Kerstin Konrad
Biographic Data
| ID | 6030456 |
|---|---|
| NAME | Kerstin Konrad |
| GIVEN NAMES | Kerstin |
| FAMILY NAME | Konrad |
| SIGNATURE | KONRAD K |
| AFFILIATIONS | RWTH Aachen University |
| ORCID | 0000-0001-9039-2615 |
| VERIFIED | Yes |
| TOTAL WORKS | 21 |
| TOTAL CITATIONS | 7 |
| AUTHOR COUNT | 20 |
| EDITOR COUNT | 1 |
| FIRST PUBLICATION YEAR | 2007 |
| LATEST PUBLICATION YEAR | 2026 |
| H-INDEX | 1 |
Mental health and resources in adolescents
This longitudinal study examines the reciprocal relationships between self-reported personal and contextual resources, mental health (internalising and externalising symptoms) and wellbeing in adolescents in out-of-home care (OOHC) compared to adolescents living with their biological families (BF). Data from two measurement points (T1, T2) were analysed using path models and multivariate analyses of variance. The results show stabilities of menta…
Start Now
BACKGROUND: Conduct disorder (CD) and oppositional defiant disorder (ODD) both convey a high risk for maladjustment later in life and are understudied in girls. Here, we aimed at confirming the efficacy of START NOW, a cognitive-behavioral, dialectical behavior therapy-oriented skills training program aiming to enhance emotion regulation skills, interpersonal and psychosocial adjustment, adapted for female adolescents with CD or ODD. METHODS: A t…
Understanding and Breaking the Intergenerational Cycle of Abuse in Families Enrolled in Routine Mental Health and Welfare Services by Investigating the Feasibility and Effectiveness of a Mentalization…
Although home visiting programs have generally shown small overall effects on the prevention of child maltreatment, at-risk families with severe strain do not seem to benefit sufficiently from this support. A crucial factor for success seems to be the quality of the service system. The aim of the current study is to evaluate the effects of mentalization-based team supervision on the already existing welfare service of a German early prevention pr…
Linking heart rate variability to psychological health and brain structure in adolescents with and without conduct disorder
RSA was related to increased grey matter volume in the left insula across all subjects. Our results thus suggest that low RSA at rest might be a contributing or predisposing factor for potential self-regulation difficulties. Given the insula's role in both emotional and cognitive regulation processes, these brain structural differences might impact either of those
Sex differences in psychiatric comorbidity and clinical presentation in youths with conduct disorder
BACKGROUND: Conduct disorder (CD) rarely occurs alone but is typically accompanied by comorbid psychiatric disorders, which complicates the clinical presentation and treatment of affected youths. The aim of this study was to investigate sex differences in comorbidity pattern in CD and to systematically explore the 'gender paradox' and 'delayed-onset pathway' hypotheses of female CD. METHODS: As part of the FemNAT-CD multisite study, semistructure…
Caregiving quality modulates neuroendocrine and immunological markers in young children in foster care who have experienced early adversity
BACKGROUND: Early adversity is believed to alter the body's stress-response systems, putting children at increased risk for somatic and mental health problems. However, it remains unclear whether such alterations normalize under improved caregiving experiences. Thus, the goal of the present study was to investigate (a) whether children in foster care show endocrine and immunological alterations relative to children living with their biological fa…
Longitudinal Associations Between Parenting and Child Behaviour Problems and the Moderating Effect of Child Callous Unemotional Traits in Foster and Biological Families
The goals of the current study were to examine (i) differences in parenting between foster and biological parents, (ii) the longitudinal associations with children's internalising and externalising problems and iii) the potential moderation of these by children's callous-unemotional traits (CU traits). Data from 86 foster children (M = 4.44 years, male = 48%) and 148 biological children (M = 3.69 years, male = 49%) with their families were analys…
Psychological Impact of the Covid-19 Pandemic on Children and Adolescents With and Without Mental Disorders
Background: The previous and current studies highlight the psychological distress caused by coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19)-associated restrictions among the general population, especially among children and adolescents; however, few studies have examined children and adolescents with a mental disorder. The current study aimed to explore whether youth with mental disorders show a higher pandemic-associated psychological burden than healthy ch…
Analysis of structural brain asymmetries in attention‐deficit/hyperactivity disorder in 39 datasets
OBJECTIVE: Some studies have suggested alterations of structural brain asymmetry in attention-deficit/hyperactivity disorder (ADHD), but findings have been contradictory and based on small samples. Here, we performed the largest ever analysis of brain left-right asymmetry in ADHD, using 39 datasets of the ENIGMA consortium. METHODS: We analyzed asymmetry of subcortical and cerebral cortical structures in up to 1,933 people with ADHD and 1,829 una…
