Neurobehavioral pathways linking socioeconomic status hardship to suicide risk versus resilience in young adolescents: the roles of sleep health and default mode network connectivity.
Assaf Oshri, Cullin J Howard, Steven M Kogan, Linhao Zhang, Charles F. Geier, Brian W Bauer, Ellen House
Translational Psychiatry November 24, 2025 DOI: 10.1038/s41398-025-03710-y (opens in new tab)
Study at a glance
AI-extracted from the abstract| Characteristics | Observational cohort Peer reviewed |
|---|---|
| Sample size | 11,878 |
| Population | Adolescents from the Adolescent Brain Cognitive Development (ABCD) Study |
| Duration | Three waves |
| Topics | Default mode network |
| Keywords | Suicidal thoughts Suicide risk Mental health impacts Adolescent resilience Youth resilience Adolescents Brain connectivity Brain network coherence Neural networks Socioeconomic factors Economic hardship Economic difficulties Sleep health Sleep duration |
| Key findings | Shorter sleep duration mediated the association between socioeconomic hardship and suicidal ideation, while high Default Mode Network coherence weakened this indirect effect. |
Abstract
Socioeconomic hardship (SES-H) is a known risk factor for adolescent suicidal thoughts and behaviors (STB). This study examined sleep health as a pathway linking SES-H to suicide risk and evaluated the moderating role of Default Mode Network (DMN) coherence. Data came from three waves of the Adolescent Brain Cognitive Development (ABCD) Study (N = 11,878). Increased SES-H predicted greater suicidal ideation and attempts. Shorter sleep duration mediated the association with ideation, while high DMN coherence attenuated the indirect effect of SES-H on ideation via sleep. Findings highlight sleep health as a mechanism connecting socioeconomic adversity to suicidality and suggest DMN coherence may function as a neuroprotective factor for youth resilience.
Comparable studies
Other observational and cohort studies on default mode network, most cited first.
| Study | Year | Design | Participants |
|---|---|---|---|
| A default mode of brain function Normal adult human brain | 2001 | Observational study | |
| Resting-State Functional Connectivity Reflects Structural Connectivity in the Default Mode Network Healthy subjects | 2008 | Observational cohort | |
| Meditation experience is associated with increased cortical thickness Participants with extensive Insight meditation experience and matched controls | 2005 | Observational cohort | n = 20 |
| Meditation experience is associated with differences in default mode network activity and connectivity Experienced meditators and matched meditation-naive controls | 2011 | Observational cohort | |
| The precuneus/posterior cingulate cortex plays a pivotal role in the default mode network: Evidence from a partial correlation network analysis Healthy subjects | 2008 | Observational study |
Citations in the library
Cites 9
- The Brain's Default Mode Network Annual Review of Neuroscience May 4, 2015
- Default Mode Network Activity and Connectivity in Psychopathology Annual Review of Clinical Psychology March 29, 2012
- 20 years of the default mode network: A review and synthesis Neuron May 10, 2023
- Development of functional and structural connectivity within the default mode network in young children Neuroimage April 11, 2010
- Cognition, emotion, and the default mode network. Brain and Cognition October 30, 2024
and 4 more in the library