About

Petya Dimitrova Radoeva is an Assistant Professor of Psychiatry and Human Behavior at Brown University. She holds a PhD and MD from the State University of New York, obtained in 2014, and a Master of Science from the University of Pennsylvania, earned in 2007. Her academic background includes a Bachelor of Arts from Mount Holyoke College in 2003. Her research focus and key contributions are not detailed in the provided page text.

Research topics

• Clinical psychology
• Psychiatry
• Medicine
• Psychology
• Medical emergency

Selected publications

• Relationship Between Food Selectivity and Mood Problems in Youth With a Reported Diagnosis of Autism Spectrum Disorder

  Biological Psychiatry Global Open Science · 2025-03-04 · 1 citations

  articleOpen accessSenior authorCorresponding

  Food selectivity and mood problems and disorders are commonly described independently in individuals with autism spectrum disorder (ASD). Yet, little is known about the relationship between food selectivity and mood problems and disorders in ASD. To study the relationship between food selectivity and mood problems and disorders, we analyzed data from youth (11-13 years old) with a parent-reported diagnosis of ASD from the Adolescent Brain Cognitive Development study, with available data for the Block Kids Food Screener (BKFS) (parental report), and Child Behavior Checklist (CBCL) (n=173, male:female participant ratio=6.5:1). We did not find statistically significant association between food selectivity and mood problems or disorders. Food selectivity for protein foods (i.e., consumption of a decreased variety of protein foods) was associated with more severe aggressive behavior/irritability (CBCL Aggressive Behavior T-score) (n=173, ρ =0.196, p=0.010) in youth with ASD, although the relationship was no longer statistically significant after multiple comparison correction (p=0.086). While our results are overall negative for an association between food selectivity and mood problems and disorders in children with ASD, our findings should be interpreted with caution in the context of limitations of the presented analysis. Accordingly, future studies and analyses could incorporate objective measures and prospective tracking of food intake and food selectivity, deeper phenotyping of mood problems (including irritability), and detailed information on factors that could affect the relationship between food selectivity and mood in youth with ASD (such as the use of supplements and medications).

  PublisherDOI

• Estimated Nutrient Intake and Association With Psychiatric and Sleep Problems in Autistic Youth in the Adolescent Brain Cognitive <scp>Development^SM</scp> Study

  Autism Research · 2025-05-06 · 1 citations

  articleOpen access1st authorCorresponding

  ABSTRACT Autistic children often consume less varied diets, experience sleep difficulties, and have higher rates of mental health problems as compared to neurotypical peers. Yet, the direct relationship between all of these domains is not well characterized. We leveraged the Adolescent Brain Cognitive Development SM study (ABCD study) dataset to explore whether estimated levels of consumption of specific macro‐ and micronutrients correlated with the severity of mental health and sleep problems in autistic youth. We found that low vitamin B3, B6, C, and iron intake was associated with more severe psychiatric problems in autistic children in the ABCD cohort, though these findings did not reach statistical significance after correction for multiple comparisons. In a post hoc analysis, we found that the severity of sleep difficulties was correlated with estimated levels of Vitamins B3, B6, C, and iron intake and with the severity of anxiety/depressive symptoms and/or thought problems. Our analysis on a large number of nutrients, psychiatric symptoms, and sleep serves as an exploratory, initial analysis to identify specific nutrients and psychiatric symptoms that could be the focus of future (confirmatory) studies on the relationship between nutrition, sleep, and mental health in autistic individuals.

  PublisherOA PDFDOI

• Trauma exposure in autistic children and adolescents

  The Brown University Child and Adolescent Behavior Letter · 2025-11-26

  articleOpen accessSenior author

  Autistic children and adolescents are at an increased risk for experiencing trauma, adversity and stressors compared to their non‐autistic peers. Characteristics of autism spectrum disorder (ASD), like communication skill differences, and social reciprocity difficulty, are thought to make the individual more vulnerable to adverse childhood experiences (ACEs) and trauma as these characteristics may impose an increased risk for victimization. Research has suggested that autistic children are more likely to experience ACEs such as peer violence, bullying, abuse or neglect, and parental mental health problems. However, given their communication and social difficulties, it may be more difficult for clinicians to detect traumatic experiences not reported by family members or schools. While there is agreement that autistic people tend to have greater exposure to trauma and ACEs, the prevalence of posttraumatic stress disorder (PTSD) and the clinical presentation of trauma exposure in this population has received less research focus.

