Childhood Negative Life Events Research Articles

Interplay of early negative life events, development of orbitofrontal cortical thickness and depression in young adulthood.

Early negative life events (NLE) have long-lasting influences on neurodevelopment and psychopathology. Reduced orbitofrontal cortex (OFC) thickness was frequently associated with NLE and depressive symptoms. OFC thinning might mediate the effect of NLE on depressive symptoms, although few longitudinal studies exist. Using a complete longitudinal design with four time points, we examined whether NLE during childhood and early adolescence predict depressive symptoms in young adulthood through accelerated OFC thinning across adolescence. We acquired structural MRI from 321 participants at two sites across four time points from ages 14 to 22. We measured NLE with the Life Events Questionnaire at the first time point and depressive symptoms with the Center for Epidemiologic Studies Depression Scale at the fourth time point. Modeling latent growth curves, we tested whether OFC thinning mediates the effect of NLE on depressive symptoms. A higher burden of NLE, a thicker OFC at the age of 14, and an accelerated OFC thinning across adolescence predicted young adults' depressive symptoms. We did not identify an effect of NLE on OFC thickness nor OFC thickness mediating effects of NLE on depressive symptoms. Using a complete longitudinal design with four waves, we show that NLE in childhood and early adolescence predict depressive symptoms in the long term. Results indicate that an accelerated OFC thinning may precede depressive symptoms. Assessment of early additionally to acute NLEs and neurodevelopment may be warranted in clinical settings to identify risk factors for depression.

Adolescent Post-traumatic Stress Disorder as a Mediator Between Childhood Negative Life Event Types and Depression

The aim of the current research was to understand how subtypes of childhood negative life events (NLEs) contribute to adolescent post-traumatic stress disorder (PTSD) symptoms and depression, as well as the mediating effects of PTSD symptoms in the relationship of stress of NLEs and depression. The sample included 447 Chinese young people from 12 to 24. The participants were asked to report subtypes of their experienced childhood NLEs as well as past and current stress intensity of the NLEs. Then their current PTSD and depression symptoms were measured. Results found that among the past stress of NLEs, such as family violence or abuse had a significant impact on depression symptoms. Among the current stress of NLEs, such as death of family member or friend and serious illness or injuries had significant impacts on depression. Moreover, PTSD symptoms had partial mediating effect in the relationship between the past stress of NLEs and adolescent depression, and full mediating effect in the relationship between the current stress of NLEs and adolescent depression. These results suggested that the impacts of childhood NLEs on adolescent PTSD and depression are multi-dimentional. Future intervention of adolescent PTSD and depression should take the expousre experieces of specific types of NLEs into consideration.

The psychological determinants of emotional and external eating behavior in a university student sample from Turkey

Psychological factors and adverse childhood events at an early age have been poorly investigated in relation to risky eating behavior and obesity. The importance of this relationship grows as these behaviors are becoming public health problems. The main objective of the present study was to examine the effects of interrelated psychological factors such as childhood negative life events, symptoms of depression and anxiety, and impulsivity on eating behaviors in a university student sample in Turkey. A total of 414 undergraduate students (60.4% women) in Turkey, completed the Turkish versions of the Dutch Eating Behavior Questionnaire (DEBQ) to assess emotional eating and external eating and the CDC-Kaiser Permanent Adverse Childhood Experiences (ACE), Beck Depression Inventory (BDI), Beck Anxiety Inventory (BAI), and Barratt Impulsivity Scale-11 (BSI-11). Structural equation models (SEM) were used to evaluate whether depressive/anxiety symptoms could be a mediator between impulsivity and emotional eating/external eating. Childhood adverse events were both weakly correlated with eating behavior and impulsivity measures (r = .18,r = .275, p <.001, respectively). Depression and anxiety levels were found to be significantly associated with all variables except for the body mass index (BMI; r = .121?.395, p <.001). Body mass index (BMI) was also significantly correlated with emotional eating (r = .231, p <.001) and restrained eating (r = .226, p <.001). Impulsivity was positively and directly associated with symptoms of anxiety and depression and emotional and external eating (respectively ? = .27, p <.001; ? = .31, p <.001; ? = .16, p = .006; ? = .13, p = .047). The effect of adverse experiences on both emotional eating (? = .147; 95% CI [.087, .247]) and external eating (? = .091; 95% CI [.032, .168]) was found to be partially mediated by impulsivity and symptoms of anxiety and depression. The results supported the proposition that symptoms of depression and anxiety levels are mediators between impulsivity and emotional eating/ external eating. This finding suggests that a through psychological assessment should be taken into consideration when evaluating the eating behavior of university students and prevention and treatment strategies applied for disordered eating behaviors in the future.

