internalizing problems Archives

Childhood White Matter Linked to Teen Depression, With or Without ADHD

by GLOOM

MHD card showing a hook-shaped bundle of glowing violet nerve fibers ending in a cut cross-section that a steel caliper is measuring, illustrating a study linking childhood white matter tract size to teen depression in youth with and without ADHD.

Brain scans taken at ages 8 to 13 were linked to depression scores years later, in teens with and without attention deficit hyperactivity disorder (ADHD). A 2026 study followed 76 children into adolescence and found that the size of one emotion-related wiring bundle in childhood statistically predicted later depression symptoms, regardless of ADHD diagnosis.1 Research …

Child Violence in South Africa: 91% Exposed by Age 8

by GLOOM

MHD featured image for child violence exposure and mental health in a South African birth cohort.

Violence exposure was nearly universal by age 8 in a South African birth cohort: 91.1% of children had experienced at least 1 violence type, and 53.6% had experienced more than 1. Recent violence exposure at age 8 was consistently tied to mental-health problems, while earlier exposure at age 4.5 showed weaker longitudinal prediction than same-age …