, Albuquerque, NM, 87131, USA

    Isabel Solis & Kristina T. R. Ciesielski

  2. Department of Special Education, University of New Mexico, Albuquerque, NM, 87131, USA

    Loretta Serna

  3. Mind Research Network, and Lovelace Biomedical and Environmental Research Institute, 1101Yale Blvd, Albuquerque, NM, 87106, USA

    Julia M. Stephen

  4. Athinoula A. Martinos Center for Biomedical Imaging, Department of Radiology, Massachusetts General Hospital, Harvard Medical School, 149-13th St, Boston, MA, 02 129, USA

    Kristina T. R. Ciesielski

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  1. Isabel Solis
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  4. Kristina T. R. Ciesielski
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Correspondence to Kristina T. R. Ciesielski.

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Solis, I., Serna, L., Stephen, J.M. et al. Early Behavioral Markers of Anxiety and Reduced Frontal Brain Alpha May Predict High Risk for Bullying Victimization. Child Psychiatry Hum Dev 55, 71–81 (2024). https://doi.org/10.1007/s10578-022-01372-1

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