Tierel Hood-Nellum, “Isolated Minds Under Pressure: Social Isolation, Stress, and the Adolescent Brain – Exploratory Factor Analysis in the Adolescent Brain Cognitive Development Study”
Mentor: Krista Lisdahl, Psychology, Letters & Science (College of)
Poster #182
Social isolation, a growing public health issue, has been linked to both poor physical and mental health outcomes (Almeida et al., 2022). Social isolation has been demonstrated to be associated with several biopsychosocial issues including drug dependence, mood disorders, depression, and cardiovascular diseases (Campagne, 2019). Chronic stress, likewise, has been implicated in poor physical and mental health outcomes (Shankar & Park, 2016). One particularly vulnerable population to the effects of social isolation and stress is children (Brandt et al., 2022). Social Isolation during preadolescent years may have long-term negative impacts on cognitive and emotional development (Brandt et al., 2022). Chronic stress, similarly, can cause broad deviations from typical neurodevelopment (Smith & Pollak, 2020). Understanding how social isolation and stress interact during development could prove integral in implementing proper interventions for children at risk. We conducted an exploratory factor analysis with a total of eight prosocial behavior items from both youth- and parent-reported scales in the Adolescent Brain Cognitive Development study. We tested one-, two-, and three-factor models in youth at baseline (n=10,305), with the latter model fitting the data best. Confirmatory factor analysis within a held-out, naive subsample validated this three-factor model, with adequate fit statistics (CFI=0.953, RMSEA=0.030[0.025-0.036], SRMR=0.022). We then cross-sectionally regressed stress onto all three factors in a structural equation model. The SEM fit the data well and revealed that two of the three factors significantly predicted stress (ps<0.0001); items of these two factors appeared to encapsulate perceived and objective social isolation, respectively. In youth aged 9-10, perceived and objective social isolation were significantly linked with increased stress. Our findings suggest that encouraging prosocial behaviors through intervention might prove efficacious for reducing stress in children. Future research should evaluate the impact of social skill classes and friendship encouraging programs on stress levels during late childhood and early adolescence.