Effects Of Toxic Stress Research Articles

The CARING study: Examining biological, behavioral, and genetic mechanisms in the intergenerational transmission of toxic stress.

When children experience extreme or persistent stressors (e.g., maltreatment, housing insecurity, intimate partner violence), prolonged elevation of the stress-response system can lead to disrupted development of multiple physiological systems. This response, known as toxic stress, is associated with poor physical and mental health across the life course. Emerging evidence suggests that the effects of toxic stress may be transmitted through generations, but the biological and behavioral mechanisms that link caregivers' childhood history with the health of the children they care for remain poorly understood. The purpose of this report is to describe the research protocol for The CARING (Childhood Adversity and Resilience In the Next Generation) Study, a cross-sectional study of caregivers with children aged 3-5 years designed to (1) examine the intergenerational transmission of toxic stress and protective factors; (2) explore three hypothesized pathways of transmission: parenting, daily routines, stressors, and supports; and (3) explore the extent to which genotypic variation in candidate genes related to caregiving and stress contribute to caregivers' and children's susceptibility to the effects of early childhood experiences (i.e., gene × environment interactions). We expect that findings from this study will provide critical data needed to identify targets for precision health interventions, reduce health disparities related to toxic stress, and prevent cycles of adversity among families at risk.

BLACK FATHERS' KNOWLEDGE AND ATTITUDES ABOUT TOXIC STRESS

To help address the disproportionate rates of early childhood adversity within the Black community, this study set out to assess African American fathers’ knowledge and attitudes about toxic stress, its effect on neurodevelopment, and resilience factors, as well as their receptivity to engaging in research that addresses mental health disparities associated with early childhood. Sixteen self-identified Black adult males (mean age: 39 years) with children 18 years old or younger watched a 6-minute animated video about toxic stress, neurodevelopment, and resilience, and engaged in focus groups to assess their attitudes about these topics. Pre- and postsurvey questionnaires were used to quantify knowledge gained. Participants additionally completed the original and expanded Adverse Childhood Experiences (ACE) and Benevolent Childhood Experiences (BCE) questionnaires. All participants experienced at least 1 ACE (M: 3.5), one expanded ACE (M: 6.3), and 1 BCE (M: 8.5). Confidence in being able to explain toxic stress and its effects to others increased (M = 2.8, SD = 0.98 vs M = 3.5, SD = 0.82; p = 0.036), as did knowledge that genes, environment, and experiences together affect child cognitive, social, and emotional development (M = 10.44, SD = 1.8 vs M = 12.3, SD = 1.4; p = 0.002). Qualitative themes related to toxic stress included the perpetuation of historical and intergenerational trauma, parental stress of managing systemic barriers (ie, racial discrimination, financial inequities, incarceration), and challenges within co-parenting relationships. Protective themes included the need for early parental education about the effects of toxic stress, positive imagery of Black fatherhood, and the resilience of Black fathers and the Black community as a whole. This study yielded insights into Black fathers’ perspectives about culturally specific contributors and protective factors of childhood toxic stress that are not currently addressed by evidence-based practices. These data, and the paucity of purposeful inclusion of fathers in early childhood prevention and intervention programs, represent gaps in current program design and implementation, and highlight the need for more father engagement and community-partnered participatory collaborations to improve mental health outcomes of children.

Toxic stress in children and youth: Exploring the role of community‐based programming to support health and well‐being in the United States

AbstractChildren and youth exposed to toxic stress are at a greater risk for negative outcomes on health, well‐being and occupational performance. Focus groups were conducted to gain understanding of the experiences and perspectives of youth at‐risk who were currently receiving services from a community‐based agency in a small city in the Western United States. Participants discussed acquiring life skills through agency programming including social skills and coping/self‐regulation skills. Participants also reported a positive culture of the agency, expressing feelings of safety, trust and supportive relationships. Community‐based programming may be in a pivotal position to provide services and supports that act as buffering protection against the effects of toxic stress.

