Stressful Childhood Experiences Research Articles

Early Adversity and Socioeconomic Factors in Pediatric Multiple Sclerosis: A Case-Control Study.

Psychosocial adversity and stress, known to predispose adults to neurodegenerative and inflammatory immune disorders, are widespread among children who experience socioeconomic disadvantage, and the associated neurotoxicity and proinflammatory profile may predispose these children to multiple sclerosis (MS). We sought to determine associations of socioeconomic disadvantage and psychosocial adversity with odds of pediatric-onset MS (POMS), age at POMS onset, and POMS disease activity. This case-control study used data collected across 17 sites in the United States by the Environmental and Genetic Risk Factors for Pediatric Multiple Sclerosis Study. Cases (n = 381) were youth aged 3-21 years diagnosed with POMS or a clinically isolated demyelinating syndrome indicating high risk of MS. Frequency-matched controls (n = 611) aged 3-21 years were recruited from the same institutions. Prenatal and postnatal adversity and postnatal socioeconomic factors were assessed using retrospective questionnaires and zip code data. The primary outcome was MS diagnosis. Secondary outcomes were age at onset, relapse rate, and Expanded Disability Status Scale (EDSS). Predictors were maternal education, maternal prenatal stress events, child separation from caregivers during infancy and childhood, parental death during childhood, and childhood neighborhood disadvantage. MS cases (64% female, mean age 15.4 years, SD 2.8) were demographically similar to controls (60% female, mean age 14.9 years, SD 3.9). Cases were less likely to have a mother with a bachelor's degree or higher (OR 0.42, 95% CI 0.22-0.80, p = 0.009) and were more likely to experience childhood neighborhood disadvantage (OR 1.04 for each additional point on the neighborhood socioeconomic disadvantage score, 95% CI 1.00-1.07; p = 0.025). There were no associations of the socioeconomic variables with age at onset, relapse rate, or EDSS, or of prenatal or postnatal adverse events with risk of POMS, age at onset, relapse rate, or EDSS. Low socioeconomic status at the neighborhood level may increase the risk of POMS while high parental education may be protective against POMS. Although we did not find associations of other evaluated prenatal or postnatal adversities with POMS, future research should explore such associations further by assessing a broader range of stressful childhood experiences.

The pernicious role of stress on intergenerational continuity of psychopathology.

Development and Psychopathology has been a premier resource for understanding stressful childhood experiences and the intergenerational continuity of psychopathology. Building on that tradition, we examined the unique and joint influences of maternal stress on children's effortful control (age 7) and externalizing behavior (age 11) as transmitted via genetics, the prenatal environment, and the postnatal environment. The sample included N = 561 adopted children and their biological and adoptive parents. Path models identified a direct effect of biological mother life stress on children's effortful control (β = -.08) and an indirect effect of her life stress on child externalizing behavior via effortful control (β = .52), but no main or indirect effects of biological parent psychopathology, prenatal stress, or adoptive mother adverse childhood experiences (ACES). Adoptive mother ACES amplified the association between biological mother life stress and child effortful control (β = -.08), externalizing behavior (β = 1.41), and the indirect effect via effortful control, strengthening associations when adoptive mothers reported average or high ACES during their own childhoods. Results suggest that novel study designs are needed to enhance the understanding of how life stress gets "under the skin" to affect psychopathology in the offspring of adults who have experienced stress.

Positive parenting moderates associations between childhood stress and corticolimbic structure.

