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Interpersonal Trauma Effects on Adolescent Depression: The Moderating Role of Neurophysiological Responses to Positive Interpersonal Images

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Abstract

Trauma exposure is associated with a heightened risk for depression and such risk is thought to vary based on the type of traumatic events (e.g., interpersonal, including abuse and domestic violence, or non-interpersonal, including accidents or natural disasters). Depression is often accompanied by altered emotional reactivity, and the late positive potential (LPP) serves as a reliable neurophysiological measure of sustained attention towards emotional stimuli, raising questions regarding the role of the LPP in moderating trauma effects on depression. We conducted a cross-sectional study of 201 adolescents aged 14–17 years (61.2% female) who were oversampled for current depression and elevated risk of depression based on maternal history. Clinical interviews were conducted to assess diagnoses and lifetime trauma exposure, and participants reported on current depressive symptoms. Electroencephalogram (EEG) was continuously recorded while participants completed a previously validated interpersonal emotional images task. Cumulative trauma (CT) and interpersonal trauma (IPT) were both associated with greater depressive symptoms, but non-interpersonal trauma (NIPT) was not significantly related to depressive symptoms. The association between IPT and depressive symptoms was moderated by the LPP to positive interpersonal images, such that IPT-exposed adolescents with blunted neural responses to such images showed the greatest symptoms. This result was specific to IPT, and the LPP to threatening interpersonal images did not significantly moderate the effects of IPT on depressive symptoms. These findings highlight the unique effects of interpersonal trauma on depressive symptoms and elucidate a potential vulnerability linking trauma exposure to depression risk among adolescents.

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Data/Code Availability

The data and code that support the findings of this study are available from the corresponding author Y.L. upon reasonable request.

Notes

  1. Among the 49 participants with missing EEG data, 32 were in the clinical depression group, 9 in the high-risk group, and 8 in the low-risk group. This was due to data collection changes early in the pandemic. The independent sample t test revealed that there were no significant group differences between those with missing EEG data and those with both EEG and clinical data in age (t(199) = -1.11, p = 0.27) and IPT exposure (t(198) = -1.62, p = 0.11). Yet there was a significant group difference in depressive symptoms (t(194) = -3.58, p < 0.001). The prevalence of clinical depression among the majority of participants with missing EEG data could provide an explanation. The chi square test revealed that there were no significant group difference in gender either (χ2(1) = 1.676, p = 0.195.).

  2. An independent samples t-test revealed that depressive symptoms of participants completed procedures before the start of the COVID-19 pandemic (n = 105) were significantly higher than those of participants completing procedures during the pandemic (n = 96, t = 4.63, df = 194, p < 0.05) due to a greater proportion of currently depressed adolescents enrolled pre-pandemic. Cumulative/interpersonal trauma exposure and LPP residuals to positive or threatening stimuli did not differ pre-pandemic vs. during the pandemic (ps > 0.05).

  3. 38 participants had their EOG channels replaced by cap electrodes. We conducted regression analyses with the addition of a covariate for which HEO/VEO electrodes were used and no substantive changes in results were observed.

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Acknowledgements

We would like to thank all the lab members involved in data collection and the families who participated our study.

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Authors and Affiliations

  1. Department of Psychology and Human Development, Vanderbilt University Peabody College, 230 Appleton Place, Nashville, TN, 37203-5721, United States of America

    Yinru Long, Lindsay Dickey, Samantha Pegg, Alexandra Argiros, Lisa Venanzi, Anh Dao & Autumn Kujawa

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  1. Yinru Long
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  2. Lindsay Dickey
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Correspondence to Yinru Long.

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Funding

This work was supported in part by UL1 TR000445 from National Center for Advancing Translational Sciences, and a Klingenstein Third Generation Foundation Fellowship and Brain and Behavior Research Foundation Katherine Deschner Family Young Investigator Grant awarded to AK. SP was supported by National Institute of Mental Health T32-MH18921 and National Institute of Mental Health F31-MH127817, and LD was supported by National Institute of Mental Health F31-MH127863-02.

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All authors report no conflicts of interests.

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Our study procedure received approval from the Institute of Review Board at Vanderbilt University.

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All informed consent was obtained from our participants and informed assent was obtained from our minor participants during baseline sessions.

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Long, Y., Dickey, L., Pegg, S. et al. Interpersonal Trauma Effects on Adolescent Depression: The Moderating Role of Neurophysiological Responses to Positive Interpersonal Images. Res Child Adolesc Psychopathol 52, 195–206 (2024). https://doi.org/10.1007/s10802-023-01118-0

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