The role of resilience in the development of depression, anxiety, and post-traumatic stress disorder after trauma in children and adolescents

Arjun V. Srivastava, Ryan Brown, D. Jeffrey Newport, Justin F. Rousseau, Karen D. Wagner, Andrew Guzick, Cecilia Devargas, Cynthia Claassen, Irma T. Ugalde, Amy Garrett, Kim Gushanas, Israel Liberzon, Josh M. Cisler, Charles B. Nemeroff

Research output: Contribution to journalArticlepeer-review

Abstract

This investigation, conducted within the Texas Childhood Trauma Research Network, investigated the prospective relationships between resiliency and emergent internalizing symptoms among trauma-exposed youth. The cohort encompassed 1262 youth, aged 8–20, from twelve health-related institutions across Texas, who completed assessments at baseline and one- and six-month follow-ups for resiliency, symptoms of depression, generalized anxiety, posttraumatic stress disorder (PTSD), and other demographic and clinical characteristics. At baseline, greater resilience was positively associated with older age, male (vs female) sex assigned at birth, and history of mental health treatment. Unadjusted for covariates, higher baseline resilience was associated with greater prospective depression and PTSD symptoms but not anxiety symptoms. Upon adjusting for demographic and clinical factors, higher baseline resilience was no longer associated with depression, PTSD, or anxiety symptoms. Our analyses demonstrate that the predictive value of resilience on psychopathology is relatively small compared to more readily observable clinical and demographic factors. These data suggest a relatively minor prospective role of resilience in protecting against internalizing symptoms among trauma-exposed youth and highlight the importance of controlling for relevant youth characteristics when investigating a protective effect of resilience on internalizing symptoms.

Original languageEnglish (US)
Article number115772
JournalPsychiatry Research
Volume334
DOIs
StatePublished - Apr 2024

Keywords

  • Anxiety
  • Childhood trauma
  • Major depression
  • Post-traumatic stress disorder
  • Resilience

ASJC Scopus subject areas

  • Psychiatry and Mental health
  • Biological Psychiatry

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