Emotion Regulation Partially Mediates the Relation Between Negative Life Event Exposure and Adolescent Psychopathology

Background. Adolescence is a unique developmental period associated with increased emergence of psychopathology. Negative life event (NLE) exposure is robustly linked with adolescent psychopathology and prior work suggests that emotion regulation may mediate this relation. However, research incorporating experiences of gender diverse (GD) adolescents has been lacking, despite elevated rates of NLEs and psychopathology in GD individuals. This study examined potential gender differences in the relations between NLE exposure, ER, and psychopathology in the Adolescent Brain Cognitive Development (ABCD) Study. Methods. Data from 1955 cisgender boys, 1614 cisgender girls, and 194 GD adolescents enrolled in the ABCD study were utilized for the current study. Participants reported NLE exposure via Life Event Scale (LES) and ER difficulties via Difficulties in Emotion Regulation Scale-Parent Report (DERS-P) in early adolescence (M (SD) age = 12.93 (.27) years), followed by their internalizing and externalizing psychopathology symptoms via Child Behavior Checklist (CBCL) and Brief Problem Monitor-Youth (BPM-Y) one year later (M (SD) age = 14.12 years). Mediation analyses were conducted using structural equation modeling and conditional process modeling. Results. GD youth had higher rates of NLE exposure and more ER difficulties and psychopathology symptoms than cisgender peers. ER difficulties partially mediated relations between NLE exposure and all psychopathology symptoms for all gender groups. Gender moderated direct relations between NLE exposure and youth-report internalizing symptoms such that relations were stronger for cis girls and GD youth compared to cis boys. Conclusions. ER difficulties partially mediated relations between NLE exposure and psychopathology symptoms in a large sample of adolescents in the United States. Higher negative life experience exposure, ER difficulties, and psychopathology symptoms for GD youth compared to peers warrant additional study on ways to support these adolescents. Keywords: NLEs, emotion regulation, adolescence, gender. Abbreviations: NLE – negative life event; ER – emotion regulation; GD – gender diverse; ABCD Study – Adolescent Brain Cognitive Development Study; LES – Life Event Scale; DERS-P – Difficulties in Emotion Regulation-Parent Report; CBCL – Child Behavior Checklist; BPM-Y – Brief Problem Monitor youth report.