Association between childhood negative life events with alcohol expectancies in early adolescence: Cumulative risk and latent class approaches

BackgroundThe present study aims to investigate the effects of childhood negative life events (NLEs) on alcohol expectancies (AEs) in early adolescence through cumulative risk and latent class approaches. MethodsData were obtained from a prospective cohort of 945 sixth graders (age 11–12) ascertained from 17 elementary schools in northern Taiwan (response rate = 61.0 %wt); subsequent assessments were conducted during eighth grade (n = 775, follow-up rate [FR] = 82.6 %wt). Information concerning socio-demographics, 14 NLEs, alcohol-related experience, and four-domain AEs was collected by self-administered questionnaires at childhood and follow-up. Latent class and multivariate analyses were used to evaluate the association estimates. ResultsNearly one half of children had experienced at least one NLE in sixth grade, with one-tenth experiencing four or more NLEs. Three latent classes of NLEs were identified: “lesser experience (68.1 %wt),” “stressed relationship (27.6 %wt),” and “family instability (4.3 %wt).” The observed NLE-associated increase in AEs was relatively stronger in the cumulative approach: children experiencing four or more NLEs (βwt = 1.27, 95 % CI = 0.27–2.27) and in the “stressed relationship” NLE class appeared to develop greater AEs (βwt = 0.86, 95 % CI = 0.30–1.42). Moreover, such NLE-associated increase was especially salient in the AE domains regarding “global positive transformation” and “promoting relaxation or tension reduction”. ConclusionsOur results provide insight into which experiences of multiple and “stressed relationship” negative life events arising from the family context in childhood may shape endorsed alcohol expectancies in adolescence, and implied that such effects may not uniformly operate across AE domain.

How childhood trauma and recent adverse events are related to hair cortisol levels in a large adult cohort

BackgroundExposure to adversity is a risk factor for many mental and somatic health problems. Hypothalamic-pituitary-adrenal (HPA) axis dysregulation is a potential mechanism linking adversity exposure and negative health outcomes. However, associations between adversity exposure and HPA-axis activity have been inconsistent. To understand the impact of adversity on the HPA-axis, we examined associations between early-life and recent adversity with hair cortisol concentration, an indicator of long-term systemic cortisol levels. MethodsWe included 1166 adult participants of the Netherlands Study of Depression and Anxiety (NESDA). Hair cortisol was measured in 3 cm of proximal hair, representing cortisol exposure during the previous 3 months. Childhood maltreatment, childhood negative life events, and recent negative life events were retrospectively assessed using interview and self-report questionnaires. Linear regression analyses were performed to assess the associations between childhood maltreatment, childhood life events and recent life events with hair cortisol. Associations with cumulative adversity exposure and with subtypes of childhood maltreatment, childhood and recent negative life events were also investigated, as were interaction effects between adversity and sex, age and psychopathology. ResultsChildhood maltreatment (β = 0.034, p = 0.243), childhood life events (β = − 0.017, p = 0.544), and recent life events (β = − 0.021, p = 0.456) were not significantly associated with hair cortisol levels. Subtypes of childhood maltreatment and specific childhood and recent life events were not significantly associated with hair cortisol (pFDR>0.05). There were no significant interaction effects between adversity exposure and sex, age or depression/anxiety diagnostic status on hair cortisol. ConclusionsThere were no significant associations between childhood and recent adversity with systemic cortisol levels in adults. Effects of early-life and adult adversity are complex and may not directly impact on long-term systemic cortisol levels as measured in hair.

Witnessing interparental violence in childhood and symptoms of depression in adulthood: data from the 2017 French Health Barometer.

