Psychosocial Protective Factors Research Articles

Recalibrating the epigenetic clock after exposure to trauma: The role of risk and protective psychosocial factors

BackgroundEpigenetic aging is associated with a plethora of negative health outcomes and increased mortality. Yet, the dynamicity of epigenetic age after exposure to trauma and the factors that influence epigenetic age are not fully understood. This research evaluated longitudinal changes in epigenetic age before and after exposure to work-related trauma among paramedicine students. We further investigated psychological and social risk (psychological distress, posttraumatic stress disorder/PTSD symptom severity, professional quality of life) and protective factors (social support and organisational membership) that drive epigenetic aging at both time points. MethodsThe study comprised of 80 samples of University paramedicine students including 40 individuals at two time points – t0 (baseline) and t1 (post-trauma exposure). Epigenome-wide analysis was performed from t0 and t1 saliva using the Illumina EPIC arrays that cover >860k probes. Data analysis was performed using R via generalized regression models. The epigenetic age was calculated based on the Horvath algorithm, GrimAge and SkinBloodAge were calculated using the Horvath online calculator, and p-value for significance was corrected using the FDR method for multiple testing corrections. ResultsThe epigenetic age at t0 and t1 were highly correlated with chronological age and with each other (r = 0.84–0.94). Baseline epigenetic age and follow-up epigenetic age were significantly associated with risk factors of psychological distress and PTSD symptom severity. Among the protective factors, a sense of psychological organisational membership at the start of the paramedicine course as measured at baseline significantly reduced epigenetic age at baseline and post-trauma exposure. On the other hand, receiving social support acted as a protective factor only after exposure to trauma (follow-up), decreasing epigenetic aging at follow-up. GrimAge acceleration at follow-up was significantly associated with increased PTSD symptom severity at baseline and follow-up. Moreover, increased social support at baseline and follow-up was associated with reduced follow-up GrimAge acceleration. ConclusionThese results demonstrate that epigenetic aging is dynamic and changes after exposure to trauma. Additionally, results demonstrate that different risk and protective factors influence epigenetic aging at different times. In conclusion, the research identified risk and protective factors associated with epigenetic aging pre- and post-trauma exposure, with implications for health and well-being among individuals exposed to trauma.

Risk and resource factors of antisocial behaviour\xa0in children and adolescents: results of the longitudinal BELLA study

BackgroundAntisocial behaviour is a common phenomenon in childhood and adolescence. Information on psychosocial risk and resource factors for antisocial behaviour are important for planning targeted prevention and early intervention programs. The current study explores risk and resource factors of antisocial behaviour in children and adolescents based on population-based longitudinal data.MethodsWe analysed longitudinal data from the German BELLA study (n = 1145; 11 to 17 year-olds) measured at three measurement points covering two years. Latent growth analysis, linear regression models and structural equation modelling were used to explore cross-sectional and longitudinal data.ResultsBased on baseline data, we found that stronger self-efficacy and worse family climate were each related to stronger antisocial behaviour. Longitudinal data revealed that more severe parental mental health problems, worse family climate at baseline, deteriorating family climate over time, and more social support were each associated with increasing antisocial behaviour over time. We further found a moderating effect for family climate.ConclusionsOur study provides important exploratory results on psychosocial risk, resource and protective factors in the context of antisocial behaviour in children and adolescents, which need confirmation by future research. Our exploratory results point in the direction that family-based interventions for antisocial behavior in children and adolescents may benefit from considering the family climate.

Psychosocial protective factors in promoting healthy lifestyles in children and adolescents

