Browsing by Author "Klimes-Dougan, Bonnie"

Now showing 1 - 4 of 4
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    Autonomic Nervous System Functioning and Internalizing Disorders in Adolescents
    (2011-10-17) Kramarevsky, Oxana; Klimes-Dougan, Bonnie; Hastings, Paul; Westlund, Melinda
    The autonomic nervous system (ANS) is used to describe the sympathetic (activation) and parasympathetic (inhibition) nervous system. Imbalance of the ANS is associated with negative cardiac health events and death. Coincidentally, those with internalizing or depressive symptoms and disorders have a higher occurrence rate of similar cardiac-related problems. Important to consider is the developing nervous system in adolescents with internalizing problems since changes taking place now could predispose them to future health risks. Some of the ways in which ANS dysregulation is evidenced are higher or lower heart rate (HR) or blood pressure (BP) level at rest, and exaggerated or blunted heart rate reactivity (HRR) or blood pressure reactivity (BPR) to stress. ANS differences could be a link between psychological and cardiac health in youth with internalizing problems. This study aimed to address some of the gaps in previous studies on ANS differences that have found inconsistent results by considering a larger sample of male and female adolescents with well-defined problem profiles. Participants were 215 adolescents who were identified as having elevated behavioral or emotional problems and healthy controls. ANS was measured using HR and BP as well as HRR and BPR within the context of two social stressors. Results revealed significant gender differences, with males having higher systolic blood pressure (SBP) resting level and reactivity while females showed higher HRR. When controlling for externalizing problems, males evidenced a positive correlation between internalizing problems and resting DBP, as well as with resting MAP. Internalizing problems in males were negatively correlated with DBP reactivity and MAP reactivity when controlling for externalizing symptoms. Emerging differences in ANS functioning in adolescents could have important health implications for future health and may explain current trends. The results of this study may suggest important ways in which regulating ANS functioning in adolescents may prevent emotional problems, as well as more long-term negative health consequences.
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    Biological correlates of suicide attempt during adolescence and young adulthood: integration of findings across multi-modal measures.
    (2021) Mirza, Salahudeen; Klimes-Dougan, Bonnie
    The biological correlates of suicide attempt are poorly understood in young people. Here we undertook a narrative review of the literature across biological units of analysis (brain structure and function, serum biomarkers, molecular biology) to summarize the markers associated with suicide attempt in samples of average age under 24. We suggest overall patterns in emotion, cognitive control, and social support, which emerge from alterations at each level.
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    Differences in Cortisol Levels in Depressed Adolescents Who Engage in Non-Suicidal Self-Injury
    (2020) Papke, Victoria; Klimes-Dougan, Bonnie
    Major depressive disorder (MDD) is one of the most common mental disorders affecting the adolescent population, which is in part due to the excessive vulnerability of that particular age group. A subgroup of those who suffer from depression also engage in non-suicidal self-injury (NSSI), which is the act of causing harm to one’s body without the intent of suicide. Prior research suggests an underlying mechanism of NSSI is its relationship to the hypothalamic-pituitary-adrenal (HPA) axis, where stress hormones such as cortisol are regulated and released throughout the body in response to stress. Depressed adolescents engaging in NSSI have shown blunted reactivity to stress in the HPA axis by producing lower levels of cortisol, and elevated levels for the cortisol awakening response (CAR). This study explores differences in HPA axis functioning, by way of cortisol levels, in depressed adolescents who have or have not engaged in NSSI. Results showed that participants who have engaged in NSSI had an elevated CAR, particularly 30 minutes post-awakening, although no significant differences were found in cortisol reactivity to stress. These results add to the prior literature suggesting that HPA axis functioning is impaired in depressed adolescents who engage in NSSI, which can allow future research to further explore this association on a larger scale.
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    Examining the Effects of the Creativity Camp Intervention on Depression and Suicidality in Depressed Adolescents
    (2023) Frederiksen, Jordan; Nair, Aparna U; DiMaggio-Potter, Michaelle E; Klimes-Dougan, Bonnie; Cullen, Kathryn R.
    Many adolescents experience depression and, sometimes in tandem, suicidality. Unfortunately, not all depression and suicidality can treated using the same methods, as it is often the case they may be resistant to common techniques such as Cognitive Behavioral Therapy or SSRIs. Using a novel Creativity Camp intervention, we analyzed the effects on suicidality, and found a statistically significant reduction in depression symptoms using the CDI-2, and a reduction in adolescents reporting suicidality from pre-camp to post-camp.