Childhood stress has a deleterious impact on youth behavior and brain development. Resilience factors such as positive parenting (e.g. expressions of warmth and support) may buffer youth against the negative impacts of stress. We sought to determine whether positive parenting buffers against the negative impact of childhood stress on youth behavior and brain structure and to investigate differences between youth-reported parenting and caregiver-reported parenting. Cross-sectional behavioral and neuroimaging data were analyzed from 482 youth (39% female and 61% male, ages 10-17) who participated in an ongoing research initiative, the Healthy Brain Network (HBN). Regression models found that youth-reported positive parenting buffered against the association between childhood stress and youth behavioral problems (β = -0.10, P = 0.04) such that increased childhood stress was associated with increased youth behavior problems only for youth who did not experience high levels of positive parenting. We also found that youth-reported positive parenting buffered against the association between childhood stress and decreased hippocampal volumes (β = 0.07, P = 0.02) such that youth who experienced high levels of childhood stress and who reported increased levels of positive parenting did not exhibit smaller hippocampal volumes. Our work identifies positive parenting as a resilience factor buffering youth against the deleterious impact of stressful childhood experiences on problem behaviors and brain development. These findings underscore the importance of centering youth perspectives of stress and parenting practices to better understand neurobiology, mechanisms of resilience, and psychological well-being.

Coherence of child maltreatment narratives by emerging adults: How does child maltreatment affect how we share our story?

AbstractIndividuals narrate stories to explain how they became who they are, forming their own narrative identity. Highly disruptive experiences such as child maltreatment (CM) may be challenging to integrate into the life story and even to narrate coherently just by themselves. To test these potential effects, we divided a total of 171 students at an English‐speaking university in Egypt into two groups, those with a history of CM and those who experienced none. We compared narratives of four different types of emotional childhood experiences. Narratives of CM were no less coherent than narratives of most stressful childhood experiences in the control group, but were more integrated into the life story, which in turn predicted symptoms of posttraumatic stress disorder (PTSD). The present study contributes to the literature by confirming that there is no evidence for a lack of coherence among adults' CM narratives, and by highlighting the association between the centrality of the traumatic event in one's life and PTSD symptoms.

Dissociative features related to imaginary companions in the assessment of childhood adversity and dissociation: A pilot study

Childhood imaginary companions (ICs) are common and a normal part of child development, but certain aspects of ICs are also connected to adversity and dissociation. The purpose of this pilot study is to find out what kind of ICs children in mental health care have, are the features of ICs related to stressful childhood experiences, and whether the assessment of ICs could provide insight to the assessment of children. 19 7-12-year-old participants were recruited via a Finnish child psychiatry clinic. The children were interviewed using the imaginary companions interview. The legal guardians reported background information and information about stressful childhood experiences. The data was analyzed both quantitatively and qualitatively. In general, the ICs were more likely to have normative features than dissociative features. However, some dissociative IC features were also commonly reported. The SCE duration (U = 39.0, p = 0.029) and the number of dissociative IC features (U = 59.5, p = 0.005) were significantly higher for children with 6 or more ICs than for children with 1-2 ICs. There was a positive correlation between SCE duration and number of ICs (1-2 ICs vs. 6 or more ICs), r(12)) = 62, p = .018, and between dissociative IC features and number of ICs, r(15)) = 676, p = .003. Due to the small sample size in this study, the results cannot be generalized outside the clinical population with the specific age and symptom profile described in this study. Children were willing to talk about their ICs and interviewing them about their ICs seemed to add value to the assessments. Results and modifications made to the imaginary companions interview are discussed.

Substance use experiences of HIV-positive and HIV-negative black, non-hispanic men who have sex with men (msm) ages 18–34 in the Bay Area: A qualitative narrative perspective

Objective Young Black men who have sex with men (MSM) represent the majority of individuals with new HIV infections in the U.S. Substance use is related to risk and acquisition t of HIV. The purpose of this study was to explore the perceptions and experiences about the role substance use plays in the lives HIV-positive and HIV-negative young Black MSM between the ages of 18-34. Methods Using a qualitative, narrative perspective, we recruited and then interviewed participants in partnership with AIDS Service Organizations. Narrative and thematic analysis was used to analyze these Black men’s personal stories with harm reduction used as the conceptual approach. Results Nine HIV-positive and 3 HIV-negative participants(n = 12) shared stories about their own personal experiences with family relationships and substance use. Themes related to family included early exposure and initiation of substance use, substance use as a response to stigma around sexual orientation, kicked out of house, asked to leave or left home so they could be themselves and perceived benefits and advantages of methamphetamine. Conclusions The participants are subjected to adverse and stressful childhood experiences. These are important stories to understand if we expect to mount an adequate response, utilizing harm reduction, to the growing number of young Black MSM at-risk for HIV.

