David Bürgin

Childhood maltreatment (CM) has long-lasting effects on physical and mental health with CM type specific effects being reported. Epigenetic processes, like deoxyribonucleic acid methylation (DNAm), might mediate this link, and CM types might be linked to differential alterations in DNAm. While a study by Cecil et al. [1] suggests that different forms of CM share common but also exhibit distinct epigenetic signatures, it is unclear whether these results are generalizable to other high-risk samples. The aim of this preregistered study was to replicate the study of Cecil and colleagues [1] in a sample of N = 116 previously out-of-home placed young adults (32% women, age mean = 26.38, SD = 3.49). Participants completed the Childhood Trauma Questionnaire - Short Form (CTQ-SF), DNA was extracted from whole blood and DNAm was assayed using the Illumina Infinium MethylationEPIC BeadChip Microarray. Using state-of the-art processing pipelines, we failed to replicate the original finding of common and shared epigenetic signatures by CM type. When using a pipeline that was closely matched to the original study, we found that DNAm of cg07032930 was significantly linked to emotional neglect, but in the reverse direction as in the original report. Overall, replication rates per CM subtype were only modest. These findings highlight challenges in independently replicating reported epigenetic associations in high-risk samples and underscore the importance of replication attempts in the field of behavioral epigenetics. Further research is needed to clarify the robustness and specificity of DNAm signatures linked to distinct CM types.

Childhood maltreatment (CM) is a key risk factor for psychopathology, physical morbidity and premature mortality, potentially mediated by epigenetic processes like DNA methylation. While differential links between type and timing of CM and psychopathology are increasingly acknowledged, it remains unclear how type- and timing-specific characteristics of CM are associated with epigenetic measures of biological aging, including age acceleration, mortality risk, and the pace of aging. We thus aimed to explore these links in an at-risk sample of formerly out-of-home placed adults who often report significant exposure to CM and high rates of adverse health outcomes. One-hundred-sixteen young adults previously placed in youth residential care (33% women, age M = 26.3 years, SD = 3.6) completed the Maltreatment and Abuse Chronology of Exposure (MACE-X) and provided blood samples to estimate DNA methylation using the Illumina Infinium MethylationEPIC BeadChip Microarray. In preregistered analyses, conditional random forest regressions were used to estimate the importance of CM types (abuse, neglect, peer victimization, sexual abuse), timing (ages 3-18), and global measures (severity, multiplicity, duration) for the prediction of markers of epigenetic aging (Hannum’s and Pheno’s age acceleration and DunedinPACE). Abuse from age 9 until late adolescence predicted Hannum’s age acceleration more strongly than global CM measures and was consistently and negatively associated with it. BMI was positively linked to Hannum’s age acceleration. We found no association between CM and newer epigenetic clocks (i.e., Pheno’s age acceleration and DunedinPACE). In an at-risk sample of formerly out-of-home-placed young adults with high rates of CM, we provide first evidence that parental abuse from mid childhood until late adolescence – a potential sensitive period – was linked to decelerated epigenetic aging. CM should therefore be assessed dimensionally, rather than as a single, undifferentiated cumulative exposure.

Recalling positive autobiographical memories (AMs) can improve wellbeing, yet few studies capture these memories as they naturally occur or examine their detailed content. In a sample of 70 community adults, we used ecological momentary assessment to assess naturally occurring positive AMs in daily life. Using the large language model-based Python library BERTopic, we identified eight underlying topics: ‘Friends, partner, family’ (68.42%), ‘Work, study’ (8.33%), ‘Being in nature or the moment, pets’ (5.60%), ‘Family & social events’ (3.69%), ‘Exam success’ (3.96%), ‘Success in sports – self or as a fan’ (3.28%), ‘Outdoor activities and sports’ (3.14%), and ‘School days, studies’ (2.19%). Participants reported vivid, sensory AMs accompanied by positive emotions. Greater AM vividness was systematically associated with greater immediate AM-related happiness, underscoring vividness as a potential amplifier in everyday remembering. By sharing our detailed methodology, code, and anonymized examples, we lay the groundwork for large-scale computational analysis of AMs assessed under the noisy and unstructured conditions of everyday life.

Background: Adolescents frequently experience mental health problems, yet many do not receive professional support, highlighting the need to understand their attitudes, barriers, and help-seeking intentions. Existing work has rarely combined mixed-method approaches using gender-varied vignettes spanning multiple disorder groups with qualitative exploration of adolescents’ own explanations. This mixed-methods study aims to examine adolescents’ attitudes toward professional help-seeking and perceived barriers, and to explore gender- and disorder-specific patterns in help-seeking intentions. Method: In Study I, 645 adolescents (14–21 years) from Swiss secondary and vocational schools completed a digital questionnaire including three mental health vignettes (internalizing, externalizing, dependence/addictive-pattern related disorders) and one control vignette (lovesickness). Participants rated problem recognition, perceived need for help, and intentions to seek help, and ranked preferred informal and professional help sources in response to each vignette. In Study II, 60 adolescents took part in semi-structured focus group discussions, which explored experiences, attitudes, and perceived barriers to professional help-seeking in greater depth. Qualitative data were analyzed using inductive content analysis to complement and contextualize the quantitative findings. Results: Study I found that adolescents recognized internalizing disorders most accurately, followed by dependence/addictive-pattern related disorders and externalizing disorders, but often underestimated the need for help. Despite recognizing mental health problems, intentions to seek professional help remained low across vignettes, and informal sources such as parents and friends were predominantly ranked as first‑line options. Male adolescents showed lower recognition of the need for help than females and were less likely to recommend professional sources. Study II highlights limited knowledge about professional help sources among adolescents, a marked preference for self-help among young men, and a wish for more education on mental health and increased anonymity of help sources as well as diverse, youth-friendly contact modalities. Conclusions: The combination of low intentions to seek help from professional sources, limited knowledge of available services, and strong reliance on informal help suggests a need for broad mental health literacy interventions. Such initiatives may benefit from being tailored to different genders and disorder types and from incorporating adolescents’ own suggestions, including school-based education, anonymous access options, and diverse modalities for contacting professional services.

