Social Connectedness and Neurodevelopmental Functioning in Youth: Insights from the ABCD Study^®

Area of Science:

• Neuroscience
• Developmental Psychology
• Public Health

Background:

• Neurodevelopmental disorders pose significant public health challenges.
• Social connectedness may act as a protective factor for neurodivergent youth.
• Neural networks involved in social processing may impact outcomes.

Purpose of the Study:

• To investigate associations between social connectedness, brain functional connectivity, and neurodevelopmental functioning in youth.
• To explore the role of the salience network in mediating these relationships.

Main Methods:

• Utilized data from the Adolescent Brain Cognitive Development (ABCD) Study (N=11,878).
• Employed linear mixed effects and mediation models.
• Examined links between social connectedness, salience network connectivity, and neurodevelopmental outcomes.

Main Results:

• Authoritative parenting and extracurricular involvement correlated with better neurodevelopmental functioning (p≤0.002).
• Family conflict was associated with poorer functioning (p≤0.003).
• Salience network connectivity did not show significant associations with social connectedness or neurodevelopmental functioning (p>0.01).

Conclusions:

• Fostering positive family relationships and extracurricular engagement may improve outcomes for neurodivergent youth.
• Further research is needed to identify other influencing factors and neural mechanisms.
• Observed effect sizes were small, suggesting a need for comprehensive approaches.