Associations among negative life events, changes in cortico-limbic connectivity, and psychopathology in the ABCD Study

Adversity exposure is a risk factor for psychopathology, which most frequently onsets during adolescence, and prior research has demonstrated that alterations in cortico-limbic connectivity may account in part for this association. In a sample of youth from the Adolescent Brain Cognitive Development (ABCD) Study (N = 4006), we tested a longitudinal structural equation model to examine the indirect effect of adversity exposure (negative life events) on later psychopathology via changes in cortico-limbic resting-state functional connectivity (rsFC). We also examined the potential protective effects of parental acceptance. Generally, cortico-limbic connectivity became more strongly negative between baseline and year 2 follow-up, suggesting that stronger negative correlations within these cortico-limbic networks may reflect a more mature phenotype. Exposure to a greater number of negative life events was associated with stronger negative cortico-limbic rsFC which, in turn, was associated with lower internalizing (but not externalizing) symptoms. The indirect effect of negative life events on internalizing symptoms via cortico-limbic rsFC was significant. Parental acceptance did not moderate the association between negative life events and rsFC. Our findings highlight how stressful childhood experiences may accelerate neurobiological maturation in specific cortico-limbic connections, potentially reflecting an adaptive process that protects against internalizing problems in the context of adversity.

Military couples' childhood experiences and romantic relationship satisfaction: The role of accepting influence.

Although accepting influence (i.e., being open to the influence of others) is considered important for couple relationships, there is a lack of empirical research on the association between accepting influence and relationship satisfaction. Moreover, research has not examined what family experiences may precede one's ability to accept influence in later romantic relationships, although life course theory and the vulnerability stress adaptation model support the notion that stressful childhood experiences may be consequential for accepting influence adaptive processes, which, in turn, can impact relationship satisfaction. This study used dyadic, couple data and an actor partner interdependence model to investigate the associations between stressful childhood experiences, accepting influence, and relationship satisfaction in a sample of 229 military couples (with one male service member and one female civilian spouse) after accounting for elements of their military context (e.g., rank, number of deployments), relationship length, and mental health. The path model also estimated the indirect effects from both partners' stressful childhood experiences to relationship satisfaction through accepting influence. Female spouses' stressful childhood experiences were associated with their perceptions of male partners' accepting influence, which, in turn, was associated with both partners' relationship satisfaction, demonstrating partial mediation. Military couples, as well as other couples in stressful contexts, may benefit from interventions that address how prior family experiences impact current accepting influence processes. Moreover, accepting influence behaviors can be a tool for couples to utilize to mitigate the possible negative consequences of their stressful circumstances on their relationship.

The Role of Stressful Childhood Experiences in Shaping Later-Life Memory Loss Among Black and White U.S. Adults

Cognitive decline common in the U.S. and greatly impacts quality of life, both for those who experience it and for those who care for them. Black Americans experience higher burdens of cognitive decline but the mechanisms underlying this disparity have not been fully elucidated. Stress experienced in early life is a promising explanatory factor, since stress and cognition are linked, childhood stressors been shown to have a range of negative implications later in life, and Black children experience more childhood stressors than White children, on average. In this paper, we use data from the Behavioral Risk Factor Surveillance System (BRFSS) to examine whether stressful experiences in childhood help explain Black-White disparities in memory loss. These data were available for 5 state-years between 2011 and 2017 (n=11,708). Preliminary results indicate that, while stressful childhood experiences are strongly associated with memory loss, stressful experiences do not mediate the association between race and memory loss. However, race does appear to moderate the association between stressful childhood experiences and memory loss. Specifically, stressful experiences are associated with a higher likelihood of memory loss for Black adults compared to White adults.In addition, there seem to be some noteworthy patterns across different types of experiences (i.e. parental drinking may predict later memory loss more strongly for Black adults than White adults, but parental hitting may predict memory loss more strongly for White adults than Black adults).

