Impact Of Recent Life Events Research Articles

The Impact of Recent Life Events, Internalizing Symptoms, and Emotion Regulation on the Severity of Non-Suicidal Self-Injury in Adolescents: A Mediation Analysis.

Previous studies have demonstrated a strong association between recent stressful life events and non-suicidal self-injury (NSSI) among adolescents. Internalizing symptoms and difficulty in emotion regulation (DER) may mediate this relationship. This study aimed to investigate the relationship between recent stressful life events and NSSI severity in adolescents and the potential moderating role of internalizing symptoms and DER. A total of 224 adolescent inpatients (78.6% female) participated in the study, with an age range of 12-18 years old. Data on recent stressful life events, internalizing symptoms, DER, and NSSI behaviors were collected using a clinician-rated questionnaire. A structural equation model was used to test the hypothesized model. The rate of NSSI reporting among adolescents in the past 12 months was 65.18%. Recent stressful life events were found to be directly associated with NSSI severity (β = 0.128, P = 0.023). A chain-mediating effect between recent stressful life events and NSSI was also confirmed (β = 0.034, P = 0.023), with DER and internalizing symptoms playing a chain-mediating role and DER having a significantly indirect association with NSSI through internalizing symptoms. Recent stressful life events appear to play a role in the etiology of NSSI, particularly punishment and interpersonal relationship events that warrant special attention. DER and internalizing symptoms play a chain-mediating role in the relationship between life events and NSSI. Reducing recent stressful life events, screening for internalizing symptoms, and improving emotion regulation may decrease NSSI behavior among adolescents.

T5. STRESS SENSITIZATION AS THE UNDERLYING MECHANISM LINKING CHILDHOOD TRAUMA AND PSYCHOTIC-LIKE SYMPTOMS IN NONCLINICAL YOUNG ADULTS

BackgroundThe traumagenic neurodevelopment model of psychosis poses that prolonged or severe stress exposure in critical developmental periods (i.e., childhood) disrupts psychobiological stress regulation mechanisms, increasing liability for the onset and persistence of psychotic symptoms after re-exposure to stressful events (Read et al., 2014). This disruption seems to result in a process of behavioral and biological sensitization by which the individual manifests an enhanced stress sensitivity to subsequent minor adversities in adulthood (Belda et al., 2015), which may cause an increased risk for psychosis. The behavioral manifestation of stress sensitization has been examined in samples at clinical risk for psychosis, but it has been scarcely studied in nonclinical populations. The first goal of the present study was to investigate whether the association between childhood trauma (CT) and perceived stress was moderated by the impact of recent life events in a nonclinical sample. The second goal was to test whether the association between CT and suspiciousness was mediated by perceived stress, and whether this mediation was moderated by the impact of life events. Following stress sensitization hypotheses, it was expected that the association between CT and suspiciousness would be mediated by higher levels of perceived stress. In turn, the impact of negative recent life events was expected to moderate the effect of CT on suspiciousness via increased levels of perceived stress.MethodsThe sample consisted of 168 Spanish nonclinical youngsters (mean age=28.01), belonging to the ongoing Barcelona Longitudinal Investigation of Schizotypy Study (BLISS). From a large pool of unselected college students, a selected subsample oversampled for schizotypy scores continues regular follow-up assessments. They were assessed for life events, perceived stress and suspiciousness at the concurrent assessment, whereas CT was assessed 7 years earlier at baseline. Linear regression and simple slope analyses were performed to test whether recent life events moderated the association between CT and suspiciousness. Moderated mediation analyses were conducted to examine the indirect effect of CT on suspiciousness via perceived stress moderated by the impact of recent life events.ResultsRecent life events significantly moderated the association between CT and perceived stress. Simple slope analyses indicated that this association was significant when subjects experienced negative or neutral life events, but not positive life events. Moderated mediation analyses revealed an indirect effect of CT on suspiciousness through perceived stress, which was moderated by the impact of recent life events. Thus, these mediational effects were significant for those subjects with a greater subjective appraisal of a negative or neutral impact of life events, but not for those experiencing a positive impact. The magnitude of the conditional indirect effect (as indicated by the Index of Moderated Mediation) was significantly different across levels of impact of recent life events (i.e., negative, neutral, positive).DiscussionThese findings provide further supporting evidence to the stress sensitization hypothesis for psychosis by showing its manifestation across both the clinical and nonclinical ranges of the hypothesized psychosis continuum. CT and perceived stress were associated when the impact of recent life events was negative or neutral, but not positive, suggesting that positive life events may play a protective role in the perception of stress and the role that stress shows in the mechanistic pathway to suspiciousness.

