Chronic Life Stress Research Articles

Synergistic effects of stress and omega-3 fatty acid deprivation on emotional response and brain lipid composition in adult rats

The aim was to determine the consequences of multi-generational n-3 polyunsaturated fatty acids (PUFA) deficiency on emotional response in rats subjected to maternal separation (MS) as chronic early life stress. Pups fed a control or an n-3 PUFA deficient diet were daily separated for 2 weeks before weaning. In adult rats, reward response was assessed by sucrose consumption and reactivity to novelty using openfield test. Both n-3 PUFA deficiency and MS increased reward response and impulsivity. Moreover, nutritional deficiency and stress acted in synergy to elevate sucrose intake by 80%, compared to control conditions. n-3 PUFA deprivation induced a depletion of docosahexanoeic acid of brain membranes by 70% compensated by increase in 22:5 n-6 and arachidonic acid (AA) levels. The diet-induced AA increase was, however, significantly higher in MS rats. This suggests that n-3 PUFA deficit could be an environmental risk increasing vulnerability to depressive-like response induced by chronic stress.

Effects of Life Stress on Serum Corticol and Lipid Concentrations in College Students

The purpose of this study was to investigate the effects of life stress on serum cortisol and lipid concentration in college students. Life stress levels for last 1 year were determined using a self‐administered life stress questionnaire in 406 college students. It was divided into 3 subgroups by scores distribution based on total life stress scores [the top 25%: high stress group (HSG), the low 25%: low stress group (LSG) and middle range: middle stress group (MSG)]. From 406 college students, fifty college students’ blood (high stress group: n=23, middle stress group: n=9, low stress group: n= 18) were sampled for this study. Serum cortisol level as a stress biomarker and serum triglyceride, total cholesterol and HDL‐cholesterol concentrations were measured. LDL‐cholesterol concentration and atherogenic index (AI) were calculated. Mean life stress level of HSG, MSG, LSG were 138.04 ± 36.3, 58.6 ± 8.7 and 16.3 ± 7.2, respectively. Serum cortisol level was not significantly different among 3 subgroups and there was no significant correlation between serum cortisol level and lipid concentrations. But serum HDL‐cholesterol concentration and AI were significantly different among 3 subgroups and there was significantly negative correlation between life stress level and HDL‐cholesterol concentration (p< 0.01), and there was significantly positive correlations between life stress level and AI (p< 0.01). These results suggested that high life stress level may have adverse effects on cardiovascular disease through decreasing serum HDL‐cholesterol concentration and increasing AI. Also serum cortisol level may not be a biomarker for chronic life stress.

Chronic stress, salivary cortisol, and α-amylase in children with asthma and healthy children

The present study examined whether chronic stress is related to daily life levels of salivary α-amylase (sAA), a marker for sympathetic activity, and cortisol in healthy children versus children with asthma.Children's sAA and cortisol levels were measured repeatedly over 2 days. Chronic stress measures included interviews with children about chronic home life stress and interviews with parents about one marker of socioeconomic status, parental education.Among children with asthma, higher chronic stress was associated with lower daily sAA output, while among healthy children, higher chronic stress was associated with flatter cortisol slopes.In conclusion, chronically stressed children with asthma showed lower salivary α-amylase output, indicating lower sympathetic activity, and implying a possible mechanism for increased susceptibility to symptom exacerbations. In contrast, higher cortisol levels in healthy children with chronic stress may indicate, for example, an increased risk for infectious diseases. This dichotomy emphasizes the different biological effects of chronic stress depending on illness status.

Development of Abdominal Pain and IBS Following Gynecological Surgery: A Prospective, Controlled Study

