Neural and Mental Health Correlates of Social Rejection in Adolescence

描述(由申请人提供)：本提案的目标是通过实施包括实验性神经成像和行为技术在内的翻译研究计划，扩大对青春期社会拒绝经历和相关精神病理结果的理解。在个人经历和观察他人经历社交拒绝的过程中，检查主观痛苦和神经反应将有助于揭示为什么同伴拒绝在青春期特别突出，并解释个体在精神病理结果上的差异可能会如何发展。参与者将经历一次模拟的社交拒绝体验，并在功能磁共振扫描中观察另一个人的社交拒绝体验。使用这种方法，可以通过这两种不同的拒绝经历来观察与社会痛苦相关的大脑活动以及对这种痛苦的调节。参与者将完成他们在被拒绝过程中和之后的主观感受和归因的行为测量。此外，参与者及其父母将在接受功能磁共振扫描后的一年内，与排斥体验同时完成精神健康症状学评级。本研究收集的功能磁共振成像和行为数据将被用来检验：(1)与社会排斥相关的青少年痛苦体验和调节的神经机制；(2)与共情的社会排斥经历相关的心理影响和神经机制；(3)社会拒绝的直接和共情体验如何与同时和纵向的心理结果相关。这项拟议研究的长期目标包括确定社交拒绝经历的基本神经机制，这可能解释为什么同伴拒绝在青春期特别突出，以及在这一发展阶段，社交拒绝经历与消极心理健康结果之间的神经联系。与公共卫生的相关性：鉴于目前人们对青春期的同伴欺凌和受害以及由此产生的可能持续整个发育过程的临床结果的兴趣，拟议的项目与公共卫生研究特别相关。鉴于这些行为在青春期的普遍存在，了解社会拒绝经历的前因后果对所有青少年来说都很重要，无论他们是这些行为的目击者还是受害者。确定与社会拒绝经历有关的神经机制和精神病理症状将为所有青少年提供相关的干预策略。

DESCRIPTION (provided by applicant): The goal of this proposal is to expand upon understanding of experiences with social rejection and related psychopathological outcomes during adolescence by implementing a translational program of research including both experimental neuroimaging and behavioral techniques. Examining subjective distress and neural responses during both personal experiences and observations of others' experiences with social rejection will help reveal why peer rejection is particularly salient during adolescence and explain how individual differences in psychopathological outcomes may develop. Participants will undergo a simulated experience of social rejection and observe another individual's experience of social rejection during an fMRI scan. Using this methodology, it will be possible to observe brain activity related to social distress and regulation of this distress throughout these two different rejection experiences. Participants will complete behavioral measures of their subjective feelings and attributions during, and immediately following, the rejection experiences. In addition, participants and their parents will complete ratings of mental health symptomatology at the same time point as the rejection experience, as well as one year following the fMRI scan. fMRI and behavioral data collected in this study will be used to examine: (1) neural mechanisms underlying adolescents' experience and regulation of distress related to social exclusion; (2) the psychological impact and neural mechanisms associated with 'empathic' social exclusion experiences; and (3) how direct and empathic experiences with social rejection are related to concurrent and longitudinal psychological outcomes. The long-term objectives of the proposed research include the identification of basic neural mechanisms underlying experiences with social rejection that may explain why peer rejection is particularly salient during adolescence, as well as neural links between experiences with social rejection and negative mental health outcomes across this stage of development. PUBLIC HEALTH RELEVANCE: The proposed project is particularly relevant for research in public health given the current interest in peer bullying and victimization during adolescence and resulting clinical outcomes that can last long-term across development. Given the prevalence of these behaviors during adolescence, understanding the antecedents and consequences of social rejection experiences is important for all adolescents, whether they are witness to, or a victim of, these behaviors. Identifying the neural mechanisms and psychopathological symptoms related to experiences with social rejection will inform intervention strategies relevant for all adolescents.