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Youth in the US experience trauma events at high rates, and many report experiencing more than one type of adverse childhood event before they turn 18. Exposure to these traumatic experiences is known to be linked to adverse mental and physical health outcomes. This study investigated the nature of the relationship between trauma exposure and symptoms of depression, anxiety, and suicidal ideation. To study the dose-response nature of traumatic experiences, the sample was divided into four groups: No Traumatic Exposure Categories (No TEC), 1 TEC, 2-3 TEC, and 4 or more TEC. Using PHQ-A to measure depression and GAD-7 to measure anxiety, the investigators found that the depression scores were lower in the No TEC group than in the 2-3 TEC and the ≥4 TEC groups, with cis-gendered participants having significantly lower scores than their trans/non-binary counterparts. Similarly, significantly lower anxiety scores were found in the No TEC group compared to the other groups. In the role of suicidality, measured by CHRT-SR, only specific trauma types were significantly different from the no-trauma group, suggesting that these trauma types may be unique predictors of suicidal risk. It is important to continue investigating the role of trauma in suicidal youth to potentially develop new treatment protocols.

Goodman, L. C., Elmore, J. S., Mayes, T. L., Minhajuddin, A., Slater, H., Blader, J. C., Liberzon, I., Baronia, R. B., Bivins, E. J., LaGrone, J. M., Jackson, S., Martin, S. L., Brown, R., Soares, J. C., Wakefield, S. M., & Trivedi, M. H. (2024). Linking trauma to mental health in the statewide Texas Youth Depression and Suicide Research Network (TX-YDSRN). Psychiatry Research, 331, 115620. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.psychres.2023.115620

• Trauma
• Depression
• Anxiety
• Suicidality

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Highlighting the need to tackle ongoing mental health issues faced by Texas youth, this report presents a descriptive overview of the framework established by the Texas Child Mental Health Care Consortium (TCMHCC), including TX-YDSRN. The consortium has emphasized the use of a “learning healthcare system,” which promotes implementation of measurement-based care, a critical goal of TX-YDSRN. This paper presents the operational framework of TX-YDSRN alongside current status of registry enrollment, sample features, and network achievements to increase visibility and understanding of TX-YDSRN and the broader TCMHCC.

Tamminga, C. A., Trivedi, M. H., Wagner, K. D., Wakefield, S., Newport, D. J., Norcross, J., Lakey, D. L., & Nemeroff, C. B. (2024). The Texas child mental health network: A child and adolescent research registry. Personalized Medicine in Psychiatry, 45, 100124. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.pmip.2024.100124

• Depression
• Suicidality
• Trauma
• Measurement-Based Care

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Trauma is known to contribute to the potential development of Post-Traumatic Stress Disorder (PTSD), yet little research has explored how health-related social needs might impact PTSD or the relationship between trauma type and PTSD. Here, we examined the impact of trauma type and health-related social needs, such as housing instability or food insecurity, on PTSD symptoms in TX-YDSRN youth with trauma experience. Interpersonal trauma, but not health-related social needs, predicted PTSD symptoms. Lower interpersonal safety was linked to greater likelihood of interpersonal trauma, suggesting this could be an important risk factor to target in future interventions. Overall, our findings highlight the need to treat the psychological impacts of interpersonal trauma to help prevent or decrease PTSD symptoms in youth.

Morgan, M., Dodd, C. G., Gorman, A., Drummond, K., Minhajuddin, A., Goodman, L. C., Hettema, J. M., Slater, H., Wakefield, S. M., Trivedi, M. H. (2025). Type of trauma exposure and subsequent mental health symptoms: Examining the role of social needs in TX-YDSRN youth. Journal of Psychiatric Research, 186, 416-422. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.jpsychires.2025.04.049

• Trauma
• Anxiety

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