Decomposing the effects of childhood adversity on later-life depression among Europeans: a comparative analysis by gender

2019 ◽  
Vol 41 (1) ◽  
pp. 158-186 ◽  
Author(s):  
Georgia Verropoulou ◽  
Eleni Serafetinidou ◽  
Cleon Tsimbos
Keyword(s):  
Cognitive Function ◽  
Indirect Effects ◽  
Early Life ◽  
Childhood Adversity ◽  
Later Life ◽  
Direct And Indirect Effects ◽  
Excessive Alcohol Consumption ◽  
Childhood Health ◽  
Decomposition Approach ◽  
Adverse Experiences

AbstractThe aims of the present study are twofold: first, to examine the importance of socio-economic disadvantage, adverse experiences and poor health in childhood on later-life depression by sex and, second, to discern the direct and indirect effects of childhood circumstances using a decomposition technique. Data are derived from Waves 2 and 3 of the Survey of Health, Ageing and Retirement in Europe (SHARE). The methods involve use of logistic regression models and a decomposition approach. The findings indicate that childhood socio-economic status (SES) for both genders and cognitive function for men have only a significant direct effect, consistent with the critical period model. Childhood health for men and poor parental mental health for women are nearly fully mediated by adulthood and later-life circumstances, a fact in line with the pathway model. Poor childhood health, parental excessive alcohol consumption and cognitive function for women and adverse experiences for men have both significant direct and indirect effects, consistent with both models. Mediating factors include poor adulthood and later-life health, socio-economic adversity and stress; adulthood and later-life SES mediate early life health and adverse experiences more strongly for men, whereas stress seems to mediate early life adverse experiences to a greater extent among women. Intervening policies should address childhood adversity while considering the differential vulnerability of men and women.

scholarly journals Actor–Partner Effects of Childhood Disadvantage on Later Life Subjective Well-Being Among Individuals in Coresidential Unions

2019 ◽  
Vol 75 (6) ◽  
pp. 1275-1285 ◽  
Author(s):  
Jack Lam
Keyword(s):  
Early Life ◽  
Male Partner ◽  
Childhood Adversity ◽  
Later Life ◽  
Well Being ◽  
Future Research ◽  
Subjective Well Being ◽  
Childhood Health ◽  
Self Rated Health ◽  
Childhood Disadvantage

Abstract Objectives Prior research on cumulative disadvantage has primarily focused on individuals’ own childhood adversity for their later-life outcomes. Nevertheless, partner’s childhood disadvantage may also shape respondent’s later-life well-being. Methods Drawing on a household-level dataset, I examine respondent’s own childhood adversity as well as their partner’s childhood adversity (poor childhood health, parental divorce, or father’s long-term unemployment) on respondent’s subjective well-being, at aged 50 and older. Results Findings from the actor-partner interdependence model (APIM) show poor childhood health of the male partner as associated with worse mental health and self-rated health of the female partner in later life. For both outcome measures, the partner effects were attenuated after adjusting for the female partner’s report of perceived social support. For self-rated health, adjusting for variation in the presence of a chronic illness and household income also attenuated the association. Discussion Partnered individuals are nested within a specific context, whereby stress and implications of early life disadvantage may be conceptualized at the couple-level. Future research that assesses how early life experiences of individuals may have implications for family members’ later-life well-being may be valuable.

What role for the ‘long arm of childhood’ in social gradients in health? An international comparison of high-income contexts

2020 ◽  
Author(s):  
Steven A. Haas ◽  
Zhangjun Zhou ◽  
Katsuya Oi
Keyword(s):  
Life Course ◽  
Early Life ◽  
Economic Status ◽  
Functional Limitation ◽  
Later Life ◽  
High Income ◽  
Childhood Health ◽  
Relative Contribution ◽  
Early Life Factors