Irritable bowel syndrome (IBS) develops after bacterial enteritis that causes injury to the bowel mucosa. It's unclear whether abdominal pain or IBS results from gynecological surgery that could injure abdominopelvic nerves. The aim of this prospective, controlled study was to assess the incidence of pain or IBS in women undergoing elective gynecological surgery compared to non-surgical controls and to identify factors associated with their development. One hundred thirty-two women without GI symptoms undergoing elective gynecological surgery for non-painful conditions were compared with 123 non-surgery controls without GI symptoms. Socio-demographic, psychosocial, and surgery-related variables were potential predictor variables of pain at 3 and/or 12 months. Three surgical patients (2.7%), but no controls, developed IBS at 12 months. Significantly more surgical patients had abdominal pain at 3 or 12 months (15.3% vs 3.6%, P=.003). No socio-demographic or surgery-related variables predicted pain development, but it was predicted by psychosocial factors including anticipation of difficult recovery from surgery (P=.01), perception of severity/constancy of illness (P=.04), and reduced sense of coherence (P=.01). Among women undergoing gynecological for non-pain indications the development of IBS was not significantly greater than controls. However, abdominal pain did develop in 17% of women in the surgical group, suggesting that surgery facilitated its development. Notably, only psychosocial variables predicted pain development, implying that pain development associated with central registration and amplification of the afferent signal (via cognitive and emotional input) must be considered along with the peripheral injury itself. These findings contribute to understanding the pathophysiology of functional GI pain.

Stressful life events, resources, and access: key considerations in quitting smoking at an Aboriginal Medical Service

Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander people experience adverse health outcomes and have high rates of smoking and related illnesses. This brief report describes stress as a barrier to quitting smoking derived from reflections within an Aboriginal Medical Service and makes recommendations for intervention development. A high-intensity smoking cessation program was conducted within a suburban Aboriginal Medical Service in Western Sydney, Australia, over a 10-month period. The intervention included weekly cessation counselling sessions and dispensation of free nicotine replacement therapy (NRT). During the observation period, 32 clients made quit attempts. To date, three clients (9%) have quit smoking. Chronic and intercurrent life stressors were noted to be the main barriers to smoking cessation described by participants. Achieving smoking cessation among Indigenous people is made significantly more complex because of multiple life stressors experienced. Future interventions targeting Indigenous Australians should take greater account of stressful life events and their impact on quitting smoking.

Prospective reports of chronic life stress predict decreased grey matter volume in the hippocampus

Chronic stress in non-human animals decreases the volume of the hippocampus, a brain region that supports learning and memory and that regulates neuroendocrine activity. In humans with stress-related psychiatric syndromes characterized by impaired learning and memory and dysregulated neuroendocrine activity, surrogate and retrospective indicators of chronic stress are also associated with decreased hippocampal volume. However, it is unknown whether chronic stress is associated with decreased hippocampal volume in those without a clinical syndrome. We tested whether reports of life stress obtained prospectively over an approximate 20-year period predicted later hippocampal grey matter volume in 48 healthy postmenopausal women. Women completed the Perceived Stress Scale repeatedly from 1985 to 2004; in 2005 and 2006, their hippocampal grey matter volume was quantified by voxel-based morphometry. Higher Perceived Stress Scale scores from 1985 to 2004 — an indicator of more chronic life stress - predicted decreased grey matter volume in the right orbitofrontal cortex and right hippocampus. These relationships persisted after accounting for age, total grey matter volume, time since menopause, use of hormone therapy, subclinical depressive symptoms, and other potentially confounding behavioral and age-related cerebrovascular risk factors. The relationship between chronic life stress and regional grey matter volume – particularly in the hippocampus and orbitofrontal cortex – appears to span a continuum that extends to otherwise healthy individuals. Consistent with animal and human clinical evidence, we speculate that chronic-stress-related variations in brain morphology are reciprocally and functionally related to adaptive and maladaptive changes in cognition, neuroendocrine activity, and psychiatric vulnerability.

Socioeconomic status and inflammatory processes in childhood asthma: The role of psychological stress

