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Chapter 10Social Stress, Affect, and NeuralFunction in AdolescenceErin B. McClure and Daniel S. PineAlthough its reputation as a period of inevitable “storm and stress” has recentlybeen tempered, considerable evidence suggests that adolescence is nonethelessmarked by heightened vulnerability for affective dysregulation and distress (Arnett,1999). One way in which this vulnerability manifests is an increase in the incidenceand prevalence of a specific set of anxiety disorders in the periadolescentyears (Costello et al., 2003; Pine et al., 1998). Multiple factors likely converge tofacilitate the emergence of this elevated risk in the period surrounding puberty;prominent among these are the potentially stressful biological and social transitionsthat characteristically occur during adolescence (E. E. Nelson et al., 2005).Although they are commonly perceived as less severe than other forms of psychopathology,anxiety disorders are associated with varied adverse outcomes, includingschool dropout, development of other disorders such as major depression, andsuicide (Katzelnick et al., 2001; Pine et al., 1998; Stein & Kean, 2000). Consequently,much research in recent years has focused on developing and evaluating treatmentapproaches aimed at decreasing anxiety symptoms in acutely symptomatic youth(Mancini et al., 2005; Reinblatt & Walkup, 2005; Roblek & Piacentini, 2005; RUPP,2001). Although such research has been fruitful, the risk of symptomatic recurrenceand escalation, even among successfully treated children and adolescents, is substantial(Pine et al., 1998; Weissman et al., 1999). This renders costly efforts at relapseprevention and remediation necessary. Multipronged preventive approaches219