Abstract Introduction Children and adolescents from socially vulnerable families experience social as well as health-related disadvantages at a very early age. Resilience research increasingly focuses on general psychosocial protective factors and their positive role as an effective health resource. In this research, the influence of some selected protective factors on a healthy lifestyle in the target group of secondary school students is shown. Methods Using a method of a cluster analysis, a theory-led lifestyle typology was developed based on the variables ‘physical-sport activity' and ‘media consumption patterns'. Four lifestyle clusters were identified: sports-active frequent media users, sports-active low media users, sports-inactive frequent media users und sports-inactive low media users. The study examined how the resilience factor ‘physical fitness' (measured by the 6 min run) as well as personal, family and social protective factors were manifested in the respective clusters. Results In the sporty-active clusters, the proportion of children with good physical fitness was high (47%). In the sporty-inactive clusters, however, this proportion was only about 23%. Approximately 71.5% of the children in sporty-active clusters reported good health and health-promoting behavior, while in sporty-inactive clusters this percentage was 49.2%. Trusting and appreciative parent-child relationship and positive sibling ties were mentioned more frequently in sporty-active clusters than in sporty-inactive clusters. Discussion Regular exercise and moderate use of media have a positive effect on protective resilience factors. These can be considered as ‘health-enhancing' lifestyle characteristics in health-related behavior. Personal, family and social protective factors interact with physical activity and are effective health resources: physically active children are more resilient to stressful environmental situations. Key messages Regular exercise and moderate use of media have a positive effect on protective resilience factors. Protective resilience factors are ‘health-enhancing' lifestyle characteristics in health-related behavior.

Perceived social support in the social distancing era: the association between circles of potential support and COVID-19 reactive psychopathology

ABSTRACT Background and Objectives Stressors related to the COVID-19 pandemic are risk factors for psychopathology, but psychosocial protective factors might play a crucial role in buffering the pathogenic effects of the outbreak. Design In the current study, we examined the association of inner resources and potential external sources of support for coping with the pandemic and related lockdowns to mental health during the pandemic, while controlling for sociodemographic variables as covariates. Methods We tested the model in a probability-based internet survey of a representative sample of the Israeli adult population (N = 812) conducted during the COVID-19 pandemic. Results Perceived support in close relationships was negatively associated with the intensity of depression, anxiety, obsessive-compulsive disorder (OCD) and post-traumatic stress disorder (PTSD). Larger rings of potential support such as perceived belongingness to a community and trust in government were also negatively related to anxiety and depression but were positively associated with the intensity of OCD and PTSD. Conclusions Findings support the “tend and befriend” theory in the social distancing era and highlight the importance of keeping personal relationships alive when facing a mass trauma.

A Review of Psychosocial Protective and Risk Factors for the Mental Well-Being of Rural LGBTQ+ Adolescents

Lesbian, gay, bisexual, transgender, questioning/queer, and other gender diverse (LGBTQ+) adolescents face daunting hardships within the rural contexts they navigate (e.g., community, school), and these onerous demands make it difficult for them to maintain optimal mental well-being. This scoping review described the psychosocial protective and risk factors that shape mental well-being for rural LGBTQ+ adolescents and identified the mental health issues commonly reported by them. About 30 articles published between 2005 and 2020 were examined. A myriad of factors indicated protection of or risks to LGBTQ+ rural adolescents’ mental well-being through the social-ecological levels: individual (e.g., pressure to conform to gender norms, sexual exploration, coming out), interpersonal (e.g., connectedness, fear of rejection, religious beliefs), institutional/school (e.g., bullying victimization, social exclusion, peer/teacher intervention), and rural community (e.g., community size, local ties, social isolation). More research is needed to better understand and address rural mental health disparities for this vulnerable group.

Resource loss and mental health during COVID-19: Psychosocial protective factors among U.S. older adults and those with chronic disease.

Across the globe, COVID‐19 has disproportionately affected the physical and mental health of several vulnerable groups. In a series of two cross‐sectional studies conducted April to July 2020, we examined its acute mental health effects on two vulnerable U.S. community samples—home‐bound older adults who were at or below the poverty line (Study 1, N = 293, M age = 76.94, SD = 8.64; 75.1% female, 67.9% Black) and adults with chronic disease (Study 2, N = 322, M age = 62.20, SD = 12.22; 46.3% female, 28.3% racial/ethnic minorities). Based on the conservation of resources theory, we hypothesised that pandemic‐related resource loss would be associated with greater mental distress, but perceived social support and positive psychological characteristics (trait resilience and optimism) would buffer against this adverse effect. Across both samples of vulnerable adults, pandemic‐related resource loss was related to mental distress. Perceived social support was related to lower mental distress but did not consistently buffer the effect of resource loss on mental health. However, in Study 2, both trait resilience and optimism buffered this relationship. Findings are discussed in terms of their implications for the conservation of resources theory.