Although social environment variables such as socioeconomic status (SES) have been linked to childhood asthma, little is known about the psychobiological mechanisms underlying this relationship. The goal of this study was to investigate relationships among SES, psychological stress, and immune processes implicated in asthma. Thirty-seven children ages 9 to 18 years, physician-diagnosed with asthma, and 39 healthy children participated. Families were interviewed about chronic life stress, perceptions of threat, and SES. Blood samples were drawn from children to assess stimulated production of cytokines implicated in asthma (IL-4, IL-5, IL-13) and eosinophil counts. In children with asthma, lower SES was associated with heightened production of IL-5 and IL-13 and higher eosinophil counts (P values < .05). Lower SES also was associated with higher chronic stress and perceived threat (both groups: P values < .05). Higher levels of stress and threat perception were associated with heightened production of IL-5 and IL-13, and higher eosinophil counts in children with asthma (P values < .05). Statistical mediation tests revealed that chronic stress and threat perception represented statistically significant pathways between SES and immune processes in children with asthma (P values < .05). In healthy children, associations were in the opposite direction from the asthma group, though generally not significant. This is one of the first studies to document empirically a psychobiological explanation for the epidemiologic relationship between low SES and poor asthma outcomes. Associations among SES, psychological stress, and immune pathways suggest that the experience of stress, particularly among lower SES children, has implications for childhood asthma morbidity.

Chronic life stress, acute stress events, and substance availability in relapse

This study evaluated additive and interactive models of the effects of acute stressful life events, chronic life stressors, and immediate substance availability on substance use following alcohol and drug treatment. One hundred and two veterans meeting DSM-IV criteria for alcohol, cannabis, or stimulant dependence at treatment entry completed quarterly interviews for one year. Severe chronic stressors and substance availability predicted an increased risk of initiating substance use posttreatment (OR = 5.18 and 3.18, respectively). However, the chronic stressors and immediate substance availability were associated with less protracted substance use (F (2, 67) =17.30, p < 0.001). Substance availability also predicted fewer total drinks consumed. In contrast to chronic stressors, recent stressful life events were not predictive of posttreatment substance initiation or severity. None of the interactions between stress and substance availability were significant. These findings support a model where chronic stressors and substance availability independently add to the risk for alcohol or drug use following treatment.

Importance of personality traits and psychosocial factors for the development of coronary heart disease

Numerous studies have provided clear and convincing evidence that psychosocial factors contribute to the pathogenesis and expression of coronary heart disease (CHD). These factors have been related to the following psychosocial domains: personality factors and character traits, depression, anxiety, social isolation and chronic life stress. The aim of this study was to estimate the influence of personality traits and psychosocial risk factors for the development of coronary heart disease. The investigation was conducted as observational cross-sectional (case-control) study. Based on medical records all subjects were divided into two groups: the group of patients with CHD (61 participants), and the control group of 41 healthy participants. All participants fulfilled the Eysenck Inventory Questionnaire, Paykel stress scale and Bortner scale of A-B self-estimation. The participants with CHD were shown to have lower education than healthy participants, but were comparable by gender, age and place of residence. According to the Bortner scale, most participants with CHD expressed type A personality, whereas most healthy participants expressed types B and AB. The patients with CHD achieved higher scores on the Paykel stress scale of life events, and they had the higher level of neurotic and psychotic tendencies, as well as the lower level of extroversion compared to the healthy participants. Multivariate logistic regression model identified chronic stress (odds ratio 1.018; 95% confidence interval 1.007-1.028) as an important predictor for the occurrence of coronary heart disease, when adjusted for age, gender, nourishment and blood pressure. On the other side, the lower risk for the occurrence of CHD was observed among the participants who had the higher level of extroversion (odds ratio 0.859; 95% confidence interval 0.636-0.902). Chronic stress and introversion can be considered important risk factors for the development of coronary heart disease, independent of other predictors such as obesity and hypertension, supporting the biopsychosocial model of the occurrence of coronary heart disease.

A Cross-sectional and Longitudinal Study on the Exercise Behavior and Life Stress of Participants in a Community Health Promotion Program for Elderly and Middle-aged People

A cross-sectional longitudinal questionnaire survey was conducted in order to clarify how age and the duration of participation in a community health promotion program affects participants' mental health status and the motivation to maintain periodical exercise behavior (n=150, male 39, female 111, ages 52 to 82, ). The results were as follows: 1) Participants who had been on the program and had done exercise for 2 years had higher average values than the non-participant group in the motivation factors to maintain periodic exercise and their reinforcement factors, although the average values of some factors varied according to length of participation. 2) “Daily hassles” and “lowered life satisfaction” were decreased in relation to length of participation period. 3) The duration of participation had a negative causal effect on perceived strength of chronic life stress according to an SEM analysis (χ2(23)=29.78, p.=0.156, GFI=0.955, AGFI=0.913, RMSEA=0.048). 4) The perceived strength of chronic life stress had a negative causal effect on the motivation to maintain periodic exercise behavior through the factors that enforce motivation. A different pattern was observed between the junior group (52-64) and the senior group (65-82) in this causal effect (χ2(45)=52.61, p.=0.203, GFI=0.923, AGFI=0.847, RMSEA=0.036).

