Alexandra Rodman

Sponsor: NIH

Behavioral and neurocognitive mechanisms linking peer victimization to adolescent psychopathology

Adolescence is a period of heightened vulnerability for many forms of psychopathology. This vulnerability comes at a time when emotional and physiological responses to peer rejection are elevated, rendering peer victimization particularly damaging. Despite the strong links between peer victimization and internalizing problems during adolescence, the behavioral and neural mechanisms underlying this association remain unclear. The proposed project will test a novel conceptual model, whereby two underlying dimensions of peer victimization, peer threat (e.g., presence of negative social experiences, like rejection) and peer deprivation (e.g., absence of positive social experiences, like ostracism) differentially shape neurocognitive processes and social behaviors that have relevance for psychopathology. We test this conceptual model using experimental and observational approaches in an intensive longitudinal design, including experimental and fMRI tasks, digital phenotyping, and predictive modeling approaches. This work is a necessary first step in developing targeted interventions to mitigate the effects of peer victimization during adolescence.