Social gradients in health have been a focus of research for decades. Two important lines of social gradient research have examined (1) international variation in their magnitude and (2) their life course / developmental antecedents. The present study brings these two strands together to explore the developmental origins of educational gradients in health. We leverage data spanning 14 high-income contexts from the Health and Retirement Study and its sisters in Europe. We find that early-life health and socio-economic status consistently attenuate educational gradients in multimorbidity and functional limitation. However, the relative contribution of early-life factors to gradients varies substantially across contexts. The results suggest that research on social gradients, and population health broadly, would benefit from the unique insights available from a conceptual and empirical approach that integrates comparative and life course perspectives.<br /><br />Key messages<br /><ul><li>The magnitude of educational gradients in later life health depend, in part, on childhood health and socioeconomic circumstances.</li><br /><li>The role of early life factors in educational gradients in health varies substantially across high income contexts.</li></ul>

scholarly journals Hair glucocorticoids are associated with childhood adversity, depressive symptoms and reduced global and lobar grey matter in Generation Scotland

2021 ◽  
Vol 11 (1) ◽  
Author(s):  
Claire Green ◽  
Aleks Stolicyn ◽  
Mathew A. Harris ◽  
Xueyi Shen ◽  
Liana Romaniuk ◽  
...  
Keyword(s):  
Hpa Axis ◽  
Life Stress ◽  
Early Life ◽  
Childhood Adversity ◽  
Later Life ◽  
Early Life Adversity ◽  
Brain Volumes ◽  
Stable Measure ◽  
Regional Brain ◽  
Generation Scotland

AbstractHypothalamic–pituitary–adrenal (HPA) axis dysregulation has been commonly reported in major depressive disorder (MDD), but with considerable heterogeneity of results; potentially due to the predominant use of acute measures of an inherently variable/phasic system. Chronic longer-term measures of HPA-axis activity have yet to be systematically examined in MDD, particularly in relation to brain phenotypes, and in the context of early-life/contemporaneous stress. Here, we utilise a temporally stable measure of cumulative HPA-axis function (hair glucocorticoids) to investigate associations between cortisol, cortisone and total glucocorticoids with concurrent measures of (i) lifetime-MDD case/control status and current symptom severity, (ii) early/current-life stress and (iii) structural neuroimaging phenotypes, in N = 993 individuals from Generation Scotland (mean age = 59.1 yrs). Increased levels of hair cortisol were significantly associated with reduced global and lobar brain volumes with reductions in the frontal, temporal and cingulate regions (βrange = −0.057 to −0.104, all PFDR < 0.05). Increased levels of hair cortisone were significantly associated with MDD (lifetime-MDD status, current symptoms, and severity; βrange = 0.071 to 0.115, all PFDR = < 0.05), with early-life adversity (β = 0.083, P = 0.017), and with reduced global and regional brain volumes (global: β = −0.059, P = 0.043; nucleus accumbens: β = −0.075, PFDR = 0.044). Associations with total glucocorticoids followed a similar pattern to the cortisol findings. In this large community-based sample, elevated glucocorticoids were significantly associated with MDD, with early, but not later-life stress, and with reduced global and regional brain phenotypes. These findings provide important foundations for future mechanistic studies to formally explore causal relationships between early adversity, chronic rather than acute measures of glucocorticoids, and neurobiological associations relevant to the aetiology of MDD.

Direct and Indirect Effects of Childhood Adversity on Adult Depression

2010 ◽  
Vol 48 (2) ◽  
pp. 187-192 ◽  
Author(s):  
Marianna LaNoue ◽  
David Graeber ◽  
Brisa Urquieta de Hernandez ◽  
Teddy D. Warner ◽  
Deborah L. Helitzer
Keyword(s):  
Indirect Effects ◽  
Childhood Adversity ◽  
Direct And Indirect Effects ◽  
Adult Depression

The effect of tail docking in neonatal pigs on the central expression of genes involved in modulating anxiety-like behaviour