Social support, life events and physical symptoms: A prospective study of chronic and recent life stress in men and women

The objective of this study was to examine whether functional social support buffers the effects of chronic and recent life stress on physical symptom reporting in men and women and assess whether perceptions of support remain stable over time. A longitudinal design was used. Self-ratings of stressful experiences were completed every 3 months over a period of 1 year. Physical symptoms were assessed at 6 and 12 months, and perceptions of social support were measured at baseline and at 12 months. Three groups were formed on the basis of average stress values for the first and second 6 months of the year: chronic low stress, chronic high stress and a recent high-stressed group consisting of individuals who reported low stress for the first 6 months, but high stress for the second 6 months of the year. As expected, high life stress was associated with greater symptom reporting. Perceptions of support remained stable and did not decline over the 12 months. After controlling for negative affectivity and physical symptoms at 6 months, no main effects of social support were found on reported physical health. However, perceived social support did moderate physical symptom reporting in those reporting recent high stress. For chronically high-stressed individuals there was no significant difference in physical symptoms between those with high or low social support. It was concluded that social support moderates the impact of recent but not chronic life stress on physical symptom reporting.

Stress als kardiovaskulärer Risikofaktor

Stress is a reaction of the organism to a stressor with various negative health consequences including the development of arteriosclerosis. Stress may cause myocardial ischemia, rhythm disturbances, platelet stimulation, increased blood viscosity through hemoconcentration as well as endothelial dysfunction and coronary vasoconstriction in the presence of arteriosclerosis of the coronary arteries. Psychosocial risk factors may also lead to the development and to clinical consequences of arteriosclerosis. The five most important psychosocial risk factors are: depression, anxiety, personality factors, social isolation and chronic life stress. Various components are responsible for the fact that life events or certain psychosocial factors can lead to a stress reaction. Psychosocial risk factors have direct pathophysiologic effects but also influence life style and behavior Various stress management intervention programs have proven to be effective. Psychosocial intervention in conjunction with cardiac rehabilitation programs has shown to reduce cardiovascular morbidity and mortality.

The Interplay Between Life Stressors and Depressive Symptoms Among Older Adults

This study examined mutual predictive associations between life stressors and depressive symptoms in later life. A sample of late-middle-aged and older adults (N = 1,291) was surveyed at baseline and 1 year, 4 years, and 10 years later. At each contact point, participants completed an inventory that assessed chronic and acute life stressors and depressive symptoms. Over the 10-year interval, there was evidence of both social causation and social selection processes: More life stressors were associated with subsequent increases in depressive symptoms (social causation), and more depressive symptoms were associated with subsequent increases in stressors (social selection or stress generation). These findings reflect a mutual influence process in which life stressors and depressive symptoms can alter each other.

Stress Generation, Avoidance Coping, and Depressive Symptoms: A 10-Year Model.

This study examined (a) the role of avoidance coping in prospectively generating both chronic and acute life stressors and (b) the stress-generating role of avoidance coping as a prospective link to future depressive symptoms. Participants were 1,211 late-middle-aged individuals (500 women and 711 men) assessed 3 times over a 10-year period. As predicted, baseline avoidance coping was prospectively associated with both more chronic and more acute life stressors 4 years later. Furthermore, as predicted, these intervening life stressors linked baseline avoidance coping and depressive symptoms 10 years later, controlling for the influence of initial depressive symptoms. These findings broaden knowledge about the stress-generation process and elucidate a key mechanism through which avoidance coping is linked to depressive symptoms.

Across the developmental continuum of irritable bowel syndrome: clinical and pathophysiologic considerations.

