A biopsychosocial perspective of the effects of stress during development and its relationship to one’s vulnerability to psychopathology

Abstract

Various stress-related psychopathologies, for which the prevalence is known to increase during late childhood and early adolescence, have been associated with dysregulated patterns of cortisol secretion and distinct cognitive profiles. Most studies have been performed in clinical populations and utilize cross-sectional designs. As such, this has prevented researchers from drawing clear conclusions regarding the temporality of the observed effects. Importantly, different individual, familial, and societal factors are known to impact the regulation of the HPA axis activity. Therefore, these factors may moderate one’s risk of developing certain psychopathologies and/or modulating symptom severity or cognitive profiles that characterize various stress-related psychopathologies. This symposium is composed of four young investigators and will focus on the cognitive and clinical correlates of stress exposure in childhood, as well as the various individual, familial, and societal influences that moderate these effects. First, Catherine Raymond (Université du Québec à Montréal) will present data on cortisol reactivity and emotional cognitive processes in healthy children exhibiting high levels of vulnerability to anxiety, as assessed by various personality traits known to be predictive of clinical anxiety. Then, the two following presentations will address COVID-related stress in children. Alexe Bilodeau-Houle (Université du Québec à Montréal) will first discuss how cortisol levels prior to and following the first COVID-19 lockdown are related to psychological distress symptoms in healthy children. Thereafter, Sydney Yi (University of California) will present data related to the pandemic from a family-related perspective. Of note, she will comment on the effect of COVID-19-related parental job loss and financial stress on executive functioning performance and mental health in a parent and their child. Finally, Christina Cantave (University of Montreal) will present data pertaining to socio-economic status mobility during childhood and adolescence and how this relates to HPA axis activity in twin dyads. Altogether, this data will present a biopsychosocial perspective of how stress during childhood modulates one’s vulnerability to develop stress-related psychopathologies.