PhD defence E. (Elisabet) Blok

Below is a brief summary of the dissertation:

Over the course of a lifetime, the majority of individuals suffer from psychopathology symptoms at one point. There is a myriad of types of psychopathology, but broadly these can be classified into internalizing symptoms (e.g., anxiety) and externalizing symptoms (e.g., aggression). Additionally, there is a group of children that has combined symptoms of anxiety, attention problems and aggressive behavior, who are labelled as having ‘emotion dysregulation’, which is a phenotype that has not been studied extensively. Given that all types of psychopathology are associated with reduced quality of life in childhood and adulthood, it is crucial to chart the emergence, course and associated factors of psychopathology symptoms in early development. The primary aim of this thesis was therefore to address the following questions:

1. How does psychopathology develop across childhood and adolescence?
2. How are cognitive performance and sleep related to psychopathology?
3. Is brain development different in those with psychopathology symptoms from typical brain development?

These questions are addressed using two large epidemiological cohort studies, the Generation R and the Adolescent Brain and Cognitive Development (ABCD) studies. Approximately 10,000 families, derived from the population of Rotterdam, participate in Generation R. Further, the ABCD study included about 12,000 children living across the United States.

Besides empirical research, a secondary aim of this thesis was to shed light on opportunities for researchers to solidify scientific progression through the use of open research practices.