Cumulative Risk of Substance Use in Community College Students.

Substance use in community college students has been explored in only a handful of studies. Differences in population characteristics and substance use between 2- and 4-year students suggest that different factors may promote and thwart this behavior. Cumulative risk is a parsimonious methodology that provides better model stability and more statistical power, yet it has only been recently used in substance use research. The aim of this study is to investigate multiple aspects of substance use risk in a population in need of substance use prevention and intervention services. We conducted a cross-sectional study of community college students (N = 288; 75% female) examining the relative contributions of different domains of cumulative risk (eg, life stressors, academic stressors, and mental health diagnoses) to develop different profiles of risk across substance use classes (ie, alcohol, cigarette, marijuana, and hard drug use). Cumulative risk analyses indicated that alcohol and tobacco use were associated with the domains of life stressors and peer/family substance use, marijuana use with peer/family substance use and stressful childhood experiences, and hard drug use with peer/family substance use, lack of social support, low access to care, and stressful childhood experiences. Different strategies for prevention and intervention may be necessary to effectively address different forms of substance use in this population. The risk domain profiles related to specific drugs may lead to targeted interventions to reduce substance use in community college students. (Am J Addict 2020;29:97-104).

“My Scars Remain Forever”: A Qualitative Study on Biographical Developments in Adult Children of Parents with Mental Illness

In recent years, numerous studies have been published on the experiences and burdens of children of mentally ill parents. However, a limited body of knowledge remains concerning long-term effects of parental mental illness and the experiences of these children in adulthood. This study aimed to investigate the lasting impact of parental mental illness on adult children's biographies, personalities, and social relationships. According to this, the research was guided by a life course perspective, examining participants’ experiences in childhood, adolescence, and adulthood. Adult children (n = 18) who experienced childhood parental mental illness participated in an in-depth interview study. They reported a wide range of personal problems that they perceived as a result of their stressful childhood experiences. Adult children often felt negatively influenced and impaired regarding their health, identity, behavior, social relationships, and daily life experiences. Consequently, many expressed a need for professional support in order to be able to reflect upon their experiences and problems. Clinical social workers and other health and social care professionals can play an important role in providing services for adult children of parents with mental illness. Based on the results, recommendations for psycho-social practice are presented in this paper.

The Impact of Early Life Stress on Anxiety Symptoms in Late Adulthood

Early life stress (ELS) may increase the risk of anxiety throughout the life course. Whether this effect extends to late adulthood is poorly known. In our study comprising 1872 participants from the Helsinki Birth Cohort Study born in 1934–1944, we investigated the association of various forms of ELS and their accumulation with self-reported anxiety symptoms at the age of 65–77 years. Data on childhood socioeconomic status and separation from parents were based on national registers for all participants. Information on self-reported emotional and physical trauma, parental divorce, and death of a family member in childhood was obtained from 1277 participants. We found that experiencing emotional trauma, physical trauma, and low socioeconomic status in childhood were associated with increased anxiety symptoms in late adulthood [B = 0.44 (95% CI = 0.31–0.58); B = 0.33 (95% CI = 0.20–0.46); B = 0.10 (95% CI = 0.01–0.19), respectively]. These associations remained significant even after controlling for other forms of ELS. Accumulation of early life stress also increased the levels of late-adulthood anxiety symptoms and the risk of anxiety regarded as clinically significant. Screening for potentially stressful childhood experiences in elderly populations may help identifying individuals with increased anxiety symptoms and planning preventive and therapeutic interventions for those exposed to ELS.

Childhood family adversity and adult cortisol response: The role of observed marital conflict behavior.