Every year, it is estimated that 143 000 French children are exposed to interparental violence (IPV). This exposure may have deleterious lifelong impact on mental health. To investigate the associations between exposure to IPV in childhood and, as adults, the presence of depressive symptoms during the past year, suicidal thoughts and lifetime suicide attempt. Our study is based on data from the 2017 French Health Barometer, a general population cross-sectional phone survey. 25 319 adults living in Metropolitan France responded. Data were weighted to obtain a representative sample of the French population. Associations between childhood exposure to IPV and each of three outcomes in adulthood-symptoms of depression, suicidal ideation in the past year and lifetime suicide attempt-were studied by calculating odds ratios (ORs) and their 95% confidence intervals (CIs), stratifying by sex and using multivariate models (logistic regression). After adjustment for age, social variables, negative life events in childhood and lifetime history of sexual violence, reporting witnessed IPV is significantly associated with the presence of symptoms of depression during the past 12 months (aORmen = 1.88, 95% CI = 1.49-2.38, and aORwomen = 2.00, 1.72-2.32), suicidal thoughts in the past 12 months (aORmen = 1.97, 1.48-2.64, and aORwomen = 2.35, 1.89-2.93), and at least one lifetime suicide attempt (aORmen =2.39, 1.83-3.11 and aORwomen = 2.66, 2.25-3.16). Associations shown between a history of exposure to IPV and three mental health indicators in adulthood underline the need to study the lifelong impact of IPV.

Hidradenitis suppurativa is associated with childhood and lifetime traumatic events: a case-control study.

Negative life events in childhood can increase the susceptibility to autoimmune and inflammatory diseases. Hidradenitis suppurativa (HS) is a systemic inflammatory disease affecting the apocrine sweat glands, characterized by abscesses, fistulas and inflammatory nodules. It is unknown whether adult HS is associated with traumatic events. To investigate the association between childhood and total lifetime traumatic events and the presence of HS. We conducted a matched (1:3) case-control study with 71 HS patients and 213 controls. Patients were matched on age, gender and level of education. Questionnaires on general and demographic information, as well as the Traumatic Experience Checklist and the Hospital Anxiety and Depression Scale, were completed. The number of traumatic events (OR: 1.20 per trauma, P value<0.05), and childhood traumatic events (yes vs. no, OR 3.59, P value<0.05) and the number of childhood traumatic events (OR 1.35 per trauma, P value<0.05) were correlated with an increased risk of developing HS. Detailed analysis showed that childhood emotional traumatic events (OR 5.03, P value<0.05) were significantly associated with the development of HS. Number of lifetime traumatic events and childhood traumatic events are associated with HS. This association is strongest for emotional childhood traumas. The increased prevalence of childhood traumas in HS patients can be one of the underlying mechanisms leading to systemic inflammation in these patients.

Predictive factors of diagnostic conversion from major depressive disorder to bipolar disorder in young adults ages 19–34: A nationwide population study in South Korea

BackgroundPredicting patients who convert to bipolar disorder is important for deciding appropriate treatment for young adults with major depressive disorder (MDD). We focused on the predictive factors of bipolar conversion in a large population of young adults. MethodsA nationwide, population-based electronic medical records database from the Health Insurance Review & Assessment service of South was used to investigate adjusted hazard ratio (HR) of each potential predictor of the bipolar converter group compared to the non-converter group using Cox regression analysis including age of onset, medication use, clinical features, comorbid disorders, admission, self-harm, and negative life events in childhood. ResultsAmong 291,721 subjects who were initially diagnosed with MDD in young adults, 12,376 subjects experienced diagnostic conversion to bipolar disorder. The cumulative incidence was 6.46% during the average 3.26 years of follow-up. Among the predictive factors during diagnosis of MDD, antipsychotic use (HR 3.12, 95%CI, 2.99–3.26, p < 0.0001) and mood stabilizers (HR 2.45, 95%CI, 2.35–2.55, p < 0.0001) showed the strongest association with diagnostic conversion to bipolar disorder. In addition, female sex, younger age of onset, mood stabilizer use, recurrent depression, psychotic symptoms, and admission to a psychiatric ward during diagnosis of MDD were also associated with diagnostic conversion to bipolar disorder. ConclusionIn young adults with MDD, antipsychotic and mood stabilizer use during diagnosis of MDD were the strongest predictive factors with diagnostic conversion to bipolar disorder during follow-up. If young adults with MDD need antipsychotics or mood stabilizer, patients should be carefully evaluated for possibility of bipolar disorder.

