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Project

Methylation and Internalizing Problem Behaviors in Adolescence: Examining Associations Across Multilpe Levels of Analysis

The project attempts to draw a comprehensive picture of the role of DNA methylation in the emergence of two types of internalizing problems in adolescence (i.e., depressive symptoms and loneliness). A three-year longitudinal study, conducted on a large sample (N = 1,000), will examine prospective effects of methylation in a number of genes related to the stress response system on the development of these internalizing problems, correlated change between methylation and  internalizing problems, and methylation stability across time. DNA methylation will further be linked to internalizing problems through two intermediate levels of risk factors, that is, stress reactivity and biases in emotional information processing. Links between methylation and the quality of the parent-adolescent context will also be examined. The project will significantly advance current understanding of gene-environment interplay in the key formative period of a dolescence.
Date:1 Oct 2016 →  30 Sep 2021
Keywords:adolescence
Disciplines:Developmental psychology and ageing