How Anxious are German Preschool Children
The experience of fear is universal and is among the earliest of all forms of psychopathology, if excessively present. To prevent negative developmental outcomes due to early-onset excessive fears in children, it is important to systematically assess these experiences as early as possible. Using the preschool anxiety scale (PAS), we aimed to assess the frequency and structure of anxiety symptoms of 489 preschool-aged children raised in their biol…
Psychiatrie und Psychotherapie des Kindes- und Jugendalters
FNIRS Assessment of Speech Comprehension in Children with Normal Hearing and Children with Hearing Aids in Virtual Acoustic Environments
The integration of virtual acoustic environments (VAEs) with functional near-infrared spectroscopy (fNIRS) offers novel avenues to investigate behavioral and neural processes of speech-in-noise (SIN) comprehension in complex auditory scenes. Particularly in children with hearing aids (HAs), the combined application might offer new insights into the neural mechanism of SIN perception in simulated real-life acoustic scenarios. Here, we present firs…
Neuropsychological Subgroups of Emotion Processing in Youths With Conduct Disorder
Background: At the group level, youths with conduct disorder (CD) show deficient emotion processing across various tasks compared to typically developing controls (TDC). But little is known about neuropsychological subgroups within the CD population, the clinical correlates of emotion processing deficits [for instance, with regard to the presence or absence of the DSM-5 Limited Prosocial Emotions (LPE) specifier], and associated risk factors. Met…
Neural Correlates of Empathy in Boys With Early Onset Conduct Disorder
Background: A deficit in empathy has repeatedly been described in individuals with conduct disorder (CD), and in particular in those with callous unemotional traits. Until now, little is known about the neural basis of empathy in children and adolescents with early onset conduct disorder. The aim of this study was to examine neural responses during empathizing in children and adolescents with CD with a task that allowed to differentiate between t…
Like mother, like child? Maternal determinants of children's early social‐emotional development
Social‐Emotional competencies evolve early in life. For example, early emotion regulation is learned primarily in the context of mother–child interaction, which may allow for maternal influences to shape children's social‐emotional development. The aim of the current study was to longitudinally examine maternal determinants of children's early social‐emotional development in a community‐based sample of first‐time mothers ( N = 61, aged 22–39 year…
Baseline autonomic nervous system activity in female children and adolescents with conduct disorder
Resting autonomic nervous system activity is unrelated to antisocial behaviour dimensions in adolescents
Autonomic nervous system (ANS) functioning has long been studied in relation to antisocial behaviour, but relevant measures (heart rate, heart rate variability, pre-ejection period, respiration rate) have rarely been considered together. This study investigated the relationship between these measures and antisocial behaviour. Using a sample of 1010 youths with (47.8%) and without conduct disorder (52.2%) aged between 9 and 18 years (659 females, …
Down-regulation of amygdala response to infant crying
Infant crying elicits caregiving behaviors, which are indispensable for fulfilling the infant's needs. However, infant crying can also evoke negative and angry feelings in the caregiver. Therefore, parents need to regulate their own negative emotions to infant crying to sensitively respond to the distressed infant. Thus, the current study aims to examine the neural basis of emotional reactivity and emotional regulation in response to infant cryin…
Recognizing Infants’ Emotional Expressions
Previous studies have shown that adolescent mothers interact less sensitively with their infants than do adult mothers. This difference might be due to developmental difficulties in the recognition of infants’ emotional states in adolescents. Therefore, the aim of the current study was to explore differences in the recognition of infant signals between nonparous adolescent girls and boys as compared to female and male adults. To this end, we exam…
Structural Brain Abnormalities in Adolescent Anorexia Nervosa Before and After Weight Recovery and Associated Hormonal Changes
OBJECTIVE: The neurobiological mechanisms of structural brain abnormalities in patients with anorexia nervosa (AN) remain poorly understood. In particular, little is known about the changes in and the recovery of gray matter (GM) volumes after weight gain and the relation to hormonal normalization in adolescent patients with AN. METHODS: Nineteen female patients aged 12 to 17 years were assessed using magnetic resonance imaging at the time of adm…
Integrating genetic, psychopharmacological and neuroimaging studies
Like mother, like child? Maternal determinants of children's early social‐emotional development
