Developmental Psychopathology in Children and Adolescents
Summary
Developmental psychopathology examines the emergence, progression and persistence of behavioural, emotional and cognitive disorders across childhood and adolescence. It adopts a lifespan perspective, integrating biological maturation, psychological processes and social context to understand why some young people develop enduring mental health difficulties while others demonstrate resilience. Core features include the interplay between genetic predispositions and environmental influences, the identification of critical periods when interventions may be most effective, and the characterisation of diverse trajectories of risk and adaptation. Common presentations encompass internalising problems, such as anxiety and depression, and externalising problems, including aggression and hyperactivity. A transdiagnostic focus on dysregulation highlights the overlap in symptom profiles and shared underlying mechanisms. Longitudinal approaches reveal heterogeneity in developmental pathways, underscoring that similar early symptoms can lead to divergent outcomes. Insights from this field inform early screening, targeted interventions and policy decisions, aiming to promote adaptive functioning, mitigate the impact of adverse experiences and reduce the lifetime burden of mental disorders.
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Developmental Psychopathology in Children and Adolescents publication trend
The graph below shows the total number of articles in developmental psychopathology in children and adolescents across all publications each year (not limited to Nature Index journals).
Technical terms
Developmental trajectory: A pattern of change in behavioural or emotional functioning over time, often identified through longitudinal modelling.
Internalising symptoms: Emotional difficulties directed inward, such as anxiety, depression and social withdrawal.
Externalising symptoms: Behavioural difficulties expressed outwardly, including aggression, defiance and hyperactivity.
Dysregulation: Impaired capacity to modulate emotional, cognitive or behavioural responses in a flexible, context‐appropriate manner.
Group‐based multi‐trajectory modelling: A statistical method that identifies subgroups within a population that share similar developmental patterns across multiple indicators.
Comorbidity: The co‐occurrence of two or more psychiatric disorders or symptom dimensions within an individual.
References
- 5-year mental health outcomes for children and adolescents presenting with psychiatric symptoms to general practitioners in England: a retrospective cohort study. The Lancet Psychiatry (2024).
- Assessment of Psychosocial and Neonatal Risk Factors for Trajectories of Behavioral Dysregulation Among Young Children From 18 to 72 Months of Age. JAMA Network Open (2023).
- Identify adolescents' help-seeking intention on suicide through self- and caregiver's assessments of psychobehavioral problems: deep clustering of the Tokyo TEEN Cohort study. The Lancet Regional Health - Western Pacific (2023).
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