Can socioeconomic status moderate the effect of a conflictive family environment on brain structure and externalizing/internalizing behavior in children and adolescents?

OBJECTIVE

This study examined the effects of socioeconomic status as a possible moderator of the effects of family conflict on externalizing/internalizing behavior and hippocampal and amygdala volume.

METHODS

A longitudinal complete-case analysis of 714 children and adolescents (mean age: 11.2 years; 46.2% female) was conducted using data from the Brazilian High-Risk Cohort Study for Psychiatric Disorders in Childhood. At baseline, parents/guardians completed the Family Environment Scale and a socioeconomic status scale. Three years after baseline assessment, the same participants underwent brain magnetic resonance imaging, and the Child Behavior Checklist was administered. Automated segmentation of the amygdala and hippocampus was performed in FreeSurfer 5.1.

RESULTS

Although family conflict at baseline predicted externalizing/internalizing behavior at follow-up, we found no evidence that family conflict and socioeconomic status affected brain structure or that family conflict had a moderating effect on psychopathology and brain outcomes conditioned on socioeconomic status.

CONCLUSION

These results are consistent with emerging evidence that family conflict is a risk factor for externalizing/internalizing behavior in youth. These findings warrant further attention, focusing on prevention and intervention efforts and social policy development.