The interaction between perinatal factors and childhood abuse in the risk of developing anorexia nervosa

2009 ◽  
Vol 40 (4) ◽  
pp. 657-665 ◽  
Author(s):  
A. Favaro ◽  
E. Tenconi ◽  
P. Santonastaso
Keyword(s):  
Anorexia Nervosa ◽  
Stress Response ◽  
Childhood Abuse ◽  
Low Birthweight ◽  
Stressful Events ◽  
Stressful Event ◽  
Perinatal Complications ◽  
Perinatal Factors ◽  
Additive Interaction ◽  
Response Systems

BackgroundPerinatal factors seem to be implicated in the pathogenesis of anorexia nervosa (AN) and may be involved in the programming of stress response systems in humans. Our aim was to explore one of the possible pathways to explain the association between perinatal complications and a psychiatric disorder. In particular, we tested the hypothesis that neonatal immaturity may confer an enhanced vulnerability to AN after exposure to a severe stressful event, such as childhood abuse.MethodThe sample was composed of subjects who took part in a prevalence study carried out on a representative sample of the general population and cases of AN referred to an out-patient specialist unit. All subjects (n=663) were born in the two obstetric wards of Padua Hospital between 1971 and 1979. We analysed data using both a case-control and a cohort design.ResultsWe found that functional signs of neonatal dysmaturity, but not a low birthweight or prematurity, had a significant additive interaction with childhood abuse in determining the risk for this illness. In normal subjects, but not in subjects with AN, neonatal dysmaturity was associated with being small, short or thin for gestational age at birth.ConclusionsThe synergistic effect of neonatal dysmaturity and childhood abuse in increasing the risk for AN provides evidence for the hypothesis that a prenatal programming of stress response systems can result in an impairment of the individual's resilience to severe stressful events.

scholarly journals Infant anticipatory stress

2010 ◽  
Vol 7 (1) ◽  
pp. 136-138 ◽  
Author(s):  
David W. Haley ◽  
Jennifer Cordick ◽  
Sarah Mackrell ◽  
Immaculate Antony ◽  
Maireanne Ryan-Harrison
Keyword(s):  
Stress Response ◽  
Stress Hormones ◽  
Stressful Events ◽  
Control Group ◽  
Stressful Event ◽  
First Year ◽  
Human Infants ◽  
Future Challenges ◽  
First Year Of Life ◽  
Pituitary Adrenal Axis

In humans, anticipatory stress involves activation of the limbic–hypothalamic–pituitary–adrenal axis, which releases stress hormones such as cortisol in response to an impending stressor. Conditioning of the stress response to anticipate and prepare for future challenges is a hallmark of adaptation. It is unknown whether human infants in the first year of life have developed the neural circuitry to support the anticipation of stressful events in an attachment context. Here, we show that human infants at six months of age produce an anticipatory stress response, as indicated by the release of stress hormones, when re-exposed after 24 h to a context in which they demonstrated a stress response to a disruption in the parent–infant relationship. Although infant stress response (cortisol elevation) was greater to the stressful event (parent unresponsiveness) than to the second exposure to the stress context (room, chair, presence of parent and experimenter, etc.), it was greater in the stress group than in the control group on both days. Results suggest that human infants have the capacity to produce an anticipatory stress response that is based on expectations about how their parents will treat them in a specific context.

scholarly journals Maternal exposure to a high-magnitude earthquake during pregnancy influences pre-reading skills in early childhood

2021 ◽  
Vol 11 (1) ◽  
Author(s):  
Luis Federico Bátiz ◽  
Yasna K. Palmeiro-Silva ◽  
Gregory E. Rice ◽  
Lara J. Monteiro ◽  
Albert M. Galaburda ◽  
...  
Keyword(s):  
Reading Skills ◽  
First Trimester ◽  
Maternal Exposure ◽  
Stressful Events ◽  
Stressful Event ◽  
Prenatally Exposed ◽  
Alphabet Knowledge ◽  
Print Knowledge ◽  
Effective Strategies ◽  
High Magnitude

AbstractExposure to an adverse prenatal environment can influence fetal development and result in long-lasting changes in the offspring. However, the association between maternal exposure to stressful events during pregnancy and the achievement of pre-reading skills in the offspring is unknown. Here we examined the association between prenatal exposure to the Chilean high-magnitude earthquake that occurred on February 27th, 2010 and the development of early reading precursors skills (listening comprehension, print knowledge, alphabet knowledge, vocabulary, and phonological awareness) in children at kindergarten age. This multilevel retrospective cohort study including 3280 children, of whom 2415 were unexposed and 865 were prenatally exposed to the earthquake shows substantial evidence that maternal exposure to an unambiguously stressful event resulted in impaired pre-reading skills and that a higher detrimental effect was observed in those children who had been exposed to the earthquake during the first trimester of gestation. In addition, females were more significantly affected by the exposure to the earthquake than their male peers in alphabet knowledge; contrarily, males were more affected than females in print knowledge skills. These findings suggest that early intervention programs for pregnant women and/or children exposed to prenatal stress may be effective strategies to overcome impaired pre-reading skills in children.

scholarly journals RELATIONSHIP BETWEEN MATERNAL AND PERINATAL FACTORS AND OUTCOME OF VERY LOW BIRTHWEIGHT INFANTS

1984 ◽  
Vol 18 ◽  
pp. 115A-115A
Author(s):  
Annabel Teberg ◽  
Satit Hotrakitya ◽  
Ivette Peña ◽  
Paul Y K Wu
Keyword(s):  
Low Birthweight ◽  
Perinatal Factors ◽  
Very Low Birthweight ◽  
Very Low Birthweight Infants