Irritable bowel syndrome is a common functional gastrointestinal disorder that affects children and adults. The lack of consensus diagnostic criteria and pathophysiologic understanding has hampered clinical progress in diagnosing and treating this disorder. The recent development of the Rome diagnostic criteria, mapping of brain-gut pathways using neuroimaging, and serotonergic pharmacology have greatly advanced the field. Chronic and acute life stress, especially during childhood, has been recognized as central to the initiation of the disorder and the induction of acute symptoms. We propose a developmental continuum whereby the clinical presentation of irritable bowel syndrome changes with age from irritability during infancy, to diarrhea in toddlers, to recurring abdominal pain during school age, and to pain and altered bowel habits during later adolescence and adulthood.

Stress, Glucocorticoids, and Memory: A Meta-analytic Review

Although a strong psychoneuroendocrine linkage exists between stress, glucocorticoids and memory, the relationship is not always straightforward. Eighty-eight effect sizes and 1642 participants from 28 studies were meta-analyzed for the effects of stress on memory performance and glucocorticoid activation. Analyses showed that stress was associated with glucocorticoid activation and declarative memory decline. In animal studies, predator stress affected memory performance more than physical stress. In human studies, males showed higher cortisol levels than females in response to stress. Further, the correlation between cortisol levels and memory deficits was stronger in studies using laboratory stressors than those examining long term effects of chronic exposure to rising basal levels of glucocorticoids and chronic life stressors. It was concluded that, although the relationship between stress, glucocorticoids, and memory loss was empirically supported, there were other factors, such as stress condition and gender, as well as individual differences within groups, that influenced the association between these variables, and warrant further examination.

Early pulmonary response to allergen is attenuated during acute emotional stress in females with asthma.

Some asthma patients and physicians who treat asthma have reported that stress worsens their disease. It has also recently been shown that chronic stressful life events increase airway inflammation 6-24 h after inhalation of antigen in patients with allergic asthma. However, there is no data regarding the effect of an acute stressor on the airway constriction that occurs within minutes of antigen inhalation (early pulmonary response) in this same population. The aim of this study was to examine this effect in eight females with allergic asthma. Each subject was challenged with increasing concentrations of inhaled allergen on a control visit (no stress) and on a stress visit, when they were asked to verbally recount an emotionally stressful situation between each concentration. Systolic (SP) and diastolic (DP) blood pressure, cardiac frequency (fC) and forced expiratory volume in one second (FEV1) were measured on both visits. SP, DP and fC were statistically increased on the stress visit as compared to control. Per cent decrease in FEV1 at the same last dose of allergen was significantly less on the stress visit (11.2 +/- 7.0%) compared to control (15.0 +/- 8.7%). These findings suggest that the early pulmonary response to inhaled allergen is attenuated while verbally re-experiencing an acute emotional stressor in females with allergic asthma.

Risk factors for internalizing and externalizing problems among gay, lesbian, and bisexual adolescents