2015 ◽  
Vol 8 (1) ◽  
pp. 53-53
Author(s):  
P. Oberst ◽  
D.A. Sandercock ◽  
P. Di Giminiani ◽  
S.A. Edwards ◽  
P.J. Brunton
Keyword(s):  
Early Life ◽  
Negative Impact ◽  
Later Life ◽  
Postnatal Life ◽  
Large White ◽  
Neonatal Pigs ◽  
Tail Docking ◽  
Expression Of Genes ◽  
Adverse Experiences ◽  
Significant Difference

Abstract Background Adverse experiences in early life, such as exposure to stress, can have long term detrimental effects on the future physiology and behaviour of the animal. Typically animals exposed to such experiences are more anxious and more reactive to stress in later life. Tail biting is a major problem in modern pig production, both in terms of animal welfare and productivity. Tail docking in early postnatal life is common practice to reduce risk of this problem, but causes pain and may alter pain sensitivity. Aims To investigate whether a significant painful experience in early life (tail docking) alters the expression of genes in the amygdala that are linked to an anxiety-prone phenotype. Methods Eight female piglets (Landrace/Large White × synthetic sireline) were used. Four piglets were tail docked (amputation of approx. 2/3 of the tail) on post-natal day 3 using hot-iron cautery and four sham-docked piglets served as intact controls. On post-natal day 10, pigs were sedated and then euthanized by barbiturate overdose. Brains were removed, the amygdala grossly dissected and frozen on dry ice. 20 μm sections were cut and subsequently processed using in situ hybridisation with radiolabelled probes complementary to corticotropin-releasing hormone receptor-1 (Crhr1) and CRH receptor-2 (Crhr2) mRNA. Results Crhrl mRNA expression was significantly greater in the amygdala of tail-docked piglets compared with the sham-docked animals. There was no significant difference detected in Crhr2 expression in the amygdala between the groups. Conclusion Increased expression of Crhrl in the amygdala is associated with an anxiety-prone phenotype in rats and pigs, thus it is likely that tail docking in early life leads to enhanced anxiety which may have a negative impact on pig welfare. Ongoing experiments will determine whether these central changes in gene expression are long-lasting. [Support: BBSRC/DEFRA, part of ANIWHA ERA-NET initiative].

scholarly journals Early-life Health as a Lifelong Precursor of Self-Related Views of Aging in Later Life

2020 ◽  
Author(s):  
Jacqui Smith ◽  
Marina Larkina
Keyword(s):  
Socioeconomic Status ◽  
Chronic Illness ◽  
Early Life ◽  
Late Life ◽  
Later Life ◽  
Chronic Illnesses ◽  
Subjective Age ◽  
Childhood Health ◽  
Using Data ◽  
Demographic Covariates

Abstract Objectives Age stereotypes and expectations about one’s own aging commence in childhood but most research focuses on predictive associations with midlife health behaviors, later-life chronic conditions, biomarkers, and longevity. Surprisingly little is known about the role of poor childhood health in these associations. This study aims to fill this gap. Methods Using data from the Health and Retirement Study (HRS: N = 5,773, aged 50–98), we investigated whether diagnosed chronic illness before age 16 and self-rated childhood health predict late-life self-perceptions of aging (SPA) and proportional subjective age discrepancy (PSAD). We conducted multivariate multiple regression analysis (MMRA) to determine the joint and partial effects of the two indicators of childhood health. Models included controls for childhood family financial status as well as late-life self-rated health, chronic illnesses, memory status, and demographic covariates (age, gender, race/ethnicity, marital status, socioeconomic status) in 2016. Results Over and above all covariates and the covariation of the two views of one’s own aging, the MMRA models revealed that the number of childhood chronic illnesses predicted SPA but not for PSAD. Self-rated childhood health predicted both SPA and PSAD in the unadjusted models, but not in the adjusted models. Discussion This study provides new insight into potential early-life precursors of self-evaluations of aging. In particular, childhood diagnoses of chronic illness enhance negative SPA up to 50 years later. Non-normative experiences related to poor health in childhood are lifelong foundations for socioeconomic status, health, and for self-related beliefs about age and aging.

scholarly journals The Effects of Early Life Stress, Postnatal Diet Modulation, and Long-Term Western-Style Diet on Later-Life Metabolic and Cognitive Outcomes