Impact of stress response systems on forced choice recognition in an experimental trauma film paradigm

2018 ◽  
Vol 156 ◽  
pp. 45-52
Author(s):  
Felicitas Rombold-Bruehl ◽  
Christian Otte ◽  
Babette Renneberg ◽  
Julian Hellmann-Regen ◽  
Linda Bruch ◽  
...  
Keyword(s):  
Stress Response ◽  
Forced Choice ◽  
Experimental Trauma ◽  
Response Systems ◽  
Trauma Film Paradigm

scholarly journals Pregnancy as a psychological event

2004 ◽  
Vol 57 (3-4) ◽  
pp. 144-148 ◽  
Author(s):  
Artur Bjelica ◽  
Petronila Kapor-Stanulovic
Keyword(s):  
Pregnant Women ◽  
Psychological Functioning ◽  
Maternal Stress ◽  
Stressful Event ◽  
Social Changes ◽  
Perinatal Complications ◽  
Psychological Changes ◽  
The Social ◽  
Relationship Of ◽  
Near Future

Introduction Apart from physiological and somatic changes, pregnancy is a complex phenomenon which also includes psychological and social changes. Pregnancy, especially the first one, represents a powerful psychological event. This paper deals with pregnancy as a psychological event, considering psychological changes in the course of pregnancy as a stressful event. Psychological changes during pregnancy Pregnancy is always associated with changes in psychological functioning of pregnant women. It is usually associated with ambivalence, frequent mood changes, varying from anxiety, fatigue, exhaustion, sleepiness, depressive reactions to excitement. During pregnancy, changes include body appearance, affectivity and sexuality, whereas the position and role of women attains a new quality. Even thoughts of pregnancy can bring about numerous worries about its course and outcome, and especially of the delivery itself, which may be so intense that they acquire a features of phobia (which may be the reason for avoiding pregnancy). Pregnancy as a stressful event Pregnancy is identified as a potent stressor that can seriously affect the psychic status of pregnant women, perinatal outcome, but also psychic functioning of the new-born individual. Appropriate relationship of partners and support of the society play an important role in overcoming stress during pregnancy. Conclusion Pregnancy is an event that involves numerous somatic and psychological changes. However, pregnancy can also be a potent stressor. Existence of prenatal maternal stress may lead to different perinatal complications that may have long-term consequences on the newborn. In prevention of maternal stress emphasis has to be put on partner?s emotional support, as well as empathy of the social environment. However, in certain cases, professional psychotherapeutic support is necessary, in form of short supportive treatment. Preventive measures should include adequate psychological support during pregnancy, especially the first one, provided for all pregnant women, but also for those women that plan to get pregnant in the near future.

Stress and Substance Misuse

2020 ◽  
pp. 101-118
Author(s):  
James M. Bjork ◽  
Nicholas D. Thomson
Keyword(s):  
Substance Use ◽  
Stress Response ◽  
Stress Responses ◽  
Acute Stress ◽  
Physiological Stress ◽  
Solution Space ◽  
Chronic Administration ◽  
Behavioral Repertoire ◽  
Physiological Stress Response ◽  
Response Systems

Stress is both a critical contributor and consequence of substance use disorder (SUD). First, exaggerated subjective stress responses are characteristic of affective symptomatology such as depression, bipolar disorder, generalized anxiety, and posttraumatic stress disorder (sometimes stemming from histories of abuse) that have been prognostic of development of addiction in longitudinal studies. Substance use is negatively reinforced in many at-risk and addicted individuals because it may acutely alleviate stress. Second, chronic administration of commonly abused substances alters physiological stress response systems, especially during acute withdrawal. Third, acute stress responses blunt the addicted individual’s frontocortically mediated behavioral repertoire (solution space) in favor of reflexive behavioral biases toward relief-based substance use. Therefore, acute stress responses are a strong trigger for relapse to substance use during extended recovery. These findings have collectively led to approaches to SUD relapse prevention that pharmacologically blunt components of the stress response, but these agents have not reliably shown success in human clinical trials. This chapter reviews these different relationships between stress and addiction and offers future avenues for additional research.

Stress Encountered by Significant others of Cancer Patients Receiving Chemotherapy

1987 ◽  
Vol 17 (2) ◽  
pp. 151-167 ◽  
Author(s):  
Kay Hart
Keyword(s):  
Cancer Patients ◽  
Family Members ◽  
Significant Others ◽  
Stressful Events ◽  
Previous Experience ◽  
Stressful Event ◽  
Exploratory Research ◽  
Structured Interviews ◽  
Coping Responses ◽  
Significant Difference

This study was directed toward identifying and describing the perceived stress and coping responses of family and nonfamily significant others of cancer patients receiving chemotherapy. Identification of the similarities and differences among the responses given by family and nonfamily significant others was one of the primary purposes of this research. Using an exploratory research design, the investigator conducted structured interviews with one family and one nonfamily significant other identified in earlier interviews with twenty-five cancer patients receiving chemotherapy in ambulatory care settings. Significant others were asked to identify stressful events related to treatment factors, relationship factors, and perception of the patient's condition. Reported coping responses to events perceived as stressful were categorized into those behaviors that reduced or eliminated the stressful event or those that altered the appraisal of the event without changing the event itself. Statistical analyses revealed 1) no significant difference between the level of stress was expressed by family and nonfamily significant others; 2) significantly higher levels of stress were reported by female family members when compared to male family members; 3) significant others who had previous experience coping with cancer of a loved one reported higher levels of stress than persons without previous experience; 4) nonfamily members reported significantly higher levels of stress when the cancer patient lived with family; and 5) no relationship was demonstrated between level of stress and time since diagnosis of cancer.

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