Childhood family adversity predicts adult interpersonal behavior and physiological responses to interpersonal stress. Additionally, negative marital behaviors (e.g., hostility and distress maintaining attributions) predict maladaptive stress responses and mental health problems, whereas positive marital behaviors (e.g., acceptance and relationship enhancing attributions) predict adaptive physiological and psychological outcomes. The present study examined potential marital behavior mediators and moderators of the link between childhood adversity and cortisol responses to conflict. In a sample of 218 different-sex newlywed couples, we examined (a) actors' marital conflict behaviors as candidate mediators of the link between childhood adversity and cortisol responses to marital conflict discussions, and (b) partners' marital conflict behaviors as candidate moderators of the relation between childhood adversity and cortisol responses to marital discussions. Path analysis using actor-partner interdependence modeling did not confirm mediation. Instead, wives' childhood family adversity directly predicted husbands' attenuated cortisol responses, and wives' negative behavior predicted wives' attenuated cortisol responses. As hypothesized, wives' negative behaviors moderated the association between husbands' childhood family adversity and husbands' cortisol in response to conflict; husbands showed higher cortisol if they had experienced greater family adversity and if their wives displayed more negative behavior. Results suggest that childhood family adversity may carry forward to shape adult cortisol responses to conflict and highlights the importance of wives' negative behavior for both husbands and wives. These findings add to the family psychology literature by further clarifying how the interaction of stressful childhood experiences and conflict behaviors in marriage are associated with adult physiological responses to conflict. (PsycINFO Database Record

An exploration of addiction in adults experiencing early-life stress: a metasynthesis.

ABSTRACTObjective:to review and synthesize qualitative research on the links between early-life stress and addiction behaviours in adulthood. Method:metasynthesis to review qualitative research findings based on procedures that outline how to identify themes or constructs across studies in a specific area. Comprehensive searches of multiple electronic databases were performed. The initial search yielded 1050 articles and the titles and abstracts were screened for inclusion based on predetermined criteria. Thirty-eight full text, peer-reviewed articles were retrieved and assessed by three independent reviewers. Twelve articles were eligible for full review and appraised using the Critical Appraisal Skills Programme (CASP) tools. Results:the findings revealed that clear associations exist between early-life stress and addictive behaviours in adulthood, such as between trauma in childhood, violence, and addictive behaviours. A common theme in the findings indicates that participants turn to addictive substances as a way of strategically coping with stressful childhood experiences, regardless of the harmful side effects or detrimental social outcomes. Conclusion:it can be inferred that addiction may be viewed as a way to deal with adversity in childhood and that there is an interrelationship between addiction, domestic violence and crime.

Alcohol consumption and use of health care services in people with severe mental illness and stressful childhood experiences

ABSTRACTPeople who suffer from severe mental illness often present with histories of abuse during childhood. Alcohol use disorders is a common co-morbidity of survivors of childhood abuse and neglect. This study analyzes the effects of stressful childhood experiences, a proxy for trauma, on the frequency of alcohol consumption and the utilization of health care services in a population of people with severe mental illness. There were 111 men (mean age: 35 years) and 72 women (mean age: 40.0 years) with severe mental illness that were recruited from psychiatric outpatient clinics in New York City. The analysis focused on lifetime prevalence of stressful childhood experiences, alcohol consumption, and utilization of health care services over time. The longitudinal data were analyzed over 12 months with a level-2 model (multilevel modeling). Out of the participants, 41.5% reported a history of more than four types of abusive experiences. There were 33.3% that had a DSM-IV diagnosis of alcohol abuse and 27.3% qualified for the Diagnostic and Statistical Manual of Mental Disorders, Fourth Edition diagnosis of alcohol dependence throughout their lives. Stressful childhood experiences predicted an increased frequency of alcohol consumption over time. People with histories of childhood abuse had more often been to outpatient clinics and 12-step programs, but at the same time showed lower frequency rates of psychiatrist visits and visits to outpatient clinics. Childhood abuse is prevalent in people with severe mental illness and is related to an increased alcohol consumption. Despite an increased need of health care services, affected persons might encounter more barriers to access them.

Parents' early life stressful experiences, their present well-being, and that of their children.