This study investigated the risk factors associated with internalizing and externalizing problems among 169 gay, lesbian, and bisexual adolescents, ages 13 to 18, in northern New England, who were recruited through multiple methods. Data were gathered on individual, family, and community risk factors and youths' mental health and behavioral functioning. The youths did not differ on internalizing or externalizing problems by gender or by sexual orientation. Multivariate analyses demonstrated that risk factors unrelated to sexual orientation explained 18 percent and 19 percent of the variance in internalizing and externalizing problems, respectively. Risk factors related to sexual orientation explained an additional 4 percent of the variance in youths' internalizing problems and 1 percent in youths' externalizing problems. The results suggest that adolescent service providers should carefully assess gay, lesbian, and bisexual adolescents for concerns related and not directly related to their sexual orientation, as well as concerns specific to their identity. Even youths with positive feelings about their sexual orientation may be at risk. Key words: adolescents; bisexual youths; gay youths; lesbian youths, mental health; risk factors ********** Research with gay, lesbian, and bisexual adolescents suggests high risk of emotional distress, such as symptoms of depression and anxiety (D'Augelli & Hershberger, 1993; Rosario, Rotheram-Borus, & Reid, 1996), suicidality (Rotheram-Borus, Hunter, & Rosario, 1994), and problem behaviors (Rosario et al.). Adolescents' growing awareness of romantic or sexual feelings for individuals of the same sex often occurs in family and community environments marked by stigmatization, victimization, and a lack of support (D'Augelli, Hershberger, & Pilkington, 1998). Gay, lesbian, and bisexual adolescents are coming out at younger ages (Herdt & Boxer, 1993), raising critical questions about how best to ensure their health and well-being, particularly because evidence suggests that early self-identification is associated with greater morbidity (Remafedi, Farrow, & Deisher, 1991). Little is known, however, about potential risk factors, or whether the risk factors are unique to their experience as gay, lesbian, and bisexual adolescents or shared with other vulnerable adolescents. Research with gay, lesbian, and bisexual adolescents has tended to focus on risk factors specific to their sexual orientation (for example, age at self-labeling) rather than account for risk factors that have been implicated in child and adolescent psychopathology (for example, socioeconomic status or family mental health problems). Few studies have developed multivariate models to predict mental health and behavior problems that incorporate risks specifically related to sexual orientation and risks shared with other vulnerable youths. RISK FACTORS FOR MENTAL HEALTH AND BEHAVIOR PROBLEMS Risk factors for adolescent mental health and behavior problems that are frequently cited in the literature include low socioeconomic status, marital discord, and family mental health problems (for example, Rae-Grant, Thomas, Offord, & Boyle, 1989), with the risk increasing as the risk factors increase (Rutter, 1979). Other studies point to gender (Reinherz et al., 1993), poor family functioning (Fleming & Offord, 1990), and a lack of family support (Lewinsohn et al., 1994). Many studies have linked chronic life stressors (for example, Masten, Best, & Garmezy, 1990) and stressful life events with depression, suicidality, and delinquency in adolescents (for example, Compas, Orosan, & Grant, 1993; Garrison, Jackson, Marsteller, McKeown, & Addy, 1990; Reinherz et al.; Tiet et al., 1998). Few studies have examined an array of risk factors experienced by gay, lesbian, and bisexual adolescents, and even fewer have included young lesbians or bisexual females. …

Family stress and parent–infant interaction: The mediating role of coping

AbstractStress, whether in the form of daily hassles, chronic life stressors, or stressful life events, has consistently been shown to impact the quality of the parent–child relationship. Coping has been defined as any strategy meant to manage stressful situations or events. To the extent that daily hassles and life events evoke strategies for coping with stress, the efficacy of such strategies could impact the quality of family relationships. The focus of the current study was to examine the relationship between stress and parent–child interactions, with direct interest in the mediating role of family coping on this family process. Participants were 105 low‐income mother–infant pairs who were enrolled in the national evaluation of Early Head Start. Study findings revealed that mothers are more likely to demonstrate positive interactions with their infants when perceptions of life stressors are low. Furthermore, although mothers who report fewer stressors utilize more support from friends and family, results did not support a mediating effects of coping on mother–infant interactions. ©2002 Michigan Association for Infant Mental Health.

Severity of stressful life events in first and subsequent episodes of depression: the relevance of depressive subtype

Background: Recent studies have reignited debate concerning the relationship between stressful life events and depressive subtypes, particularly in relation to first versus subsequent episodes. Aims: To investigate the relationship between stressful life events and variably defined melancholic/non-melancholic depressive subtypes, and the import of such life events to first compared with subsequent episodes across those subtypes. Method: Acute and chronic stressful life events were rated in 270 patients with DSM-IV Major Depressive episodes who were allocated to melancholic and non-melancholic groups separately as defined by DSM-III-R, DSM-IV, the Newcastle criteria and the CORE system. Results: Severe stressful life events (both acute and chronic)—as defined by DSM-III-R axis IV—were more likely to occur prior to first rather than subsequent episodes, particularly for those with non-melancholic depression. Limitations: Dependence or independence of life events was not assessed. Genetic vulnerability to depression was not determined. Life events in first and subsequent depressive episodes were compared cross-sectionally between groups, not prospectively in the same cohort of patients. There were no differences in the number of severe life events—as defined by clinician consensus—between the first and subsequent episodes. Conclusions: These findings are consistent with other studies in suggesting an enhanced sensitisation of depressed patients to subsequent episodes of depression, but suggest that any such phenomenon is specific to non-melancholic depression, in comparison to one key previous study.