scholarly journals Prenatal stress and risk of behavioral morbidity from age 2 to 14 years: The influence of the number, type, and timing of stressful life events

2011 ◽  
Vol 23 (2) ◽  
pp. 507-520 ◽  
Author(s):  
Monique Robinson ◽  
Eugen Mattes ◽  
Wendy H. Oddy ◽  
Craig E. Pennell ◽  
Anke van Eekelen ◽  
...  
Keyword(s):  
Mental Health ◽  
Behavioral Problems ◽  
Prenatal Stress ◽  
Life Stress ◽  
Child Behavior Checklist ◽  
Stressful Life Events ◽  
Later Life ◽  
Stressful Events ◽  
Stress Exposure ◽  
Maternal Experience

AbstractThe maternal experience of stressful events during pregnancy has been associated with a number of adverse consequences for behavioral development in offspring, but the measurement and interpretation of prenatal stress varies among reported studies. The Raine Study recruited 2900 pregnancies and recorded life stress events experienced by 18 and 34 weeks' gestation along with numerous sociodemographic data. The mother's exposure to life stress events was further documented when the children were followed-up in conjunction with behavioral assessments at ages 2, 5, 8, 10, and 14 years using the Child Behavior Checklist. The maternal experience of multiple stressful events during pregnancy was associated with subsequent behavioral problems for offspring. Independent (e.g., death of a relative, job loss) and dependent stress events (e.g., financial problems, marital problems) were both significantly associated with a greater incidence of mental health morbidity between age 2 and 14 years. Exposure to stressful events in the first 18 weeks of pregnancy showed similar associations with subsequent total and externalizing morbidity to events reported at 34 weeks of gestation. These results were independent of postnatal stress exposure. Improved support for women with chronic stress exposure during pregnancy may improve the mental health of their offspring in later life.

Prenatal stress exposure as a risk factor for anorexia nervosa: A controlled study

2017 ◽  
Vol 41 (S1) ◽  
pp. S557-S557
Author(s):  
S. Michelon ◽  
E. Tenconi ◽  
E. Bonello ◽  
D. Degortes ◽  
M. De Toffol ◽  
...  
Keyword(s):  
Anorexia Nervosa ◽  
Risk Factor ◽  
Prenatal Stress ◽  
Stressful Life Events ◽  
Stressful Events ◽  
Controlled Study ◽  
Stress Exposure ◽  
Neuropsychological Battery ◽  
Competing Interest ◽  
The Impact

IntroductionPrenatal risk factors, such as gestational complications and exposure to stress during pregnancy, may have a role in the development of many psychiatric disorders including eating disorders.AimTo investigate the impact of prenatal stress exposure on the development and clinical features of anorexia nervosa.MethodsOne hundred and nine patients with a lifetime diagnosis of anorexia nervosa and 118 healthy controls underwent a clinical assessment, which included interviews, questionnaires and a neuropsychological battery. The mothers of the patients and controls underwent a specific interview focused on stressful life events, which occurred during pregnancy. Obstetric and neonatal records were consulted.ResultsThe mothers of patients experienced more severe stressful episodes during pregnancy than the mothers of controls and the perceived distress showed significant positive correlation with both total number of obstetrical complications and placental weight. In patients, the severity of stressful events was strongly associated to cognitive rigidity and perseverance.ConclusionsPrenatal stress exposure might be a risk factor for the development of anorexia nervosa and it is associated with cognitive traits of rigidity and perseverance.Disclosure of interestThe authors have not supplied their declaration of competing interest.

scholarly journals Examining the Effectiveness of a Case Management Program for Custodial Grandparent Families

2012 ◽  
Vol 2012 ◽  
pp. 1-6 ◽  
Author(s):  
Lenora Campbell ◽  
Dana L. Carthron ◽  
Margaret Shandor Miles ◽  
LaShanda Brown
Keyword(s):  
Mental Health ◽  
Case Management ◽  
Behavioral Problems ◽  
Child Behavior Checklist ◽  
Short Form ◽  
Well Being ◽  
Management Program ◽  
Emotional And Behavioral Problems ◽  
Physical And Mental Health ◽  
Case Management Program