  PublisherOA PDFDOI

• Systematic Review: White Matter Microstructural Organization in Adolescents With Depression

  JAACAP Open · 2023-09-04 · 6 citations

  articleOpen access1st authorCorresponding

  ObjectiveA growing body of literature has focused on the neural mechanisms of depression. Our goal was to conduct a systematic review on the white matter microstructural differences in adolescents with depressive disorders vs adolescents without depressive disorders.MethodWe searched PubMed and PsycINFO for publications on August 3, 2022 (original search conducted in July 2021). The review was registered on PROSPERO (registration number: CRD42021268200), and the Preferred Reporting Items for Systematic Reviews and Meta-Analyses (PRISMA) guidelines were followed. Eligible studies were original research papers comparing diffusion tensor/spectrum imaging findings in adolescents with vs without depression (originally ages 12-19 years, later expanded to 11-21 years). Studies were excluded if they focused on depression exclusively in the context of another condition, used only dimensional depressive symptom assessment(s), or used the same dataset as another included publication.ResultsThe search yielded 575 unique records, of which 14 full-text papers were included (824 adolescents with depression and 686 without depression). The following white matter regions showed significant differences in fractional anisotropy in at least 3 studies: uncinate fasciculus, cingulum, anterior corona radiata, inferior fronto-occipital fasciculus, and corpus callosum (genu and body). Most studies reported decreased, rather than increased, fractional anisotropy in adolescents with depression. Limitations include the possibility for selective reporting bias and risk of imprecision, given the small sample sizes in some studies.ConclusionOur systematic review suggests aberrant white matter microstructure in limbic-cortical-striatal-thalamic circuits, and the corpus callosum, in adolescents with depression. Future research should focus on developmental trajectories in depression, identifying sources of heterogeneity and integrating findings across imaging modalities. A growing body of literature has focused on the neural mechanisms of depression. Our goal was to conduct a systematic review on the white matter microstructural differences in adolescents with depressive disorders vs adolescents without depressive disorders. We searched PubMed and PsycINFO for publications on August 3, 2022 (original search conducted in July 2021). The review was registered on PROSPERO (registration number: CRD42021268200), and the Preferred Reporting Items for Systematic Reviews and Meta-Analyses (PRISMA) guidelines were followed. Eligible studies were original research papers comparing diffusion tensor/spectrum imaging findings in adolescents with vs without depression (originally ages 12-19 years, later expanded to 11-21 years). Studies were excluded if they focused on depression exclusively in the context of another condition, used only dimensional depressive symptom assessment(s), or used the same dataset as another included publication. The search yielded 575 unique records, of which 14 full-text papers were included (824 adolescents with depression and 686 without depression). The following white matter regions showed significant differences in fractional anisotropy in at least 3 studies: uncinate fasciculus, cingulum, anterior corona radiata, inferior fronto-occipital fasciculus, and corpus callosum (genu and body). Most studies reported decreased, rather than increased, fractional anisotropy in adolescents with depression. Limitations include the possibility for selective reporting bias and risk of imprecision, given the small sample sizes in some studies. Our systematic review suggests aberrant white matter microstructure in limbic-cortical-striatal-thalamic circuits, and the corpus callosum, in adolescents with depression. Future research should focus on developmental trajectories in depression, identifying sources of heterogeneity and integrating findings across imaging modalities.

