# Conceptual Models of Childhood Adversity: Multivariate and Neural Approaches

> **NIH NIH F31** · UNIVERSITY OF OREGON · 2024 · $48,735

## Abstract

PROJECT SUMMARY
Childhood adverse experiences confer risk for a multitude of negative long-term health outcomes, but the
processes through which these experiences are neurobiologically embedded and possibly buffered by positive
experiences are still unclear. Though adversity is regularly associated with differences in brain structure, many
studies yield conflicting evidence. These may be resolved through methodological and conceptual
advancements that consider the discrepancies in adversity measurement, age-related expressions of neural
effects, and possible competing effects of positive childhood experiences. Adolescence, a period of dynamic
neural change when many first experience mental health problems, is a promising time to evaluate the effects
of childhood adversity on brain development and mental health. This project will employ cutting edge
computational techniques to identify the relative advantages of two conceptual models of adversity – the
cumulative risk model and dimensional model of psychopathology – as they relate to changes in brain structure
and mental health throughout adolescence. To achieve these objectives, this project draws from up to six
waves of data from a longitudinal sample of 174 adolescent girls (initial ages 10-13, ~18 months between
waves). The specific aims are: 1) evaluate the fit of cumulative and dimensional models of adversity with
longitudinal trajectories of mental health symptoms; 2) evaluate the fit of cumulative and dimensional models of
adversity with structural brain development and determine the viability of brain-as-a-mediator model; and 3)
identify the effect of positive life experiences on adversity-brain-health relationships. Completion of these aims
will sharpen scientific understanding of these conceptual models and provide targets for translational
application. To facilitate a career as a clinical and developmental neuroscientist, this project has five training
goals: develop expertise in 1) operationalizing childhood experiences to predict meaningful outcomes; 2)
employing longitudinal univariate and multivariate techniques; 3) adolescent structural brain development; 4)
science communication; and 5) professional development. This training will occur within the state-of-the-art
Center for Translational Neuroscience at the University of Oregon. Dr. Jennifer Pfeifer will be the primary
mentor due to her extensive knowledge of adolescent development and neuroimaging. Dr. Philip Fisher, an
expert in the effects of early adversity, will provide expertise on the conceptual models of adversity. Dr. Robert
Chavez will provide mentorship related to his considerable experience in multivariate modeling. Dr. Kathryn
Mills will support training in adolescent brain development and reproducible neuroscience practices as a
consultant with considerable expertise in those areas. Dr. Jena Doom, who has expertise in protective
mechanisms against childhood stress, will serve as a consultant on the operationalizati...

## Key facts

- **NIH application ID:** 10932208
- **Project number:** 5F31MH133386-02
- **Recipient organization:** UNIVERSITY OF OREGON
- **Principal Investigator:** Ann-Marie Barrett
- **Activity code:** F31 (R01, R21, SBIR, etc.)
- **Funding institute:** NIH
- **Fiscal year:** 2024
- **Award amount:** $48,735
- **Award type:** 5
- **Project period:** 2023-09-16 → 2025-09-15

## Primary source

NIH RePORTER: https://reporter.nih.gov/project-details/10932208

## Citation

> US National Institutes of Health, RePORTER application 10932208, Conceptual Models of Childhood Adversity: Multivariate and Neural Approaches (5F31MH133386-02). Retrieved via AI Analytics 2026-05-25 from https://api.ai-analytics.org/grant/nih/10932208. Licensed CC0.

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