EFFECT OF CHILDHOOD ADVERSITY ON PSYCHOLOGICAL AND BIOLOGICAL MARKERS OF STRESS IN MIDDLE AND LATER LIFE

Abstract

A growing number of studies have identified significant linkages between adverse childhood experiences and health outcomes in later life. Guided by a broad theoretical framework of the life course perspective, these studies have postulated that childhood adversities are the seedbed for vulnerabilities that may accumulate across the life course. This symposium includes four presentations that build on such existing knowledge, and its primary aim is to investigate the effects of early childhood adversities on psychological and biological markers of stress in middle and later adulthood. Using nationally representative samples, the four presentations focus on examining various aspects of psychological and biological markers of stress in later adulthood, including biomarkers of inflammation, alpha amylase, grip strength, and daily emotional reactivity. Particularly, biomarker data such as inflammation have key strengths: providing objective data about health and functioning in contrast to measurements based on self-reports and indicating potential risk of future disease. This symposium also addresses a wide range of childhood adversities, including neglect and abuse, low socioeconomic status, and early parental loss and provides insights around how different types and characteristics of adverse childhood experiences may unfold differently across the life course. Additionally, this symposium consists of a group of multidisciplinary presenters with diverse scholarly and cultural backgrounds. For example, one of the presentations discusses the experience of older Korean adults and offers a chance to understand cross-cultural differences.