Psychosocial Protective Factors in Cognitive Aging: A Targeted Review.

The lack of disease-modifying pharmacological agents for dementia highlights the critical importance of prevention, but known modifiable factors (e.g., education, physical health and health behaviors, depression, and social isolation) do not fully represent potential intervention targets. Positive psychosocial factors predict cognitive aging outcomes above and beyond known risk factors and may also correspond to upstream determinants that open up new avenues for prevention and intervention, as well as for reducing racial/ethnic inequalities in dementia. In this brief report, I summarize contemporary evidence for three positive psychosocial factors that appear to be particularly relevant to cognitive aging: perceived control, religious involvement, and social relations. Targeted review and synthesis of published studies. Each of the multidimensional constructs appears to contain "active ingredients" that could help to optimize cognitive aging through disparate mechanisms. Although historically marginalized racial/ethnic groups face disproportionate barriers to accessing certain psychosocial protective factors (e.g., perceived control), these same groups also exhibit naturally occurring sources of psychosocial resilience (e.g., religious involvement) that allow them to achieve better late-life cognitive health than would be otherwise expected. With regard to social relations, converging evidence from disparate studies shows that fostering late-life friendships in particular may have high potential for building cognitive reserve and promoting healthy cognitive aging. Positive psychosocial factors represent culturally relevant resources that, through careful research, could ultimately be harnessed to promote better cognitive aging for a growing and increasingly diverse population of older adults.

Resilience to traumatic stress in U.S. military veterans: Application of a novel classification approach in a nationally representative sample

Resilience has been of particular interest to researchers and clinicians focused on response to trauma. In the current study, we employed a novel, discrepancy-based psychiatric resilience (DBPR) analytic approach to operationalizing resilience and examined its relation to potentially protective psychosocial factors in a nationally representative sample of U.S. veterans (N = 2704). Cumulative lifetime trauma burden, severity of PTSD symptoms, and protective factors such as personality characteristics (e.g., conscientiousness), protective psychosocial characteristics (e.g., purpose in life), and social connectedness (e.g., secure attachment style) were assessed. PTSD Checklist (PCL) scores were regressed onto cumulative trauma burden for the entire sample and a predicted PCL score was generated for each veteran. Resilience was operationalized as a lower actual relative to predicted PCL score. Results of a relative importance analysis revealed that somatic symptoms (22.5% relative variance explained [RVE]), emotional stability (22.4% RVE), and a secure attachment style (14.1%) explained the majority of the variance in resilience scores. These results demonstrate the utility of a DBPR approach to operationalizing resilience in U.S. military veterans. They also identify potentially modifiable psychosocial factors that may be bolstered in prevention and treatment efforts designed to mitigate the negative effects of trauma and promote resilience in this population.

Deleterious and Protective Psychosocial and Stress-Related Factors Predict Risk of Spontaneous Preterm Birth.

