Mapping trajectories: linking affective development to the emergence of depression symptoms in adolescent girls

The National Institute of Mental Health awarded the University of Oregon $100,138 on February 1, 2027, to conduct longitudinal research characterizing the links between affective development and the emergence of depression symptoms in adolescent girls under the Mental Health Research Grants program (CFDA 93.242).

The project analyzes six waves of data from the Longitudinal Transitions in Adolescent Girls Study spanning participants' second decade of life (N=174; age 10–13 at baseline). The research examines three dimensions of affective development—emotion regulation, affect, and emotional expressivity—in relation to depressive symptoms. Analyses draw upon repeated measures of positive and negative affect, participants' use of reappraisal and suppression emotion regulation strategies, and machine-learning-based facial action analysis of participants' facial expressions during a self-introduction task to code for positive, negative, and neutral expressions. The work is performed in Eugene, Oregon, with performance ending September 15, 2028.

Abstract

Depression rates spike between childhood and adolescence, with even steeper trajectories for girls, affective processes such as emotion regulation, emotional expression, and levels of positive and negative affect are implicated in depression risk, however, relatively little work has examined how these processes unfold together over time and in parallel to depressive symptoms. Emerging evidence indicates that these dimensions of affective development may follow non-linear trajectories, characterized by shifts toward negative affect and more maladaptive emotion regulation strategies between early and middle adolescence. This shift may present a window of vulnerability to target through preventative interventions. However, more longitudinal research is needed to characterize these courses of change within individuals, particularly in relation to depressive symptoms. Thus, the overall objective of this research is to characterize the longitudinal links between multidimensional mechanisms of affective development and depressive symptoms in adolescent girls. The proposed research is centered on three dimensions of affective development: emotion regulation, affect, and emotional expressivity. This project will leverage six waves of data from the longitudinal transitions in adolescent girls study (tag; R01/R56 MH107418; R01 MH127408) spanning the second decade of life (n=174; age 10-13 at baseline). Analyses will draw upon repeated measures of positive affect, negative affect, and participants' use of two emotion regulation strategies: reappraisal and suppression. To examine facial expressivity, videos of participants engaging in a self-introduction task ('this is me ) will be coded for positive, negative, and neutral facial expressions using machine-learning-based facial action analysis. This project will address the following specific aims: 1) model trajectories of affective development to identify points of heightened vulnerability, 2) characterize the concurrent trajectories of affective development and depressive symptom emergence, and 3) quantify within-person reciprocal relations between affective processes and depression outcomes. Completion of these aims will provide temporal clarity to current understandings of affective development and depression symptom emergence as CO-occurring processes. In turn, findings from this project will inform preventative intervention timing by identifying periods of heightened vulnerability, focusing on adolescent girls as a particularly high-risk population. The proposed fellowship is also positioned to further the development of an aspiring developmental affective scientist through structured training and mentorship. Specifically, the proposed research training plan will provide targeted skill development in 1) longitudinal data analysis, 2) theoretical expertise in adolescent affective development and internalizing disorders, 3) technical proficiency in facial expression analysis, and 4) manuscript and grant writing skills. The mentors offer rich and rigorous training environments which are embedded in a well-resourced, interdisciplinary research institute dedicated to prevention science and translational research.