Parents' early life stressful experiences have lifelong consequences, not only for themselves but also for their children. The current study utilized a sample of military families (n = 266) including data from both active-duty and civilian parents and their adolescent children. Hypotheses reflecting principles of persistence, transmission, and proximity as pertaining to parents and their children were examined. The impact of parents' childhood experiences on their functioning later in life and, consequently, their adolescent children's well-being were examined. Adults who encountered more stressful childhood experiences, including relatively prevalent and less severe adversities (e.g., verbal conflict between parents) experienced poorer functioning than adults who encountered little early stress. Civilian parents' current functioning was related to adolescent children's well-being, whereas the functioning of active-duty parents was generally not related to children's well-being. Persistence, transmission, and proximity hypotheses were generally supported but with variations attributable to whether an adult was a military member. (PsycINFO Database Record

Depression and anxiety in patients with and without same-sex attraction: differences in clinical expression, lifestyle factors, and vulnerability indicators.

BackgroundThe aim of this study was to compare clinical expressions (severity and loneliness), lifestyle factors (substance use), and vulnerability indicators (stressful childhood experiences) in patients with any same-sex attraction versus heterosexual patients diagnosed with depression and/or anxiety disorder. Little is known about this, even though it is now well documented that depression and anxiety are more prevalent among persons with same-sex attraction.MethodData, derived from the Netherlands Study of Depression and Anxiety (NESDA), allowed us to compare patients with a same-sex (n = 122) and an exclusively opposite-sex (n = 1658) attraction. Persons with same-sex attraction included persons who were attracted to both sexes. Data were collected by means of the Composite International Diagnostic Interview and paper-and pencil questionnaires.ResultsSeven percent of the patients reported any same-sex orientation. Clinical expression of depression and anxiety did not differ in relation to sexual attraction. Regarding substance use, same-sex attracted women reported more drug use than heterosexual women (drug use: 16.2% vs. 6.6%, P = 0.003). Regarding stressful childhood experiences, men with any same-sex attraction reported more sexual abuse during childhood than men with a heterosexual orientation (20.4% vs. 8.5%, P = 0.005).ConclusionsFor women with same-sex attraction substance use (especially illicit drug use) might be a coping mechanism to deal with existing symptoms or with the minority stressors they have to deal with; for same-sex attracted men stressful childhood experiences might reflect an aspect of etiology.

Cumulative Effects of Stressful Childhood Experiences on Delusions and Hallucinations

The association between stressful childhood experiences (SCE) and psychotic symptoms is still not clearly understood, and different causal pathways have been proposed. Generalized estimating equation modeling was used to test the dose–response relationship between SCE and delusions and hallucinations at baseline and follow-up periods and the possible confounding effects of dissociation on this relationship. The prevalence of SCE in individuals with psychotic disorders was high, with more co-occurring SCE categories being positively associated with more types of delusions and hallucinations. Each additional SCE was associated with a 1.20 increase in the incidence rate ratio (95% confidence interval [CI; 1.09, 1.32]) for hallucinations and a 1.19 increase (CI [1.09, 1.29]) for delusions, supporting a dose–response association. After we controlled for the mediating effects of dissociative symptoms at follow-up, SCE remained independently associated with delusions. We propose that cumulative SCE can result in complex trauma reactions that present with a broad range of symptomatology, including dissociative, posttraumatic stress disorder, and psychotic symptoms.

Reply to: Are stressful childhood experiences relevant in non-monosexual women?

We thank the commentator for his thoughtful response (Schneeberger, 2015) to our study entitled, “Explaining Mental Health Disparities for Non-monosexual Women: Abuse History and Risky Sex, or the Burdens of Non-disclosure?” (Persson et al., 2014) To summarize, Schneeberger (2015) highlights three aspects of our methodological approach: (1) how the participants were grouped; (2) how sexual orientation was evaluated; and (3) how a history of childhood abuse was assessed. We will reflect on these three issues while further considering future research directions in the study of female sexual orientation and childhood abuse.

Are stressful childhood experiences relevant in non-monosexual women? A comment on Persson, T. J., Pfaus, J. G., & Ryder, A. G. (2014)

Are stressful childhood experiences relevant in non-monosexual women? A comment on Persson, T. J., Pfaus, J. G., & Ryder, A. G. (2014)