Social‐Emotional competencies evolve early in life. For example, early emotion regulation is learned primarily in the context of mother–child interaction, which may allow for maternal influences to shape children's social‐emotional development. The aim of the current study was to longitudinally examine maternal determinants of children's early social‐emotional development in a community‐based sample of first‐time mothers ( N = 61, aged 22–39 year…
Baseline autonomic nervous system activity in female children and adolescents with conduct disorder
Integrating genetic, psychopharmacological and neuroimaging studies
Structural Brain Abnormalities in Adolescent Anorexia Nervosa Before and After Weight Recovery and Associated Hormonal Changes
OBJECTIVE: The neurobiological mechanisms of structural brain abnormalities in patients with anorexia nervosa (AN) remain poorly understood. In particular, little is known about the changes in and the recovery of gray matter (GM) volumes after weight gain and the relation to hormonal normalization in adolescent patients with AN. METHODS: Nineteen female patients aged 12 to 17 years were assessed using magnetic resonance imaging at the time of adm…
Down-regulation of amygdala response to infant crying
Infant crying elicits caregiving behaviors, which are indispensable for fulfilling the infant's needs. However, infant crying can also evoke negative and angry feelings in the caregiver. Therefore, parents need to regulate their own negative emotions to infant crying to sensitively respond to the distressed infant. Thus, the current study aims to examine the neural basis of emotional reactivity and emotional regulation in response to infant cryin…
Recognizing Infants’ Emotional Expressions
Previous studies have shown that adolescent mothers interact less sensitively with their infants than do adult mothers. This difference might be due to developmental difficulties in the recognition of infants’ emotional states in adolescents. Therefore, the aim of the current study was to explore differences in the recognition of infant signals between nonparous adolescent girls and boys as compared to female and male adults. To this end, we exam…
Like mother, like child? Maternal determinants of children's early social‐emotional development
Social‐Emotional competencies evolve early in life. For example, early emotion regulation is learned primarily in the context of mother–child interaction, which may allow for maternal influences to shape children's social‐emotional development. The aim of the current study was to longitudinally examine maternal determinants of children's early social‐emotional development in a community‐based sample of first‐time mothers ( N = 61, aged 22–39 year…
Baseline autonomic nervous system activity in female children and adolescents with conduct disorder
Resting autonomic nervous system activity is unrelated to antisocial behaviour dimensions in adolescents
Autonomic nervous system (ANS) functioning has long been studied in relation to antisocial behaviour, but relevant measures (heart rate, heart rate variability, pre-ejection period, respiration rate) have rarely been considered together. This study investigated the relationship between these measures and antisocial behaviour. Using a sample of 1010 youths with (47.8%) and without conduct disorder (52.2%) aged between 9 and 18 years (659 females, …
Psychiatrie und Psychotherapie des Kindes- und Jugendalters
FNIRS Assessment of Speech Comprehension in Children with Normal Hearing and Children with Hearing Aids in Virtual Acoustic Environments
The integration of virtual acoustic environments (VAEs) with functional near-infrared spectroscopy (fNIRS) offers novel avenues to investigate behavioral and neural processes of speech-in-noise (SIN) comprehension in complex auditory scenes. Particularly in children with hearing aids (HAs), the combined application might offer new insights into the neural mechanism of SIN perception in simulated real-life acoustic scenarios. Here, we present firs…
Neuropsychological Subgroups of Emotion Processing in Youths With Conduct Disorder
Background: At the group level, youths with conduct disorder (CD) show deficient emotion processing across various tasks compared to typically developing controls (TDC). But little is known about neuropsychological subgroups within the CD population, the clinical correlates of emotion processing deficits [for instance, with regard to the presence or absence of the DSM-5 Limited Prosocial Emotions (LPE) specifier], and associated risk factors. Met…
Neural Correlates of Empathy in Boys With Early Onset Conduct Disorder
Background: A deficit in empathy has repeatedly been described in individuals with conduct disorder (CD), and in particular in those with callous unemotional traits. Until now, little is known about the neural basis of empathy in children and adolescents with early onset conduct disorder. The aim of this study was to examine neural responses during empathizing in children and adolescents with CD with a task that allowed to differentiate between t…
Psychological Impact of the Covid-19 Pandemic on Children and Adolescents With and Without Mental Disorders
Background: The previous and current studies highlight the psychological distress caused by coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19)-associated restrictions among the general population, especially among children and adolescents; however, few studies have examined children and adolescents with a mental disorder. The current study aimed to explore whether youth with mental disorders show a higher pandemic-associated psychological burden than healthy ch…
