This research direction focuses on the long-term impact of childhood adversity and early-life environmental factors on psychological and behavioural patterns, as well as on trajectories of neurodevelopment. It seeks to understand how early environments shape emotion regulation, stress responsivity, and behavioural tendencies, and how these developmental alterations contribute to later mental health outcomes and vulnerability to psychiatric disorders. Particular attention is given to the differential effects of distinct types and dimensions of adverse experiences, as well as to potential cumulative and sensitive-period effects across development.

By integrating longitudinal cohort studies with multimodal neuroimaging, behavioural measures, and psychological assessments, this line of research aims to systematically characterise the dynamic processes through which childhood adversity influences psychological functioning and brain development. Ultimately, it seeks to provide a developmental framework for understanding the early origins of mental health problems, and to inform risk assessment, early intervention, and preventive strategies.