Browsing by Author "Lewis, Jasmine"

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    Childhood Maltreatment is Associated with Adult Depression: Is Inflammation to Blame?
    Lewis, Jasmine (Virginia Tech, 2022-12-12)
    By 2030 major depression is predicted to be the leading cause of disease burden in the world; as such, it is critical to understand factors that contribute to the development of depression. The social signal transduction theory of depression hypothesizes that adversity and social threat upregulate pro-inflammatory biomarkers leading to depression. The current study examined whether pro-inflammatory biomarkers (interleukin-6, interleukin-8, c-reactive protein, and tumor necrosis factor alpha) mediate the association between various types of childhood maltreatment (physical abuse, sexual abuse, emotional abuse, physical neglect, emotional neglect) and adult depression symptoms in a sample of 740 adults (372 female; Mage= 51.6 years, SD = 13.6) who provided retrospective report of childhood maltreatment as part of the Midlife in the United States (MIDUS) Refresher Biomarker study. Additionally, it explored whether these relations differ for males versus females. A series of linear regression analyses were run in SPSS; separate models were run for each form of childhood maltreatment and for interleukin-6, interleukin-8, c-reactive protein, and tumor necrosis factor-alpha. The results showed that childhood maltreatment is a robust predictor of adulthood depression; however, this association did not differ between biological sexes. In addition, only interleukin-6 was shown to partially mediate the association between childhood maltreatment and adulthood depression. These findings highlight the need to explore the use of interleukin-6 to screen for depression in youth.
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    Impacts of COVID-19 quarantine and isolation on adolescent social functioning
    Breaux, Rosanna; Cash, Annah R.; Lewis, Jasmine; Garcia, Katelyn M.; Dvorsky, Melissa R.; Becker, Stephen P. (Elsevier, 2023-06)
    This review discusses research conducted globally between March 2020 and March 2023 examining the impact of the COVID-19 pandemic on adolescent social functioning, including their lifestyle, extracurricular activities, family environment, peer environment, and social skills. Research highlights the widespread impact, with largely negative effects. However, a handful of studies support improved quality of relationships for some young people. Study findings underscore the importance of technology for fostering social communication and connectedness during periods of isolation and quarantine. Most studies specifically examining social skills were cross-sectional and conducted in clinical populations, such as autistic or socially anxious youth. As such, it is critical that ongoing research examines the long-term social impacts of the COVID-19 pandemic, and ways to promote meaningful social connectedness via virtual interactions.