Background: Adults formerly placed out‐of‐home (care leavers) often accumulate multiple psychosocial adversities that can lead to poor quality of life (QoL) and place them at high risk for developing mental disorders persisting into adulthood. This study examines the development of mental disorders among care leavers and their QoL, differentiating by disorder groups. Methods: The sample consisted of 119 young adults formerly placed out‐of‐home ( M _{age at baseline} = 15.0 years; M _{age at follow‐up} = 25.4 years). Mental disorders were assessed at baseline using the Kiddie Schedule for Affective Disorder and Schizophrenia—Present and Lifetime Version and at a 10‐year follow‐up with the Structured Clinical Interview for DSM‐5 Disorders—Clinician Version. Personality disorders were evaluated at both time points using the Structured Clinical Interview for DSM‐IV‐TR Axis II. QoL was measured at follow‐up using the World Health Organization QoL‐BREF questionnaire. Results: Four groups based on the presence or absence of mental disorders at baseline and follow‐up were identified: resilient ( n = 24, 20.2%), persistent ( n = 56, 47.0%), remitted ( n = 25, 21.0%), and newly occurring ( n = 14, 11.8%). Regarding the mental disorder groups, internalizing disorders at baseline ( β = −0.44, p < .05, 95% CI [−0.85, −0.04]) and internalizing ( β = −0.78, p < .001, 95% CI [−1.14, −0.43]) and externalizing disorders ( β = −0.50, p < .01, 95% CI [−0.86, −0.13]) at follow‐up were negatively associated with QoL in young adulthood. Conclusions: Mental disorder trajectories from childhood to young adulthood can negatively impact care leavers' QoL. Prevention and early intervention, as well as addressing mental health during out‐of‐home placement and transition into young adulthood, are important to reduce the risk of persistent psychopathology and lower QoL.

Background: Adolescents and young adults in residential youth care (RYC) face cumulated adversity and high emotional and behavioral problems yet face structural barriers that limit access to evidence-based mental health care. While digital tools promise scalability and flexibility, real-world implementation and effectiveness in vulnerable youth in institutional care remain understudied. Objective: This study aimed to evaluate the implementation and effectiveness of a newly developed web-based self-help or group-facilitated version of the START NOW intervention in a three-arm cluster-randomized control trial for youth in RYC in Switzerland. Methods: 164 adolescents and young adults (M = 16.6 years, SD = 1.5; 43.8% female) from 27 RYC institutions were enrolled in a 9-week self-help or group-facilitated START NOW intervention tested against treatment-as-usual (TAU). Psychological inflexibility was the primary outcome; secondary outcomes included trait resilience, well-being, self-efficacy, functional impairment, and distress. Surveys were administered at baseline, post-intervention, 3-, and 6-month follow-up. Primary analyses employed linear mixed models in an intention-to-treat approach imputing missing data to estimate treatment effects at 3-month follow up. The trial was registered: ClinicalTrials.gov Identifier: NCT05313581; 6th April 2022. Results: The group-facilitated condition showed higher intervention compliance than the self-help help condition, over 50% of youth in the self-help group did not conduct a single session. Longitudinal follow‑up completion rates declined substantially, with only 37.8% providing data at T3 with the self-help group displaying the lowest levels (TAU 47.8%, 20.7% self-help, 48.3% facilitated group). No significant differences in psychological inflexibility or any secondary outcomes were found between study arms. Conclusions: In contrast to prior evidence from group-based START NOW interventions with more intensive facilitator support, the web-based START NOW adaptation evaluated in this found no evidence for additional benefits over TAU in RYC settings. Findings highlight critical implementation barriers to high attrition and missing data. Successful adoption of digital interventions in RYC require tailored, blended approaches with active facilitation and adaptive support structures.

Background: Large‐scale population‐based studies of risk and protective factors for youth mental health rarely assess youths' first‐hand experiences in their own words. This longitudinal study analyzed young people's self‐reported most important life events and examined how the key topics changed from midadolescence to young adulthood and are associated with internalizing symptoms. Methods: N = 1,442 participants from an urban, multiethnic cohort reported their most important life events at ages 15, 17, 20, and 24 in open‐text segments. Themes in N = 5,670 descriptions were analyzed using topic modeling with the Python library BERTopic. Results: Most reported events were positive in valence (83.1%), and were often ‘normative’, commonly occurring experiences spanning diverse life domains (education and career development, social relationships, leisure activities and successes, mental health and well‐being, and other life transitions and independence). Event topics displayed systematic developmental shifts from midadolescence to adulthood. Higher internalizing symptoms were associated with a greater likelihood of reporting interpersonal and stressful events rather than positive or achievement‐related ones. Conclusions: Longitudinal population‐based research can draw on open‐text data and employ NLP techniques to assess young people's lived experiences. The predominance of positive events and their associations with internalizing symptoms suggest that an increased focus on promoting beneficial experiences, next to reducing stressful events, may promote youth mental health.