Stres na radu - poseban fenomen ili vrsta opšteg stresa? - Milanko Čabarkapa: Profesionalni stres - psihologija stresa na radu, Zavod za udžbenike, Beograd, 2017

Occupational stress is drawing the attention of an increasing number of authors who deal with psychology of work and organization. Unlike old, "industrial" definitions of stress at work, modern ones put the emphasis on the psychological aspects of work which have adverse effects on the employee's mood, motivation and general health condition. Therefore, more attention is dedicated to the approach of superiors, interpersonal relations and balance between private and business life, as well as traditional effects of monotony, work conditions and opportunities for advancement. The author establishes an expertise base about stress by presenting and analyzing the results of numerous scientifically relevant studies on the topic of stress at work, thus familiarizing students, researchers and practitioners with the most important postulates, observations and implications for treating consequences of stress. Moreover, stress as one of the most current issues of modern era is increasingly positioning itself in the centre of the work context through problematic interpersonal relations, conflict or confusing work roles and insufficient or inadequate reward. The author finishes his book/textbook with the chapter about stress measurement methods and techniques, which will be crucial in proving the presence and toxic effects of stress, and in treating stress-related occupational diseases in the future.

Worried, weary and worn out: mixed-method study of stress and well-being in final-year medical students

ObjectiveAlthough there is much focus on burnout and psychological distress among doctors, studies about stress and well-being in medical students are limited but could inform early intervention and prevention strategies.DesignThe...

Neonatal maternal separation causes decreased numbers of sertoli cell, spermatogenic cells, and sperm in mice

Neonatal maternal separation is an experimental model used to evaluate the effects of toxic stress in neonates, or early life stress. Although various physiological and psychological stresses during childhood have been reported, the effects of neonatal maternal separation on the male reproductive system remain unclear. Therefore, the present study evaluated the effects of neonatal maternal separation on the male reproductive system. In neonatal male ICR mice, maternal separation was performed for 0.5, 1, 2, and 4 hours/day, from postnatal day 1 to 10. At 10 weeks of age, the neonatal maternal separation mice exhibited decreases in both testicular weight and epididymal sperm number, along with various testicular morphological changes involving germ cells, Sertoli cells, and interstitial cells. Notably, neonatal maternal separation mice showed decreased numbers of Sertoli cells. Animals subjected to 0.5-, 1-, and 2-h/day neonatal maternal separation exhibited decreases in serum levels of testosterone but not in those of gonadotropin (luteinizing hormone and follicle-stimulating hormone). Together, these data showed that neonatal maternal separation in male mice causes decreased Sertoli cell numbers following puberty, resulting in subsequent decreased spermatogenic activity.

Testing the impact of the ‘The Magic Mirror' harp music as a cost-effective biofeedback/neurofeedback tool to relieve stress, build intergenerational resilience and teach self-regulation.

Patients who experience toxic stress (ACES Adverse Childhood Events) have higher levels of inflammation leading to chronic disease. (1) Resilience which can be learned and developed in anyone, is the process of adapting well in the face of adversity. Building intergenerational resilience can reverse the negative psychosocial and neuro-immunologic effects of toxic stress. (2) (3) Through biofeedback/neurofeedback, the capacity to rewire brains shows how traumatized children and adults can learn to self-regulate. (4)(5)(6) A systematic review of the psychoneuroimmunology of music shows the role of stress pathways linking music to a positive immune response and calmer brainwave patterns. (7) The MUSE headband is a guided meditation …

What's the Punchline?: Promoting Child and Teacher Resilience Through Pediatrician-Teacher Partnerships.