Researchers have identified complex needs of custodial grandparent families and lack of access to needed resources such as housing, financial and legal assistance, and health care. Case management links these families with needed services while helping them develop skills to promote their health and well-being. This paper describes a case management program for custodial grandparent families using a nurse-social worker case management team. data were collected from 50 grandparents and 33 children using surveys and semi-structured instruments. Physical and mental health outcomes were measured using Short Form-12 Health Survey (SF 12) to measure the perceived quality of health for grandparents and the Child Behavior Checklist to measure the emotional and behavioral functioning of grandchildren. Grandparents more positively perceived their mental health after participating in the program. Perceptions about physical health were generally the same before and after the program. Grandparents' reported that many grandchildren had emotional and behavioral problems in the clinical range. These findings highlight the need for further research on the mental health needs of children being parented by grandparents as well as determining effective models and interventions to minimize adverse effects of parenting on grandparents.

scholarly journals Do “Dark” Personality Features Buffer Against Adversity? The Associations Between Cumulative Life Stress, the Dark Triad, and Mental Distress

SAGE Open ◽  
2019 ◽  
Vol 9 (1) ◽  
pp. 215824401882238 ◽  
Author(s):  
Minna Lyons ◽  
Kate Evans ◽  
Samuli Helle
Keyword(s):  
Life Events ◽  
Life Stress ◽  
Mental Distress ◽  
Stressful Life Events ◽  
Dark Triad ◽  
Stressful Events ◽  
Stressful Life ◽  
Online Study ◽  
The Face ◽  
The Impact

Stressful life events have a major impact on adverse mental health outcomes, although not all individuals are equally affected. According to the buffering hypothesis, there may be personality traits that protect individuals against mental distress in the face of adversity, playing thus a moderating role between life stressors and mental distress. In the present online study ( N = 574), Dark Triad of personality (i.e., Machiavellianism, narcissism, and psychopathy) were investigated as moderators between cumulative stressful life events and mental distress (i.e., psychosis, anxiety, and depression). Those who experienced more stressful events during lifetime, and scored higher in Machiavellianism, had higher scores on a psychosis instrument. Narcissism buffered the impact of stressful events on psychosis and depression. The results are discussed in terms of unique profiles associated with each of the traits.

The emotional and behavioral problems of children exposed to poverty and/or collective violence in communities at the Mexico-United States border: A comparative study

Salud Mental ◽  
2015 ◽  
Vol 38 (2) ◽  
pp. 95-102 ◽  
Author(s):  
Marie Leiner ◽  
◽  
◽  
María Theresa Villanos ◽  
Héctor Puertas ◽  
...  
Keyword(s):  
Mental Health ◽  
United States ◽  
Health Risks ◽  
Organized Crime ◽  
Behavioral Problems ◽  
Child Behavior Checklist ◽  
Mental Health Problems ◽  
Behavioral Problem ◽  
Emotional And Behavioral Problems ◽  
Collective Violence

Abstract Background. Collective violence attributed to organized crime has shown to be responsible for a considerable burden of physical and mental health morbidity among youth. Objective. To compare the emotional and behavioral problems of children exposed to early childhood poverty and/or collective violence in communities at the Mexico-United States border to children exposed to other social and health risks. Method. A cross-sectional study was carried out with individuals living in poverty at two sites at the Mexico-United States border. Individuals who responded once to the Pictorial Child Behavior Checklist (P+CBCL) in Spanish were selected randomly from clinics in a metropolitan area of El Paso, Texas, United States (poverty alone group), and Ciudad Juarez, Chihuahua, Mexico (poverty plus collective violence group). In addition, emotional and behavioral problems present in these groups were compared with available published emotional and behavioral CBCL scales of children exposed to other social and health risks. Results. Children exposed to both poverty and collective violence had higher emotional and behavioral problem scores as measured by the P+CBCL than those exposed to poverty alone. In addition, compared with children who were brain-injured, hearing impaired, or whose parents were exposed to drugs or alcohol, the poverty and collective violence group had higher levels of emotional and behavioral problems. Discussion and Conclusion. Systematic detection and treatment of children as young as 18 months exposed to trauma are necessary to diminish the mental health problems caused by the collective violence attributed to organized crime.

scholarly journals BLACK-WHITE DIFFERENCES IN CHRONIC STRESS: DOES APPRAISAL MATTER FOR ANXIETY AND DEPRESSIVE SYMPTOMS?

