New Research From Clinical Psychological Science

A sample of new research published in Clinical Psychological Science:

The Structure of Psychopathology in Adolescence: Replication of a General Psychopathology Factor in the TRAILS Study

Odilia M. Laceulle, Wilma A. M. Vollebergh, and Johan Ormel

In 2013, Caspi and colleagues found evidence for the existence of a general factor underlying all symptoms of psychopathology. In this study, Laceulle and colleagues attempted to replicate the earlier findings in a large sample of Dutch adolescents who were part of the TRacking Adolescents’ Individual Lives Survey. Self- and parent-report measures of behavioral and psychiatric problems were collected from the children and their parents when the children were between the ages of 11 and 19. Using confirmatory factor analysis to test four models used in the original study, the authors of the replication found that the data were best characterized by a model including a general psychopathology factor, a finding similar to that of Caspi and colleagues.

Stress-Induced Changes in Executive Control Are Associated With Depression Symptoms: Examining the Role of Rumination

Meghan E. Quinn and Jutta Joormann

Research has indicated that deficits in executive control may underlie problems dealing with stress, which have been linked to the development of depression. Many studies that have examined executive control have focused on trait measures, but fewer studies have examined executive control changes in the face of stressful events. Participants completed measures of executive control (an N-back task) before and after performing a stress-inducing speech taskand an arithmetic task. Participants also completed self-report measures of depression and rumination. The researchers found that poorer performance on the N-back task after the stressor was associated with higher levels of depression symptoms, but only for participants with high levels of brooding (a subtype of rumination). These results hint that depression may arise from the inability to effectively cope with stressful life events, a topic in need of further study.

Puberty, Socioeconomic Status, and Depression in Girls: Evidence for Gene x Environment Interactions

Jane Mendle, Sarah R. Moore, Daniel A. Briley, and K. Paige Harden

In this study, the authors examined the interactions between genetic and environmental factors underlying the associations between pubertal timing, socioeconomic status (SES), and depression using data from the National Longitudinal Study of Adolescent Health. Six hundred and thirty female twin and sibling pairs were assessed between 1994 and 2008 for their ages at menarche, symptoms of depression, and SES. Genetic predisposition toward an earlier menarche was associated with increased depressive symptoms in girls from high-SES backgrounds. Depression in girls from low-SES backgrounds did not seem to be connected to timing of development through either a genetic or an environmental path, suggesting that the link between pubertal timing and depression may be more complicated than is currently assumed.