Nutrients ◽  
2020 ◽  
Vol 12 (2) ◽  
pp. 570 ◽  
Author(s):  
Maralinde R. Abbink ◽  
Lidewij Schipper ◽  
Eva F.G. Naninck ◽  
Cato M.H. de Vos ◽  
Romy Meier ◽  
...  
Keyword(s):  
Cognitive Function ◽  
Life Stress ◽  
Early Life ◽  
Early Life Stress ◽  
Later Life ◽  
Dietary Lipids ◽  
Cognitive Outcomes ◽  
Milk Formula ◽  
Structural Level ◽  
Early Life Exposure

Early life stress (ES) increases the risk to develop metabolic and brain disorders in adulthood. Breastfeeding (exclusivity and duration) is associated with improved metabolic and neurocognitive health outcomes, and the physical properties of the dietary lipids may contribute to this. Here, we tested whether early life exposure to dietary lipids mimicking some physical characteristics of breastmilk (i.e., large, phospholipid-coated lipid droplets; Concept Nuturis® infant milk formula (N-IMF)), could protect against ES-induced metabolic and brain abnormalities under standard circumstances, and in response to prolonged Western-style diet (WSD) in adulthood. ES was induced by exposing mice to limited nesting material from postnatal day (P) 2 to P9. From P16 to P42, male offspring were fed a standard IMF (S-IMF) or N-IMF, followed by either standard rodent diet (SD) or WSD until P230. We then assessed body composition development, fat mass, metabolic hormones, hippocampus-dependent cognitive function, and neurogenesis (proliferation and survival). Prolonged WSD resulted in an obesogenic phenotype at P230, which was not modulated by previous ES or N-IMF exposure. Nevertheless, ES and N-IMF modulated the effect of WSD on neurogenesis at P230, without affecting cognitive function, highlighting programming effects of the early life environment on the hippocampal response to later life challenges at a structural level.

Early development, stress and depression across the life course: pathways to depression in a national British birth cohort

2014 ◽  
Vol 44 (13) ◽  
pp. 2845-2854 ◽  
Author(s):  
I. Colman ◽  
P. B. Jones ◽  
D. Kuh ◽  
M. Weeks ◽  
K. Naicker ◽  
...  
Keyword(s):  
Life Course ◽  
Birth Cohort ◽  
Indirect Effects ◽  
Early Life ◽  
Structural Equation ◽  
Direct And Indirect Effects ◽  
Developmental Milestones ◽  
Acute And Chronic Stress ◽  
Adult Depression ◽  
The Life Course

BackgroundThe aetiology of depression is multifactorial, with biological, cognitive and environmental factors across the life course influencing risk of a depressive episode. There is inconsistent evidence linking early life development and later depression. The aim of this study was to investigate relationships between low birthweight (LBW), infant neurodevelopment, and acute and chronic stress as components in pathways to depression in adulthood.MethodThe sample included 4627 members of the National Survey of Health and Development (NSHD; the 1946 British birth cohort). Weight at birth, age of developmental milestones, economic deprivation in early childhood, acute stressors in childhood and adulthood, and socio-economic status (SES) in adulthood were assessed for their direct and indirect effects on adolescent (ages 13 and 15 years) and adult (ages 36, 43 and 53 years) measures of depressive symptoms in a structural equation modelling (SEM) framework. A structural equation model developed to incorporate all variables exhibited excellent model fit according to several indices.ResultsThe path of prediction from birthweight to age of developmental milestones to adolescent depression/anxiety to adult depression/anxiety was significant (p < 0.001). Notably, direct paths from birthweight (p = 0.25) and age of developmental milestones (p = 0.23) to adult depression were not significant. Childhood deprivation and stressors had important direct and indirect effects on depression. Stressors in adulthood were strongly associated with adult depression.ConclusionsDepression in adulthood is influenced by an accumulation of stressors across the life course, including many that originate in the first years of life. Effects of early-life development on mental health appear by adolescence.

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