What doesn’t kill you makes you feel older: lifespan adversity and its association with subjective age among former prisoners of war

ABSTRACT Background: Subjective age (SA) is an indicator of aging that has been empirically associated with health impediments and hindered longevity. Studies show that adverse life events may result in relatively older SA, but have not addressed the differential contribution of life events across the lifespan and the course of posttraumatic psychopathology on the SA of aging survivors of extreme trauma. Objective: Filling this gap, the current study explored the differential contribution of (1) adverse experiences in various life-stages and (2) trajectories of posttraumatic stress disorder (PTSD) to the prediction of SA in a sample of former prisoners-of-war as they enter old age. Method: A cohort of Israeli former prisoners-of-war of the 1973 Yom Kippur War (N = 103) was assessed at four points throughout four decades after the war. A linear hierarchical regression was utilized to assess the contribution of negative life events during childhood, participation in other wars, combat exposure, suffering in captivity, life events since the war and the trajectories of PTSD for predicting SA 42-years post-repatriation. Results: Lifespan adversity explained 50% of the variance in SA, with trajectories of PTSD making the largest contribution, followed by life events since the war. Negative life events in childhood added to the explained variance only when PTSD trajectories were accounted for. Exposure to combat, participation in additional wars and the severity of specific experiences during captivity did not reach significance, though the latter marginally contributed to the explained variance (p = .069). Conclusions: This study demonstrates the importance of considering the prolongation of posttraumatic psychopathology together with life adversities and their differential implications when addressing SA after extreme trauma. The findings suggest that early life adversity may be a latent factor that increases vulnerability to posttraumatic premature aging processes.

Labour market trajectories over the life-course - the importance of childhood negative life events?

Labour market trajectories over the life-course - the importance of childhood negative life events?

Labour market trajectories over the life-course - the importance of childhood negative life events?

Labour market trajectories over the life-course - the importance of childhood negative life events?

Predicting Bullying: Exploring the Contributions of Childhood Negative Life Experiences in Predicting Adolescent Bullying Behavior.

Although there has been much interest in research on aggression and in particular bullying, a relatively less charted area of research has centered on articulating a better understanding of the mechanisms and processes by which persons are at increased risk for bullying. Furthermore, those studies that have investigated the linkages between childhood experiences and bullying perpetration have been limited with respect to definitional and operational issues, reliance on cross-sectional data, and the lack of assessing competing explanations of bullying perpetration. Using five waves of data from a community-based longitudinal sample of children followed through age 18 (N = 763), the current study examines the extent to which childhood negative life events in a variety of domains predict adolescent bullying. Results show that early childhood experiences, particularly those within the family and school domains, may alter life trajectories and can act as predictors for later adolescent bullying, thereby underscoring the potential importance that relatively minor experiences can have over the long term. Implications for future research based on these analyses are examined.

0141 Mediating effects of health on the association between negative life events in childhood on future labour market participation. A 7-year follow-up study

ObjectivesThe aim of this study was to investigate if effects of multiple negative life events in childhood on future labour market participation were mediated through 3 measures of mental, general,...

Functional outcomes of maltreated children and adolescents in a community-based rehabilitation program in Brazil: Six-month improvement and baseline predictors

This study sought to implement outcomes monitoring and to review outcome data from a community-based rehabilitation program for maltreated children and adolescents in São Paulo, Brazil. Maltreated children and adolescents (N=452) were enrolled in The Equilibrium Program (TEP), a multidisciplinary community-based rehabilitation program. About half (n=230) of the participants were successfully evaluated using the Children's Global Assessment Scale (C-GAS) at entry, 3, and/or 6 months later. Analysis of outcomes used hierarchical linear modeling of functional change from baseline. With a baseline C-GAS score of 51.7 (SD=14.22), average improvement was 2.8 and 5.5 points at 3 and 6 months, respectively (reflecting small to moderate effect sizes=0.20 and 0.39). Improvement was associated with Problems related to upbringing (p<.02) at entry and absence of Physical abuse (p<.05) and Negative life events in childhood (p<.05) but was not associated with sociodemographics or any specific psychiatric diagnosis. This study showed that outcomes monitoring is feasible in a community-based program in a developing country. Although there was no untreated control group for comparison and specific evidence-based treatments were not used, it is notable that significant improvement, with small to moderate effect size, was observed.

Negative life events in childhood as risk indicators of labour market participation in young adulthood: a prospective birth cohort study.