The Moderating Effect of the Negative Impact of Recent Life Events on the Relation between Intrinsic Religiosity and Death Ideation in Older Adults

Researchers tested the hypothesis that the negative impact of recent life events would moderate the relationship between intrinsic religiosity and death ideation in older adults. Participants (n = 272) completed assessments of death ideation, intrinsic religiosity, and negative impact of recent life events. We confirmed the presence of concurrent moderation and found that older adults with greater negative impact of recent life events and high intrinsic religiosity reported greater death ideation. These relatively surprising findings may be due to reduced fear of death in intrinsically religious older adults, an explanation consistent with previous research.

The Impact of Recent Life Events on Patients with Alopecia Areata: A Study from Iran

Objective: Alopecia areata affecting 0.1%-0.2% of humans, occurring in both males and females. Initial presentation most commonly occurs in the late teenage years, early childhood, or young adulthood, but can happen in people of any ages. In the present study, we were to find any association between onset of alopecia areata (AA) and preceding emotional stress.Subjects and methods: Totally 47 patients with diagnosed AA and 47 controls (healthy subjects refer for cosmetic reasons, matched on age and gender) enrolled to our study at the dermatology clinic of Hazrat Rasoul Akram hospital, Tehran, Iran. Participants were administered paykel , s questionnaire for Recent Life Events, also demographic data of all subjects registered simultaneously.Results: The distribution of alopecia in patients was as follow: head 30 (63.8%), beard 16 (34%), body 1 (2.1%). The total score of recent life events (last 12 months) was not different significantly between the alopecia patients (6.9 ± 1.01) and the comparison subjects (7.12 ± 0.91). p=0.95 Conclusion: Our results do not support the hypothesis that stressful life events associated to occurrence of alopecia areata.

Impact of recent life events on the health related quality of life of adolescents and youths: the role of gender and life events typologies in a follow-up study

BackgroundMost studies on the effect of life events (LEs) have been carried out in convenience samples which cannot be considered representative of the general population. In addition, recent studies have observed that gender differences in the health related quality of life (HRQoL) impact of LEs might be lower than believed. We assessed the relationship between LEs and HRQoL in a representative sample of Spanish adolescents/youths, focusing on gender differences.MethodsParticipants (n = 840) completed the KIDSCREEN-27 to measure HRQoL at baseline and again after 3 years (n = 454). Follow-up assessment included the Coddington Life Events Scales (CLES) to measure LEs experiences in the previous 12 months. Respondents were categorized according to the amount of stress suffered. We calculated both the number of LEs and the Life Change Unit (LCU) score, a summary of the amount of stress inherent to the event and the time elapsed since occurrence. LEs were classified as desirable or undesirable, and family-related or extra-family. Effect sizes were calculated to evaluate changes in HRQoL. To assess the impact of LEs typologies, multiple linear regression models were constructed to evaluate their effect on HRQoL.ResultsGirls reported a mean 5.7 LEs corresponding to 141 LCUs, and boys 5.3 and 129, respectively. The largest impact of LEs on HRQoL was observed in the group of boys that reported to have lived more stress (third tertil of LCUs distribution). The linear association between LEs and HRQoL tended to be stronger among boys than girls, but the difference was not statistically significant. The effect on HRQoL was deemed important when undesirable events had been experienced. To have an important impact on HRQoL, 200 LCUs due to undesirable events were necessary in boys. In girls, slightly higher scores were necessary for a similar impact.ConclusionsA moderate association was found between recent LEs and HRQoL, mainly among those who experienced several undesirable events that correspond to at least 200 LCUs. No gender differences were found in this association. Results may be useful for identifying adolescents with particular health risks, regardless of gender.

Temperament, life events, and psychopathology among the offspring of bipolar parents

The present study examines the relationship between temperament, recent and remote life events, and psychopathology among the offspring of parents with bipolar disorder and well comparisons. Offspring of bipolar and well parents were clinically assessed using KSADS-PL format interviews. Lifetime psychiatric diagnoses were made on a blind consensus basis in accordance with DSM-IV criteria. Depending on offspring age, either the child or their parent on their behalf, completed a semi-structured interview quantifying the number and impact of recent life events and remote permanent losses, as well as a measure of temperament. In this study, there was an association between psychopathology and the number of recent negative life events, but no association between psychopathology and the number of early losses. Emotionality was positively correlated with recent life events. However, in stepwise regression analyses, only emotionality significantly contributed to lifetime psychopathology in general and emotionality and age contributed to the risk of mood disorder in particular. These findings, replicate in a sample of offspring at high risk for bipolar disorder, previously reported associations between high emotionality and unipolar depression. In this population, any effect of undesirable life events would appear to be mediated through the association with emotionality.

