Phenotyping Adolescent Threat Reactivity: Integrating Neurodevelopmental Mechanisms to Create Ecologically Valid and Accessible Interventions

Overview

This study will investigate how exposure to interpersonal violence affects adolescent threat reactivity and its impact on social functioning and mental health. Using innovative virtual reality (VR) methods, researchers will assess teens’ physiological, mental, and emotional responses to social challenges in order to identify modifiable patterns of fear learning and threat perception. Findings will guide the development of a low cost VR-based intervention that can be implemented in community settings to help teens build social skills in safe, realistic environments.

Abstract

Interpersonal violence exposure (IVE) is a significant public health concern linked to increased risk for interpersonal and mental health problems among adolescents, particularly in underserved communities. A key mechanism underlying this risk is threat reactivity — a heightened sensitivity to perceived threats in everyday interactions — yet not all violence-exposed youth develop such maladaptive patterns. Limited understanding of how multiple threat reactivity processes interrelate, including fear learning (FL), social threat bias (STB), and social threat perception (STP), has hampered efforts to translate this knowledge into targeted interventions. This project uses an interdisciplinary approach to characterize phenotypes of adolescent threat reactivity by assessing FL, STB, and STP in 200 youth (ages 14–17). Threat reactivity tasks translated to a virtual reality (VR) platform paired with standardized questionnaires and psychophysiological measures (startle response, skin conductance, heart rate) will provide both subjective and objective indicators of threat reactivity. We will examine associations between these phenotypes and key mental health outcomes (e.g., PTSD, internalizing/externalizing problems) and interpersonal functioning (e.g., conflict, loneliness). In collaboration with community partners, we will translate these findings to co-develop a low-cost, scalable VR intervention with agency staff and youth. This intervention will allow adolescents to safely practice coping and social skills within realistic, peer-relevant scenarios and will integrate physiological assessments to objectively evaluate impact. This work will yield (1) a validated threat reactivity phenotype to inform risk identification and prevention efforts, and (2) an agency-approved VR-based intervention that can be embedded within community-based youth services. By bridging neurodevelopmental research with ecologically valid, scalable tools, this project aims to advance intervention science and expand access to evidence-based supports for violence-exposed adolescents in high-need contexts.

Broader Impact

Translating the neurodevelopmental processes of threat reactivity to ecologically valid social contexts is an innovative approach to elucidating how IVE insinuates itself into the lives of violence-exposed adolescents. This information is essential for delivering relevant, sustainable, and effective interventions that can be embedded into existing programming at community agencies.