BackgroundMost previous studies on reliance on social benefits have focused on health, sickness absence, work environment and socioeconomic status in adulthood. Extending the focus to include early life circumstances may improve our understanding of processes leading to educational and occupational marginalisation and exclusion. The aim of this study was to investigate if multiple negative life events in childhood determined future labour market participation, and to identify important negative life events for labour market participation in young adulthood.MethodsOf a cohort of 3,681 born in 1989 in the county of Ringkjoebing, Denmark, 3,058 (83%) completed a questionnaire in 2004. They were followed in a register on social benefits for 12 months in 2010-2011. Logistic regression analyses were used to investigate associations between negative life events in childhood and future labour market participation, taking into account effects of socio-economic position, school performance, educational plans, vocational expectations and general health.ResultsA total of 17.1% (19.9% males, 14.4% females) received social benefits for at least 4 weeks during follow-up. Labour market participation decreased with number of negative life events, especially for females: Females who had experienced their parents’ divorce, had been abused, or had witnessed a violent event, showed decreased labour market participation, when adjusting for SES, school performance, educational plans, vocational expectations and general health at baseline. Attributable fractions ranged from 2.4% (parents’ alcohol/drug abuse) to 16.1% (parents’ divorce) for women. For men, risk estimates were lower and insignificant in the most adjusted models. Attributable fractions ranged from 1.0% (parents’ alcohol/drug abuse) to 4.9% for witnessing a violent event.ConclusionsInformation on childhood conditions may increase the understanding of determinants of labour market participation for young adults. Knowledge of negative life events in childhood should be taken into account when considering determinants of labour market participation and identifying high-risk groups.

P01-140 - Early negative life events during childhood and social anxietyin adulthood

BackgroundAlthough there is considerable evidence on the impact of negative life events during childhood on the etiology of psychiatric disorders, little is known about the specific influence on the social anxiety disorder. The objective of the study was to examine this association.MethodIn a cross-sectional survey in 571 university students we analysed the association between loss of someone close, emotional abuse, physical abuse, family violence and sexual abuse with social anxiety assessed by the Liebowitz Social Anxiety Scale.ResultsTwenty percent of the sample had social anxiety and 50,6% had an early negative life events in childhood. After controlling for family psychiatric history and gender only family violence was associated with an increased risk of social anxiety (OR = 4.63; 95%CI = 1.13–18.9).ConclusionsThis study found childhood family violence associated with social phobia in university students.

D05 Childhood experiences of persons at risk for Huntington's disease

BackgroundPersons who are at risk for Huntington's disease (HD) may have been exposed to higher than average amounts of negative life events in childhood, due to their parent's disease process....

Childhood life events and psychological symptoms in adult survivors of the 2004 tsunami

Background: Negative life events in childhood have an adverse influence on adult psychological health, and increase vulnerability to subsequent potential traumas. It remains unclear whether this is also true in the case of disasters. Aim: This study investigates whether the experience of negative life events in childhood and adolescence was associated with psychological symptoms in groups of Swedish survivors with different types of exposure to the tsunami. Methods: 1505 survivors from Stockholm responded to a questionnaire on psychological distress, which was sent by post 14 months after the 2004 Indian Ocean tsunami. Psychological distress was measured by General Health Questionnaire-12 and suicidal ideation, and post-traumatic stress was measured by Impact of Event Scale—Revised. Life events prior to age 16 were collected and categorized under the indices accident, violence, loss and interpersonal events. Exposure to the tsunami was categorized in different types, and controlled for in the analyses. Results: With the adjustment for confounders, significant odds ratios were found for all indices on at least one outcome measure, despite the powerful effect of the tsunami. We could not discern any distinct difference in the distribution of the tendency to report the different outcomes depending on types of prior life events. Conclusions: The implication of the study is that, for adult survivors of disaster, the reporting of adverse life events from childhood may influence future decisions regarding therapy.

The developmental origins of cognitive vulnerability to depression: Temperament, parenting, and negative life events in childhood as contributors to negative cognitive style.

Cognitive models of depression have been well supported with adults, but the developmental origins of cognitive vulnerability are not well understood. The authors hypothesized that temperament, parenting, and negative life events in childhood would contribute to the development of cognitive style, with withdrawal negativity and negative parental feedback moderating the effects of negative life events to predict more depressogenic cognitive styles. These constructs were assessed in 289 children and their parents followed longitudinally from infancy to 5th grade; a subsample (n = 120) also participated in a behavioral task in which maternal feedback to child failure was observed. Results indicated that greater withdrawal negativity in interaction with negative life events was associated with more negative cognitive styles. Self-reported maternal anger expression and observed negative maternal feedback to child's failure significantly interacted with child's negative events to predict greater cognitive vulnerability. There was little evidence of paternal parenting predicting child negative cognitive style.

Supplemental Material for The Developmental Origins of Cognitive Vulnerability to Depression: Temperament, Parenting, and Negative Life Events in Childhood as Contributors to Negative Cognitive Style

Supplemental Material for The Developmental Origins of Cognitive Vulnerability to Depression: Temperament, Parenting, and Negative Life Events in Childhood as Contributors to Negative Cognitive Style