Neurodevelopmental Correlates of Proneness to Guilt and Shame in Adolescence and Early Adulthood

Overview

Journal Dev Cogn Neurosci

Publisher Elsevier

Specialties Neurology
Psychiatry

Date 2016 Feb 20

PMID 26895352

Citations 12

Authors

Sarah Whittle

Kirra Liu

Coralie Bastin

Ben J Harrison

Christopher G Davey

Affiliations

Soon will be listed here.

Abstract

Investigating how brain development during adolescence and early adulthood underlies guilt- and shame-proneness may be important for understanding risk processes for mental disorders. The aim of this study was to investigate the neurodevelopmental correlates of interpersonal guilt- and shame-proneness in healthy adolescents and young adults using structural magnetic resonance imaging (sMRI). Sixty participants (age range: 15-25) completed sMRI and self-report measures of interpersonal guilt- and shame-proneness. Independent of interpersonal guilt, higher levels of shame-proneness were associated with thinner posterior cingulate cortex (PCC) thickness and smaller amygdala volume. Higher levels of shame-proneness were also associated with attenuated age-related reductions in thickness of lateral orbitofrontal cortex (lOFC). Our findings highlight the complexities in understanding brain-behavior relationships during the adolescent/young adult period. Results were consistent with growing evidence that accelerated cortical thinning during adolescence may be associated with superior socioemotional functioning. Further research is required to understand the implications of these findings for mental disorders characterized by higher levels of guilt and shame.

Citing Articles

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A Narrative Review about Prosocial and Antisocial Behavior in Childhood: The Relationship with Shame and Moral Development.

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Cortical thinning in preschoolers with maladaptive guilt.

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