Analysis of structural brain asymmetries in attention‐deficit/hyperactivity disorder in 39 datasets
OBJECTIVE: Some studies have suggested alterations of structural brain asymmetry in attention-deficit/hyperactivity disorder (ADHD), but findings have been contradictory and based on small samples. Here, we performed the largest ever analysis of brain left-right asymmetry in ADHD, using 39 datasets of the ENIGMA consortium. METHODS: We analyzed asymmetry of subcortical and cerebral cortical structures in up to 1,933 people with ADHD and 1,829 una…
How Anxious are German Preschool Children
The experience of fear is universal and is among the earliest of all forms of psychopathology, if excessively present. To prevent negative developmental outcomes due to early-onset excessive fears in children, it is important to systematically assess these experiences as early as possible. Using the preschool anxiety scale (PAS), we aimed to assess the frequency and structure of anxiety symptoms of 489 preschool-aged children raised in their biol…
Sex differences in psychiatric comorbidity and clinical presentation in youths with conduct disorder
BACKGROUND: Conduct disorder (CD) rarely occurs alone but is typically accompanied by comorbid psychiatric disorders, which complicates the clinical presentation and treatment of affected youths. The aim of this study was to investigate sex differences in comorbidity pattern in CD and to systematically explore the 'gender paradox' and 'delayed-onset pathway' hypotheses of female CD. METHODS: As part of the FemNAT-CD multisite study, semistructure…
Caregiving quality modulates neuroendocrine and immunological markers in young children in foster care who have experienced early adversity
BACKGROUND: Early adversity is believed to alter the body's stress-response systems, putting children at increased risk for somatic and mental health problems. However, it remains unclear whether such alterations normalize under improved caregiving experiences. Thus, the goal of the present study was to investigate (a) whether children in foster care show endocrine and immunological alterations relative to children living with their biological fa…
Longitudinal Associations Between Parenting and Child Behaviour Problems and the Moderating Effect of Child Callous Unemotional Traits in Foster and Biological Families
The goals of the current study were to examine (i) differences in parenting between foster and biological parents, (ii) the longitudinal associations with children's internalising and externalising problems and iii) the potential moderation of these by children's callous-unemotional traits (CU traits). Data from 86 foster children (M = 4.44 years, male = 48%) and 148 biological children (M = 3.69 years, male = 49%) with their families were analys…
Linking heart rate variability to psychological health and brain structure in adolescents with and without conduct disorder
RSA was related to increased grey matter volume in the left insula across all subjects. Our results thus suggest that low RSA at rest might be a contributing or predisposing factor for potential self-regulation difficulties. Given the insula's role in both emotional and cognitive regulation processes, these brain structural differences might impact either of those
Start Now
BACKGROUND: Conduct disorder (CD) and oppositional defiant disorder (ODD) both convey a high risk for maladjustment later in life and are understudied in girls. Here, we aimed at confirming the efficacy of START NOW, a cognitive-behavioral, dialectical behavior therapy-oriented skills training program aiming to enhance emotion regulation skills, interpersonal and psychosocial adjustment, adapted for female adolescents with CD or ODD. METHODS: A t…
Understanding and Breaking the Intergenerational Cycle of Abuse in Families Enrolled in Routine Mental Health and Welfare Services by Investigating the Feasibility and Effectiveness of a Mentalization…
Although home visiting programs have generally shown small overall effects on the prevention of child maltreatment, at-risk families with severe strain do not seem to benefit sufficiently from this support. A crucial factor for success seems to be the quality of the service system. The aim of the current study is to evaluate the effects of mentalization-based team supervision on the already existing welfare service of a German early prevention pr…
Mental health and resources in adolescents
This longitudinal study examines the reciprocal relationships between self-reported personal and contextual resources, mental health (internalising and externalising symptoms) and wellbeing in adolescents in out-of-home care (OOHC) compared to adolescents living with their biological families (BF). Data from two measurement points (T1, T2) were analysed using path models and multivariate analyses of variance. The results show stabilities of menta…
Psychology (20 works) · Clinical Psychology (14 works) · Child and Adolescent Psychosocial and Emotional Development (13 works) · Medicine (12 works) · Psychiatry (12 works) · Developmental psychology (11 works) · Clinical Psychology (8 works) · Internal Medicine (7 works) · Conduct disorder (6 works) · Internal Medicine (6 works)