Psychological resilience and daily stress mediate the effect of childhood trauma on depression

Objectives: Suicide is a leading cause of mortality worldwide. Dysregulated hypothalamic-pituitary-adrenal axis activity, as measured by cortisol levels, has been identified as one potential risk factor. Evidence has indicated that childhood trauma is associated with dysregulated cortisol reactivity to stress in adulthood. The current study investigated for the first time whether childhood trauma and daily stressors and emotions were associated with diurnal cortisol levels over a 7-day study in individuals vulnerable to suicide. Methods: 142 participants were categorized according to their suicidal history into three groups: suicide attempt, suicidal ideation or control group. Participants completed questionnaires before commencing a 7-day study. Cortisol samples were provided immediately upon waking, at 15 mins, 30 mins, 45 mins, 3 hours, 6 hours, 9 hours and 12 hours on 7 consecutive days. Measures of daily stressors, mood, defeat and entrapment were completed at the end of each day. Results: Participants in the suicide attempt and ideation groups released significantly lower cortisol upon awakening (CAR) and had a tendency towards flatter wake-peak to 12 hour (WP-12) cortisol slopes compared to controls. Childhood trauma was found to be associated with significantly lower CAR and a tendency towards flatter WP-12 cortisol slope. Childhood trauma also had an indirect effect on suicide vulnerability group membership via lower daily CAR levels. Lower CAR was associated with increased suicide ideation at 1-month but not 6-months. Daily stress and emotion measures were not associated with cortisol levels. Conclusions: This is the first 7-day daily diary investigation of naturally fluctuating cortisol levels in individuals vulnerable to suicide. The results indicate that dysregulated hypothalamic-pituitary-adrenal (HPA) axis activity is associated with suicidal ideation and behavior. Childhood trauma appears to be an important distal factor associated with HPA-axis dysregulation.

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The Role of Military Training in Improving Psychological Resilience and Reducing Depression Among College Freshmen

Frontiers in Psychiatry ◽

10.3389/fpsyt.2021.641396 ◽

2021 ◽

Vol 12 ◽

Author(s):

Rui Guo ◽

Meng Sun ◽

Chi Zhang ◽

Zebin Fan ◽

Zhening Liu ◽

...

Keyword(s):

Urban Area ◽

Childhood Trauma ◽

College Freshmen ◽

Military Training ◽

Older Age ◽

Psychological Resilience ◽

Long Term Effects ◽

Childhood Trauma Questionnaire ◽

The Military ◽

Positive Effect

Background: Military training plays an important protective role in enhancing mental health. However, the effects of military training on psychological resilience and depression among college freshmen in China remain unclear. The present study aimed to evaluate changes in psychological resilience and depression through military training among college freshmen, and to investigate associated psychosocial factors including childhood trauma that may influence its effects on psychological resilience.Methods: A prospective and self-comparison study design was employed. College freshmen who received 3 weeks of military training were recruited. Socio-demographic variables were collected and childhood trauma exposure was estimated by the Childhood Trauma Questionnaire (CTQ). The Connor-Davidson Resilience Scale (CD-RISC) and Patient Health Questionnaire (PHQ-9) were used to assess psychological resilience and depression before and after the military-style training.Results: The military training significantly increased the total and subscale scores of CD-RISC (p < 0.001), and decreased the PHQ-9 score (p < 0.001). The proportion of students with clinical depression reduced from 10.5% at baseline to 7.2% after the training (p < 0.001). Improvement of CD-RISC scores was positively affected by male gender and urban area, while negatively affected by older age, and higher baseline scores of PHQ-9 and CTQ. A significant correlation was found between changes in scores of CD-RISC and PHQ-9 through the training (r = −0.238, p < 0.001).Conclusions: Military training may have a positive effect on increasing psychological resilience and reducing depressive symptoms among college freshmen, especially in male students and those from an urban area, while older age, childhood trauma, higher depression levels, and resilience at baseline may weaken, or even mask its positive effect. Follow-up research should be considered for the long-term effects of military-style training.

