Understanding population trajectories of psychological capacities can guide interventions to protect and enhance them across the life course. We conducted an umbrella review of systematic reviews examining the trajectories of a wide range of psychological capacity measures. Searches were performed in MEDLINE, EMBASE, PsycINFO, the Cochrane Database of Systematic Reviews and Google Scholar (11 December 2023 and 26 June 2025). Thirty-six reviews synthesizing 1,307 primary studies were included. Here we show that most reviews focused on depression, anxiety and trauma-related symptoms, with stable low-symptom trajectories being most common. Being a girl/woman and socioeconomic disadvantage were frequent risk factors, while social support emerged as protective. We found a comparative lack of reviews focused on less common mental-health conditions, positive outcomes and older adults. Future reviews should engage with a robust quality assessment of the analytical approach used and the (lack of) geographical and sociodemographic diversity in the primary studies included. Similarly, more evidence on the Global South and on minoritized and marginalized groups within populations is needed. The protocol is pre-registered in PROSPERO (CRD42023490490).

Epigenetic processes serve as both mediators of and responders to social and environmental challenges, influencing biological outcomes. Therefore, pinpointing epigenetic factors associated with social adversity and traumatic stress enables understanding of the mechanisms underlying vulnerability and resilience. We hypothesized that micro-RNA (miRNA) expression may be associated with post-traumatic stress disorder symptom severity in the context of social adversity. To test this hypothesis, we leveraged longitudinal data from the Detroit Neighborhood Health Study, a community-based, prospective cohort of predominantly African Americans. This includes blood-derived RNA samples from 389 participants in wave 2 and 243 participants in wave 4. Social adversity data were available for all included participants (n = 483). Results identified 86 miRNAs that are associated with social adversities (financial difficulties, perceived discrimination, cumulative trauma) and post-traumatic stress severity. These miRNAs are involved primarily in the immune response, brain and neural function, as well as cell cycle and differentiation, and 23 (25%) have previously been associated with conditions related to post-traumatic stress disorder, including traumatic brain injury and stress response. Our findings offer a fresh perspective on understanding the epigenetic role of miRNA in the interaction between social adversity and traumatic stress.

Adolescence is a sensitive period of brain development marked by rapid cortical thinning and increased risk for psychiatric disorders, yet the biological drivers of atypical trajectories remain unclear. Here, using longitudinal data from the Adolescent Brain Cognitive Development Study, we examined whether genetic predisposition to systemic inflammation, indexed by polygenic scores for C-reactive protein (PGS-CRP), influences brain development and psychopathology. Higher PGS-CRP was associated with accelerated cortical thinning, particularly in medial temporal and insular regions, and with increased externalizing symptoms. Early-life infections independently predicted greater depressive and externalizing symptoms but did not interact with genetic risk. Mediation analyses indicated that cortical thinning partially accounted for the association between PGS-CRP and externalizing psychopathology. Biological annotation further identified the regional similarity between cortical effects of PGS-CRP and several neurotransmitter systems. Together, these findings suggest that genetic susceptibility to inflammation may shape adolescent brain maturation and contribute to mental health vulnerability via neuroimmune pathways.