The Relationship of Borderline Personality Disorder, Life Events and Functioning in an Australian Psychiatric Sample

Studies have documented poor functioning and higher rates of negative life events in association with personality disorders (PDs), in particular with borderline personality disorder (BPD). The current study investigated the impact of recent life events, daily hassles and uplifts on psychosocial functioning in patients with PDs, while extending previous research by examining the role of perceived coping effectiveness and perceived stress of recent life events. Ninety-seven participants (Axis I group, N = 30; BPD group, N = 23; Other PD group, N = 44) completed measures of functioning, recent life events, daily hassles and uplifts. Results indicated that the BPD group reported the poorest levels of functioning, especially interpersonal functioning. The BPD group also reported more negative life events, particularly in the interpersonal relationships, personal health, crime, and financial domains. The BPD group experienced less uplifts, more hassles and found employment circumstances particularly stressful and difficult to cope with. Intensity of hassles was a predictor of functioning independent of a BPD diagnosis. A greater frequency of life events was closely associated with a non-BPD diagnosis in predicting a decrease in psychosocial functioning.

Recent life events, social adjustment, and suicide attempts in patients with major depression and borderline personality disorder.

This study investigated the impact of recent life events and social adjustment on suicide attempter status in 34 patients with major depression, 24 patients with borderline personality disorder, and 22 patients with co-morbid major depression and borderline personality disorder. Suicide attempters reported more recent life events and scored lower on a measure of social adjustment in their families and overall social adjustment, compared with non-attempters. Borderline disordered and borderline or depressed patients were more likely to have attempted suicide than patients with major depression only. Recent life events did not predict attempter status. Lower social adjustment in the immediate family and lower overall social adjustment were predictive of suicide attempter classification, regardless of diagnosis. Borderline disordered patients low on overall social adjustment were over 16 times more likely to have attempted suicide than patients diagnosed with major depression only. Recent life events may elevate suicide risk in groups already at high risk for suicide completion, whereas high levels of social adjustment may be protective against stress-related suicidal behavior.

Developmental psychopathology: the impact of recent life events in anxious and depressed school-age children.

Introduction Until the last decade 'social stresses' were frequently perceived as an amorphous and non-specific burden in children's lives. Invariably the amount or degree of stress was the focal point for clinical evaluation or research measurement. This viewpoint is, however, too narrow and ignores the varying qualities and intensities of family and peer group experiences which must be taken into account when considering environmental aetiologies of emotional disorders in childhood and adolescence'-3. In this paper, a number of psychosocial mechanisms are proposed, from information obtained using in-depth face-to-face interviews with anxious and depressed school-age children and their parents. The detail of information, its systematic measurement and analysis have resulted in the description of a variety of patterns of adverse family and peer group experiences suggesting that the environmental risk for emotional disorders will not be explaine' by a single 'stress model'4-6.

Schematic Processing and the Prediction of Depression Following Childbirth

On the basis of performance in an incidental free recall task, a sample of 156 non-depressed pregnant women, all scoring below 10 on the Beck Depression Inventory (BDI), was divided into two groups. The first (S+) was hypothesized as susceptible to depression as a result of showing a bias favouring better recall of self-esteem-threatening (SET) words than emotionally positive words. The second group (S-) showed the reverse recall bias and was considered not to be susceptible to depression. Level of depression in the two groups was reassessed 3 months after delivery and the impact of recent life events on self-esteem was also assessed using a structured interview procedure. The S+ and S- groups were subdivided on the basis of high (HISE) and low (LISE) scores for the impact of life events on self-esteem. The four resulting groups S+/HISE, S+/LISE, S-/HISE and S-/LISE were compared in terms of BDI score by means of an ANOVA (Susceptibility × Impact on self-esteem × Occasion). A significant second-order interaction showed that level of depression increased in the susceptible group experiencing negative impact of life events on self-esteems (S+/LISE). Depression level declined in all other groups. The findings are considered to be consistent with Beck's cognitive theory of depression.