The aim of the study was to: (1) Identify (early in pregnancy) psychosocial and stress-related factors that predict risk of spontaneous preterm birth (PTB, gestational age <37 weeks); (2) Investigate whether "protective" factors (e.g., happiness/social support) decrease risk; (3) Use the Dhabhar Quick-Assessment Questionnaire for Stress and Psychosocial Factors (DQAQ-SPF) to rapidly quantify harmful or protective factors that predict increased or decreased risk respectively, of PTB. This is a prospective cohort study. Relative risk (RR) analyses investigated association between individual factors and PTB. Machine learning-based interdependency analysis (IDPA) identified factor clusters, strength, and direction of association with PTB. A nonlinear model based on support vector machines was built for predicting PTB and identifying factors that most strongly predicted PTB. Higher levels of deleterious factors were associated with increased RR for PTB: General anxiety (RR = 8.9; 95% confidence interval [CI] = 2.0,39.6), pain (RR = 5.7; CI = 1.7,17.0); tiredness/fatigue (RR = 3.7; CI = 1.09,13.5); perceived risk of birth complications (RR = 4; CI = 1.6,10.01); self-rated health current (RR = 2.6; CI = 1.0,6.7) and previous 3 years (RR = 2.9; CI = 1.1,7.7); and divorce (RR = 2.9; CI = 1.1,7.8). Lower levels of protective factors were also associated with increased RR for PTB: low happiness (RR = 9.1; CI = 1.25,71.5); low support from parents/siblings (RR = 3.5; CI = 0.9,12.9), and father-of-baby (RR = 3; CI = 1.1,9.9). These factors were also components of the clusters identified by the IDPA: perceived risk of birth complications (p < 0.05 after FDR correction), and general anxiety, happiness, tiredness/fatigue, self-rated health, social support, pain, and sleep (p < 0.05 without FDR correction). Supervised analysis of all factors, subject to cross-validation, produced a model highly predictive of PTB (AUROC or area under the receiver operating characteristic = 0.73). Model reduction through forward selection revealed that even a small set of factors (including those identified by RR and IDPA) predicted PTB. These findings represent an important step toward identifying key factors, which can be assessed rapidly before/after conception, to predict risk of PTB, and perhaps other adverse pregnancy outcomes. Quantifying these factors, before, or early in pregnancy, could identify women at risk of delivering preterm, pinpoint mechanisms/targets for intervention, and facilitate the development of interventions to prevent PTB. · Newly designed questionnaire used for rapid quantification of stress and psychosocial factors early during pregnancy.. · Deleterious factors predict increased preterm birth (PTB) risk.. · Protective factors predict decreased PTB risk..

How COVID-19 related psycho-social stressors affect longevity

IntroductionBefore the COVID-19 pandemic, the literature on psychosocial stressors and psycho-social protective factors already clearly indicated that the two were linked in a multitude of ways to longevity. These ways include 1) directly through increased risk in suicides with respect to psycho-social stress or lack of connectivity 2) increased risk for psychopathologies such as depression, post-traumatic stress disorder and others, which in turn can decrease longevity in indirectly, and 3) a worse/healthier lifestyle that may be associated through decreased/improved social connectivity. With the advent of the COVID-19 pandemic, the ways in which these psychosocial factors could be impacted by policy came into focus. Attempting to quantify the potential future impact of such policies on longevity through psycho-social changes appeared necessary to allow better guidance of policy making. Objective: This presentation aims to leverage the experience gained from making a projection of the impact of pandemic mitigation strategies on longevity in the early advent of the COVID-19 pandemic.ResultsThe authors model indicated the high need for measures that are protective of the general populations’ psychosocial health in the face of a pandemic and associated mitigation strategies. Discussion: This presentation will discuss issues concerning quantifications of the impact of COVID-19 related policy on psychosocial health. The assumptions necessary to arrive at projective models may be at odds with parts of the current culture in the field. The presentation will discuss potential strategies in order for the scientific community to be better prepared for similar events in the future.DisclosureNo significant relationships.

Testing an evidence-based drug abuse and violence preventive approach adapted for youth in juvenile justice diversionary settings

BackgroundUniversal school-based prevention programs for alcohol, tobacco, and other drug use are typically designed for all students within a particular school setting. However, it is unclear whether such broad-based programs are effective for youth at risk for substance use and violence in juvenile justice settings.MethodThe present study tested the feasibility, appropriateness, and efficacy of a preventive intervention to reduce risk factors for substance use and delinquency among youth in juvenile justice diversionary settings by promoting positive youth development and building personal strengths and prosocial relationships. Participants in the study (N = 288) were predominantly male (69%) and in the 9th grade (14 years old) or higher (91%), received the preventive intervention, and completed confidential questionnaires at the pre-test and post-test.ResultsThe majority of youth who participated in the intervention rated the program topics (77.9%) and activities (72%) as appropriate for their age, would recommend it to their peers (73.6%), and would use the skills learned in the future (85.4%). Comparison of post-test adjusted means revealed that the prevention program had a significant positive impact on key knowledge, attitudes, and skills including goal-setting, stress-management, and communication skills.ConclusionsThe findings indicate that an evidence-based prevention approach adapted for youth diversionary settings can be effectively implemented and well-received by participating youth, and can produce positive changes in psychosocial skills and protective factors known to prevent multiple risk behaviors among youth. Future efforts to implement substance use prevention in community juvenile justice settings may benefit from highlighting a positive youth development, skills-based approach.

