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神经成像和行为技术在内的研究转化项目，扩展对青少年社会排斥经历和相关精神病理结果的理解。在个人经历和观察他人的社会排斥经历中，研究主观痛苦和神经反应将有助于揭示为什么同龄人排斥在青春期特别突出，并解释精神病理结果的个体差异是如何发展的。参与者将经历一个模拟的社会排斥体验，并在fMRI扫描中观察另一个人的社会排斥体验。使用这种方法，将有可能观察到在这两种不同的拒绝经历中与社会痛苦和对这种痛苦的调节有关的大脑活动。参与者将完成他们的主观感受和归因的行为测量，在拒绝经历期间和之后。此外，参与者和他们的父母将在排斥经历的同一时间点完成心理健康症状的评分，以及在fMRI扫描后的一年。本研究将利用功能磁共振成像（fMRI）和行为学数据研究：(1)青少年社会排斥相关痛苦体验和调节的神经机制；(2)共情性社会排斥体验的心理影响及其神经机制；(3)社会排斥的直接和共情经历与并发和纵向心理结果的关系。本研究的长期目标包括确定社会排斥经历的基本神经机制，这可能解释为什么同龄人排斥在青春期特别突出，以及在这个发展阶段，社会排斥经历和负面心理健康结果之间的神经联系。公共卫生相关性：鉴于目前对青少年时期同伴欺凌和受害的兴趣以及由此产生的临床结果可能在整个发展过程中长期持续，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，了解社会排斥经历的前因后果对所有青少年都很重要，无论他们是这些行为的目击者还是受害者。识别与社会排斥经历相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.