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Effects of childhood trauma, daily stress, and emotions on daily cortisol levels in individuals vulnerable to suicide.

Journal of Abnormal Psychology ◽

10.1037/abn0000482 ◽

2020 ◽

Vol 129 (1) ◽

pp. 92-107 ◽

Cited By ~ 6

Author(s):

Daryl B. O'Connor ◽

Dawn Branley-Bell ◽

Jessica A. Green ◽

Eamonn Ferguson ◽

Ronan E. O'Carroll ◽

...

Keyword(s):

Childhood Trauma ◽

Daily Stress ◽

Cortisol Levels

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An Examination of Differences in Psychological Resilience between Social Anxiety Disorder and Posttraumatic Stress Disorder in the Context of Early Childhood Trauma

Frontiers in Psychology ◽

10.3389/fpsyg.2017.02058 ◽

2017 ◽

Vol 8 ◽

Cited By ~ 4

Author(s):

Melanie Marx ◽

Susanne Y. Young ◽

Justin Harvey ◽

David Rosenstein ◽

Soraya Seedat

Keyword(s):

Posttraumatic Stress Disorder ◽

Early Childhood ◽

Anxiety Disorder ◽

Social Anxiety ◽

Posttraumatic Stress ◽

Childhood Trauma ◽

Social Anxiety Disorder ◽

Stress Disorder ◽

Psychological Resilience ◽

Early Childhood Trauma

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Trait-aggressiveness and impulsivity: Role of psychological resilience and childhood trauma in a sample of male prisoners

Nordic Journal of Psychiatry ◽

10.3109/08039488.2012.756061 ◽

2013 ◽

Vol 68 (1) ◽

pp. 8-17 ◽

Cited By ~ 12

Author(s):

Vladimir Carli ◽

Laura Mandelli ◽

Leonardo Zaninotto ◽

Siegfried Alberti ◽

Alec Roy ◽

...

Keyword(s):

Childhood Trauma ◽

Psychological Resilience ◽

Male Prisoners

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Effect of childhood trauma on disease severity in patients with fibromyalgia: The mediating role of psychological resilience

Archives of Rheumatology ◽

10.46497/archrheumatol.2021.8477 ◽

2021 ◽

Vol 36 (4) ◽

pp. 538-547

Author(s):

Özlem Kazan Kızılkurt ◽

Arda Kazım Demirkan ◽

Ferzan Ergün Gıynaş ◽

Hüseyin Güleç

Keyword(s):

Physical Abuse ◽

Disease Severity ◽

Childhood Trauma ◽

Emotional Abuse ◽

Fibromyalgia Impact Questionnaire ◽

Mediating Effect ◽

Psychological Resilience ◽

Mediating Role ◽

Physical Neglect

Objectives: This study aims to investigate the effect of childhood traumas on the disease severity in fibromyalgia and evaluate the mediating role of psychological resilience in this effect. Patients and methods: Between June 2017 and January 2018, this study included a total of 80 female patients (mean age: 31.9±4.0 years; range, 20 to 40 years) with fibromyalgia according to the 2010 American College of Rheumatology fibromyalgia diagnostic criteria. All patients were evaluated using the sociodemographic data form, Resilience Scale for Adults (RSA), Childhood Trauma Questionnaire (CTQ), and Fibromyalgia Impact Questionnaire (FIQ). Results: A positive correlation was observed between the FIQ and CTQ total scores, emotional abuse, physical abuse, and physical neglect scores. The FIQ was negatively correlated with the RSA scores. Path analysis conducted to evaluate mediating effect of psychological resilience revealed that psychological resilience had a mediator role in the correlation between FIQ and emotional abuse, physical abuse, and physical neglect scores. Conclusion: The main finding of this study is the protective effect of psychological resilience -improvable capacity to cope with early life traumas- on fibromyalgia symptoms that leads to negative functioning of several aspects.

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