Risk and resilience: a mixed methods investigation of Aboriginal Australian women\u2019s perinatal mental health screening assessments

PurposeTo describe the psychosocial protective and risk factors for perinatal mental health identified in a sample of Aboriginal women’s Kimberley Mum’s Mood Scale (KMMS) assessments and explore the role of these factors in their screening assessment and diagnostic outcome.MethodsWe used a mixed methods approach to retrospectively analyse a cross-sectional study dataset of 91 completed KMMS assessments. This included: categorising the clinical notes from the KMMS psychosocial yarn into ‘risk’ and ‘protective’ factors and describing these categories, describing the number and type of risk and protective factors associated with different KMMS risk assessment categories (no, low, medium, high), and exploring relationships between these risk and protective factors and diagnosis of perinatal depression and/or anxiety.ResultsProtective factors were recorded for the vast majority of the women; the most prominent was positive family relationships. When protective and risk factors were stratified by KMMS risk category, women in the higher risk group less commonly had specific protective factors (11–33% high vs 61–100% no risk) and more commonly had risk factors (22–67% high vs 6–28% no risk) than women with lower KMMS assessed risk. The average number of protective factors decreased with increasing KMMS risk category (4.9 ± 1.1 to 1.6 ± 1.3), with the inverse pattern for risk factors (1.1 ± 1.1 to 3.8 ± 1.0). Having protective factors also appeared to reduce the risk of developing clinical depression or anxiety.ConclusionAssessing protective factors in mental health screening for perinatal Aboriginal women increases the effectiveness of screening and provides a foundation for the delivery of local structured psychosocial care.

Do psychological strengths protect college students confined by COVID-19 to emotional distress? The role of gender

The COVID-19 pandemic represents a stressful situation for the university population due to the important changes in the development of their studies and in their living conditions. However, the impact of factors related to the family unit (living with COVID-19 positive patients and living with Essential Services Workers-ESW) and other protective psychosocial factors that could produce resilient or psychopathological results (anxiety and depression) in this population has not been sufficiently assessed, differentiating them by gender. The results obtained show that both variables related to the family unit and psychosocial protective variables explain 28.6% of the variance in general distress in the total sample (R2 = 0.286; F(3,250) =34,717; p < .001). However, models of regression of distress and anxiety levels differ between men and women, but not in terms of mood alteration. Women facing circumstances reminiscent of mandatory pandemic containment have moderately higher levels of resilience than men (tCDRISC(125) = 2.218; p < .05; tGSE(125) = 2.415; p < .05; tCDRISC(125) = 0.146; p = .884; tGSE(125) = 0.315; p = .756). The results are discussed from the perspective of gender differences, taking into account the contribution of sociodemographic factors that increase remembrance of the stressor/trauma and the coping styles of the participants.

Transitions in alcohol use over time: a survival analysis

BackgroundThe current study examined the predictors of the onset of alcohol use as well as predictors of remission and relapse, both from heavy drinking and from alcohol dependence. Similarities and differences in both clinical and psychosocial predictors across the transitions were examined.MethodsA sample of men from the Vietnam Era Twin Registry (N = 1769) completed an assessment of lifetime drinking history, which allowed age markers for starting and stopping different drinking patterns. The men also completed various assessments regarding personality, alcohol motives, and psychiatric diagnoses. Survival analyses were used to examine the predictors of the three transitions of onset, remission, and relapse for the phenotypes of heavy drinking and of alcohol dependence, censoring the individuals who had not yet experienced an event.ResultsAs expected, predictors of onset for drinking, heavy drinking, and alcohol dependence were largely consistent and included externalizing symptomology, nicotine dependence, and cotwin history of drinking as risk factors. Predictors of remission from heavy drinking, somewhat similarly to remission from alcohol dependence, included the risk factor of externalizing disorders but also, as predicted, included more risk and protective factors in the psychosocial realm that were not predictors of onset. Contrary to our prediction, relapse to heavy drinking and alcohol dependence were predicted largely by unique psychosocial risk and protective factors including social and coping motives.ConclusionCurrent findings extend the findings of past research to remission and relapse in the later decades of life and have implications for treatment of alcohol use problems.