2019 ◽  
Vol 3 (Supplement_1) ◽  
pp. S191-S192
Author(s):  
Lauren Brown ◽  
Leah Abrams ◽  
Uchechi Mitchell ◽  
Jennifer Ailshire
Keyword(s):  
Mental Health ◽  
Health Disparities ◽  
Depressive Symptoms ◽  
Stressful Events ◽  
Stress Exposure ◽  
Stress Appraisal ◽  
Older Adulthood ◽  
Health Burden ◽  
Blacks And Whites ◽  
Retirement Study

Abstract Prior research has suggested that exposure to objectively stressful events contributes to mental health disparities in older adulthood. Yet, in order to understand the extent to which some groups bear a disproportionate stress and mental health burden, we consider black-white differences in not only stress exposure, but also stress appraisal—how upsetting the exposures are perceived to be across five domains (health, financial, residential, relationship and caregiving). Data come from 6,019 adults ages 52+ from the 2006 Health and Retirement Study. Fully adjusted models show stress exposure and appraisal significantly and independently predicted anxiety and depressive symptoms. Race and stress exposure interactions show that exposure differently predicts anxiety and depressive symptoms while race and appraisal interactions show blacks and whites report similar increases in anxiety and depressive symptoms. Findings suggest stress exposure has varying consequences for mental health of whites and blacks, while stress appraisals have similar consequences across groups.

Psychopathology and early life stress in migrant youths: an analysis of the ‘Growing up in Ireland’ study

2019 ◽  
Vol 36 (3) ◽  
pp. 177-185
Author(s):  
S. Cotter ◽  
C. Healy ◽  
D. Ni Cathain ◽  
P. Williams ◽  
M. Clarke ◽  
...  
Keyword(s):  
Life Events ◽  
Life Stress ◽  
Stressful Life Events ◽  
Early Life Stress ◽  
Stressful Events ◽  
Stressful Life ◽  
Growing Up ◽  
Policy Makers ◽  
Significant Difference ◽  
The Relationship

ObjectivesMigrant youths endure many challenges. Such challenges can be stressful and lead to psychological difficulties. We investigated the relationship between migration, psychopathology and stressful events in children and adolescents. We hypothesised that migrant youths would show higher levels of psychopathology and more stressful life events than non-migrant youths.MethodUsing the Child cohort (Cohort ‘98) of the ‘Growing up in Ireland’ study we investigated psychopathology, as measured by the Strengths and Difficulties questionnaire (SDQ) at age 9 and 13 and stressful life events in migrant and non-migrant youths.ResultsThere was no significant difference between the proportion of migrant and non-migrant youths reporting psychopathology in childhood (p>0.05) or adolescence (p>0.05). Analysis of the SDQ subscales revealed that a significantly greater proportion of migrant youths had hyperactivity problems in childhood (p = 0.04) but a greater proportion of non-migrant youths had emotional problems in early adolescence (p = 0.04). We found that migrant youths experienced significantly more stressful life events than their non-migrant counterparts (p<0.01), however, once ‘Moving house/country‘ was removed as a stressor, there was no difference between the groups (p>0.27).ConclusionsContrary to our hypothesis, we observed that there were few differences between migrant and non-migrant youths in the levels of psychopathology. Migrant youths experienced a greater number of stressful life events, however, this was attributable to stressors relating to moving. An increased understanding of the factors promoting resilience, as demonstrated by the migrant youths, could aid health professionals and policy makers to effectively tailor interventions for mental health promotion.

