Grant: CIHR New Investigator

Youths growing up in adverse environments such as neglectful or abusive families are more susceptible to develop mental health problems, to experience difficulties with their peers and to encounter problems with the law throughout their lives. While these associations are widely known, from the general public to policy makers, it has proven difficult to translate knowledge into actions that effectively prevent these outcomes that pose a danger to the person and society as a whole. One explanation might be that we know very little about the processes whereby early victimization gets "under the skull, skin and cells" to instigate long-term risk towards mental health (e.g., depression, conduct disorder, substance use disorders). Animal research has taught us that early adversity jeopardizes brain development and disrupts our biological systems designed to help us cope with stress. These changes are believed to affect long-term vulnerabilities to mental health. The objective of this 5 year research plan is to further understand how early victimization influences adolescents' and young adults' biological functioning and how these relate to increased vulnerability to mental health problems and behavioral difficulties. Three research initiatives will be pursued to tackle this question, each using distinct but complementary strategies to generate a more comprehensive portray of the long-term impact of victimization that can be implemented into more effective strategies for adolescents and young adults who experiences childhood victimization to help them reverse their susceptibilities by fostering their potential.