The additive impact of multiple psychosocial protective factors on selected health outcomes among older adults

Our objective was to investigate the additive properties of five psychosocial protective factors: purpose-in-life, resilience, optimism, internal locus of control and social connections. Self-reported psychological (depression, stress) and physical (health status, functionality) health outcomes and measured healthcare utilization and expenditures were included. The study sample was identified from adults age ≥65 who completed a health survey during May-June 2019 (N = 3,577). Each of the five protective factors was dichotomized as high/low (1/0) and counted with equal weighting. The protective factors were additive such that significant improvements in psychological and physical health outcomes were evident across factor subgroups: as the number of factors increased, health outcomes improved. The magnitude of the improvements was greatest between 0 and 1 factor. In addition, a significant linear trend for reduced healthcare expenditures ($1,356 reduction per factor added) was evident. Interventions promoting at least one protective factor would be beneficial for older adult populations.

The psychological impact of fertility treatment suspensions during the COVID-19 pandemic.

PurposeTo examine the psychological impact of fertility treatment suspensions resulting from the COVID-19 pandemic and to clarify psychosocial predictors of better or worse mental health.Methods92 women from Canada and the United States (ages 20–45 years) whose fertility treatments had been cancelled were recruited via social media. Participants completed a battery of questionnaires assessing depressive symptoms, perceived mental health impact, and change in quality of life related to treatment suspensions. Potential predictors of psychological outcomes were also examined, including several personality traits, aspects of social support, illness cognitions, and coping strategies.Results52% of respondents endorsed clinical levels of depressive symptoms. On a 7-point scale, participants endorsed a significant decline in overall quality of life (M(SD) = -1.3(1.3), p < .0001) as well as a significant decline in mental health related to treatment suspensions on a scale from -5 to +5 (M(SD) = -2.1(2.1), p < .001). Several psychosocial variables were found to positively influence these outcomes: lower levels of defensive pessimism (r = -.25, p < .05), greater infertility acceptance (r = .51, p < .0001), better quality social support (r = .31, p < .01), more social support seeking (r = .35, p < .001) and less avoidance of infertility reminders (r = -.23, p = .029).ConclusionFertility treatment suspensions have had a considerable negative impact on women’s mental health and quality of life. However, these findings point to several protective psychosocial factors that can be fostered in the future to help women cope.

Successful Aging in Older US Veterans: Results From the 2019–2020 National Health and Resilience in Veterans Study

ObjectiveTo identify the current prevalence, and sociodemographic, military, health, and psychosocial correlates of successful aging in older US veterans. MethodsData were analyzed from the 2019–2020 National Health and Resilience in Veterans Study, which surveyed a nationally representative sample of 3,001 US veterans aged greater than or equal to 60 years (mean = 73). Multiple regression and relative importance analyses were conducted to identify key factors associated with successful aging. ResultsA total 79% of older veterans rated themselves as aging successfully. Physical and mental health difficulties emerged as the strongest correlates of successful aging (71% variance explained), while psychosocial factors, most notably perceived resilience, purpose in life, and positive expectations about emotional aging, explained 29% of the variance in this outcome. ConclusionsNearly 4 of 5 US veterans rate themselves as successful agers. Prevention and treatment efforts designed to mitigate physical and mental health difficulties, and promote protective psychosocial factors may help bolster successful aging in this population.