  PublisherOA PDFDOI

• T8. TREATMENT WITH GALANTAMINE IN 15Q13.3 DELETIONS: GENOMICALLY-INFORMED PRECISION MEDICINE STRATEGIES IN NEURODEVELOPMENTAL DISORDERS

  European Neuropsychopharmacology · 2022-09-23 · 1 citations

  article
  PublisherDOI

• Sex and age moderate the trajectory of guilt among children and adolescents with and without recent suicidal ideation

  Cognition & Emotion · 2022-01-25 · 4 citations

  articleOpen access

  We aimed to examine whether the trajectories of ecologically derived guilt differ among a transdiagnostic sample of youth with and without recent suicidal ideation and whether sex and age moderated this association. We assessed guilt 3 times a day over a 2-week period via ecological momentary assessment (EMA) technology in 102 children recruited from the community, outpatient, and inpatient settings. The average age of children was 10.95 y.o. (SD = 2.26, range 8–16) and the majority were male (54.9%) and White (76.5%). We found that the real-world guilt during a two-week EMA period was higher among youth with greater suicidal ideation severity in the past six months. Moreover, there was a significant moderating effect of sex and age on this association, such that the association between suicidal ideation severity and guilt was particularly strong among females compared to males and youth who were 10 years old or older. The findings were maintained when we adjusted for the relevant demographic and clinical characteristics, including age, minority status, parental income, EMA response rate, and current internalising symptoms. These preliminary findings highlight the clinical relevance of assessing and targeting feelings of guilt in the day-to-day lives of youth, particularly for females and older youth.

  PublisherOA PDFDOI

• 2.47 Systematic Review: White Matter Microstructural Organization in Adolescents With Depression

  Journal of the American Academy of Child & Adolescent Psychiatry · 2022-10-01

  article1st authorCorresponding
  PublisherDOI

• Maltreatment history and reasons for self‐injurious behavior among adolescents engaged in non‐suicidal self‐injury versus adolescents who attempted suicide

  Suicide and Life-Threatening Behavior · 2022-05-30 · 7 citations

  article

  OBJECTIVE: Self-injurious behavior (SIB) is a significant public health concern in the United States, especially among adolescents with histories of maltreatment. This study compared maltreatment characteristics and reasons for SIB between three homogenous samples of adolescents with either: (1) non-suicidal self-injury (NSSI); (2) suicide attempt/s (SA), and (3) typically developing controls (TDC). METHOD: Participants (N = 124) aged 13-17 years completed questionnaires about their maltreatment and SIB histories. RESULTS: Maltreatment rates were as follows: 90% NSSI group, 76% SA group, and 40% TDC group. Adolescents in the NSSI group reported significantly higher rates of emotional neglect compared to the SA group. Maltreated adolescents in the NSSI and SA groups reported the same top three SIB reasons: (1) get rid of bad feelings, (2) mental state at the time, and (3) problems with family. However, maltreated NSSI participants were significantly more likely to engage in SIB for emotion regulation reasons than maltreated SA participants, who were more likely to engage in SIB for interpersonal reasons. Physical neglect and physical abuse also arose as significant predictors of specific SIB reasons. CONCLUSIONS: Our findings help elucidate the maltreatment profiles and reasons for SIB among adolescents engaged in NSSI or SA. Specific maltreatment experiences may also influence the reasons why adolescents engaged in SIB.

  PublisherDOI

• Correction to: Relationship between cognitive flexibility and subsequent course of mood symptoms and suicidal ideation in young adults with childhood-onset bipolar disorder

  European Child & Adolescent Psychiatry · 2021-03-18 · 1 citations

  erratumOpen access
  PublisherOA PDFDOI

• Brief Report: Risk and Protective Factors Associated with Depressive Symptoms among Autistic Adults

  Journal of Autism and Developmental Disorders · 2021-06-29 · 10 citations

  articleOpen access1st authorCorresponding
  PublisherOA PDFDOI

Frequent coauthors

• Daniel P. Dickstein

  52 shared

• Anna C. Gilbert

  Seattle Pacific University

  43 shared

• Gracie A. Jenkins

  McLean Hospital

  42 shared

• Anastacia Y. Kudinova

  Brown University

  40 shared

• Heather A. MacPherson

  37 shared

• Kerri L. Kim

  Brown University

  34 shared

• C Barthélémy

  33 shared

• Lena L.A. DeYoung

  Drexel University

  32 shared

Education

• Ph.D.

  State University of New York

  2014

• M.D.

  State University of New York

  2014

• M.S.

  University of Pennsylvania

  2007

• B.A.

  Mount Holyoke College

  2003