* Abbreviation: ACE — : adverse childhood experience > The Editorial Board of the Section on Pediatric Trainees Monthly Feature is proud to feature an article by Dr Kavitha Selvaraj, who suggests that the effects of toxic stress can be combated through the development of physician–teacher partnerships. Her article concluded our series of featured essays on the Advocacy Campaign for 2016–2017. > > Catherine Spaulding, MD, Editor, Pediatrics , SOPT Monthly Feature I first learned about toxic stress the day my student “J” punched me in the face. As a seventh-grade biology and health teacher in an underserved neighborhood, I hoped to inspire the next generation of scientists. Unfortunately, the 5-week teachers’ boot camp left me woefully underprepared for the students’ constant behavioral outbursts, so little time was actually spent teaching. The most memorable incident started when I heard voices in the hallway yelling, “Fight! Fight! Fight!” and found my students, “J” and “N,” throwing punches. I positioned myself between the sparring students and yelled at them to stop. N backed away immediately, but J kept swinging with full force. His pupils were dilated, his face was sweaty, his respirations were fast and shallow. I implored him to stop, but instead, he stared at me blankly and punched me square in the face. Within moments, security guards arrived to escort J and N to the dean’s office, and the crowd dispersed. I stood there a moment longer, my cheek throbbing and my ego even more wounded, in shock at what had just occurred. After finding an ice pack for my swollen … Address correspondence to Kavitha Selvaraj, MD, MPH, MAEd, Division of Academic General Pediatrics and Primary Care, Ann & Robert H. Lurie Children’s Hospital of Chicago, 225 East Chicago Ave, Box 162, Chicago, IL 60611-2991. E-mail: kselvaraj{at}luriechildrens.org

Toxic stress and child refugees.

It is critical that greater awareness be placed on the effects of toxic stress on child refugees who are exposed to significant adverse events early in life.

Toxic stress, inflammation and symptomatology of chronic complications in diabetes.

Diabetes affects at least 382 million people worldwide and the incidence is expected to reach 592 million by 2035. The incidence of diabetes in youth is skyrocketing as evidenced by a 21% increase in type 1 diabetes and a 30.5% increase in type 2 diabetes in the United States between 2001 and 2009. The effects of toxic stress, the culmination of biological and environmental interactions, on the development of diabetes complications is gaining attention. Stress impacts the hypothalamus-pituitary-adrenal axis and contributes to inflammation, a key biological contributor to the pathogenesis of diabetes and its associated complications. This review provides an overview of common diabetic complications such as neuropathy, cognitive decline, depression, nephropathy and cardiovascular disease. The review also provides a discussion of the role of inflammation and stress in the development and progression of chronic complications of diabetes, associated symptomatology and importance of early identification of symptoms of depression, fatigue, exercise intolerance and pain.

Toxic Stress: Effects, Prevention and Treatment.

Children who experience early life toxic stress are at risk of long-term adverse health effects that may not manifest until adulthood. This article briefly summarizes the findings in recent studies on toxic stress and childhood adversity following the publication of the American Academy of Pediatrics (AAP) Policy Report on the effects of toxic stress. A review of toxic stress and its effects is described, including factors of vulnerability, resilience, and the relaxation response. An integrative approach to the prevention and treatment of toxic stress necessitates individual, community and national focus.

Chronic hyperglycemia in critically ill: Another piece in the glycemic control puzzle

Chronic hyperglycemia in critically ill: Another piece in the glycemic control puzzle

Chronic stress enhances methamphetamine-induced extracellular glutamate and excitotoxicity in the rat striatum.

Striking parallels exist between the neurochemical and toxic effects of stress and methamphetamine. Despite these similarities, no studies have examined how stress may promote the toxic effects of methamphetamine (METH). The current study tested the hypothesis that chronic stress enhances METH toxicity by augmenting glutamate (GLU) release and excitotoxicity in response to METH administration. Adult male Sprague-Dawley rats were exposed to 10 days of unpredictable stress and then received either saline or METH (7.5 mg/kg, i.p., once every 2 h x four injections). Prior exposure to unpredictable stress acutely enhanced the striatal extracellular GLU concentrations in response to METH, and eventually caused proteolysis of the cytoskeleton protein spectrin. Administration of the corticosterone synthesis inhibitor, metyrapone (25 mg/kg, i.p., prior to each stressor), during unpredictable stress attenuated the enhanced striatal GLU release in response to METH, blocked spectrin proteolysis, and attenuated METH-associated toxicity measured by long-term depletions in the dopamine and serotonin tissue content as well as depletions in dopamine and serotonin transporter immunoreactivity of the striatum. In summary, prior exposure to unpredictable stress enhances METH-induced elevations of GLU in the striatum, resulting in long-term excitotoxic damage and an augmentation of damage to dopamine and serotonin terminals. These studies provide a neurochemical basis for how stress contributes to the deleterious effects of METH abuse.