Sexual functioning in patients with multiple sclerosis and its association with social support and self-esteem

ABSTRACT Sexual dysfunction is very commonly reported by people with multiple sclerosis (MS). However, this problem often remains under-diagnosed and under-treated. Furthermore, still very little is known about protective psychosocial factors that may help to improve sexual functioning in MS patients. Thus, we aimed to assess the associations between social support, self-esteem and sexual functioning in MS patients when controlled for clinical and sociodemographic variables. The Expanded Disability Status Scale (EDSS), the Multidimensional Scale of Perceived Social Support (MSPSS), and the Rosenberg Scale of Self-esteem (RSE) were used to assess the independent variables. Sexual functioning was assessed by the Incapacity Status Scale (ISS). We found a significant association between social support and sexual functioning (p = 0.01). However, this association attenuated (p < 0.05) when self-esteem (p < 0.01) was added to the model. Furthermore, we found that sexual dysfunction in MS patients was associated with older age (p < 0.001). Self-esteem was associated with sexual functioning more strongly compared to social support and sexual functioning, even though both of these variables were associated with sexual functioning as well. Our findings support the biopsychosocial model of treatment of sexual dysfunction in MS patients.

Relationship closeness buffers the effects of perceived stress on transcriptomic indicators of cellular stress and biological aging marker p16INK4a.

Chronic stress can accelerate biological aging, offering one mechanism through which stress may increase age-related disease risk. Chronic activation of the sympathoadrenal system increases cellular energy production, resulting in cell stress that can initiate cellular senescence, a permanent state of cell growth arrest. Our previous research linked psychosocial stress with increased expression of senescence marker p16INK4a; however, less is known about the role of protective psychosocial factors in biological aging. We examined relationship closeness (perceived interconnectedness with one’s spouse) as a protective buffer of the effects of stress on expression of the p16INK4a-encoding gene (CDKN2A) and transcription control pathways activated under cell stress. Seventy parents (Mage=43.2) completed interview-based and questionnaire measures of psychosocial stress and relationship closeness. Blood samples assessed CDKN2A expression and inferred activity of a priori-selected transcription factors Nrf2 and heat shock factors (HSFs) via genome-wide transcriptome profiling. Random intercept models adjusting for age, sex, and ethnicity/race revealed that perceived stress was associated with elevated CDKN2A expression for parents with low but not high closeness. Secondary bioinformatics analyses linked the interaction of perceived stress and relationship closeness to Nrf2 and HSF-1 activity. Findings identify relationship closeness as a protective factor that may buffer the impact of stress on cellular stress and senescence pathways.

Psychosocial stressors and protective factors for major depression in youth: evidence from a case\u2013control study

BackgroundSevere adverse life events, such as traumatic experiences, are well-known stressors implicated in (youth) major depression (MD). However, to date, far less is known about the role of more common psychosocial stressors in the context of MD, which are part of everyday life during youth. In addition, it is not well-understood whether and how distinct stressors interact with protective factors in youths diagnosed with MD. Thus, the present study aimed at examining several specific psychosocial stressors implicated in a first-episode juvenile MD and addressed the question whether protective factors might moderate the relationship between stressors and a diagnosis of MD.MethodsOne-hundred male and female youths with MD and 101 typically developing (TD) controls (10–18 years) were included. A large number of qualitatively different psychosocial stressors occurring in various areas of life were assessed via self-report. Moreover, we also investigated sociodemographic and pre- and postnatal stressors, as well as the presence of familial affective disorders via parental-report. Social support and a positive family climate were conceptualized as protective factors and were assessed via self-report.ResultsResults showed that the proportion of youths experiencing specific psychosocial stressors was higher in the MD than in the TD group. In particular, the proportion of youths indicating changes at home or at school, experiences of violence, delinquent behavior, as well as the proportion of youths who were exposed to sociodemographic stressors was higher in the MD than in the TD group. Moreover, the percentage of youths with a family history of an affective disorder, or whose mothers experienced psychological burdens during/after pregnancy was elevated in the MD group. Youths with MD experienced less social support and a less positive family climate than their TD peers. These factors, however, did not buffer the influence of specific stressors on MD.ConclusionWe could show that next to more severe adverse life events, more common psychosocial stressors are linked to youth MD. Importantly, by identifying distinct stressors in youth MD, our results can increase treatment and prevention efforts aiming to improve the outcomes in youths affected by MD or in at-risk individuals.