The impact of life stress on adult depression and anxiety is dependent on gender and timing of exposure

2017 ◽  
Vol 29 (4) ◽  
pp. 1443-1454 ◽  
Author(s):  
Carly E. Herbison ◽  
Karina Allen ◽  
Monique Robinson ◽  
John Newnham ◽  
Craig Pennell
Keyword(s):  
Life Course ◽  
Chronic Stress ◽  
Prenatal Stress ◽  
Life Stress ◽  
Anxiety Symptoms ◽  
Depression And Anxiety ◽  
Stress Exposure ◽  
Stress Trajectory ◽  
The Life Course ◽  
Postnatal Stress

AbstractThere is debate about the relative importance of timing of stressful events prenatally and over the life course and risk for subsequent depressive/anxious illness. The aim of this study was to examine the relative roles of prenatal stress and postnatal stress trajectories in predicting depression and anxiety in early adulthood in males and females. Exposure to life stress events was examined in the Western Australian Pregnancy Cohort (Raine) Study during pregnancy and ages 1, 2, 3, 5, 8, 10, 14, and 17 years. At age 20, offspring completed the Depression Anxiety Stress Scale. Prenatal stress and trajectories of stress events from age 1 to 17 were analyzed in linear regression analyses. Five postnatal stress trajectories were identified. In females, medium to high chronic stress exposure or exposure during puberty/adolescence predicted depression and anxiety symptoms while low or reduced stress exposure over the life course did not, after adjustment for relevant confounders. High stress early in pregnancy contributed to male depression/anxiety symptoms independent of postnatal stress trajectory. In females, postnatal stress trajectory was more important than prenatal stress in predicting depression/anxiety symptoms. Interventions focused on reducing and managing stress events around conception/pregnancy and exposure to chronic stress are likely to have beneficial outcomes on rates of depression and anxiety in adults.

The dynamic course of psychological outcomes following the Victorian Black Saturday bushfires

2020 ◽  
pp. 000486742096981
Author(s):  
Richard A Bryant ◽  
Lisa Gibbs ◽  
H Colin Gallagher ◽  
Phillipa Pattison ◽  
Dean Lusher ◽  
...  
Keyword(s):  
Mental Health ◽  
Posttraumatic Stress Disorder ◽  
Posttraumatic Stress ◽  
Stressful Life Events ◽  
Stress Disorder ◽  
Mental Health Problems ◽  
Stressful Events ◽  
Psychological Disorder ◽  
Property Loss

Objectives: To profile the long-term mental health outcomes of those affected by the 2009 Black Saturday bushfires and to document the course of mental health since the disaster. Method: The longitudinal Beyond Bushfires study included 1017 respondents (Wave 1; 3–4 years after the fires), 736 (76.1%) at Wave 2 (5 years after the fires) and 525 (51.6%) at Wave 3 (10 years after the fires). The survey indexed fire-related and subsequent stressful events, probable posttraumatic stress disorder, major depressive disorder, alcohol use, severe distress and receipt of health services for mental health problems. Results: Relative to their status 3–4 years after the fires, there were reduced rates of fire-related posttraumatic stress disorder (6.2% vs 12.2%), general posttraumatic stress disorder (14.9% vs 18.7%) and severe distress (4.4% vs 7.5%) at 10 years. There were comparable rates between Wave 1 and Wave 3 for depression (10.9% vs 8.3%) and alcohol abuse (21.8% vs 18.5%). Of people in high-affected regions, 22.1% had posttraumatic stress disorder, depression or severe distress at Wave 3. One-third to one-half of participants who reported probable posttraumatic stress disorder or depression at any assessment did not display the disorder at the next assessment. Worsening of mental health at Wave 3 was associated with the extent of property loss, exposure to recent traumatic events or recent stressful life events. Only 24.6% of those with a probable disorder had sought professional help for this in the previous 6 months. Conclusion: Approximately one-fifth of people from high-affected areas have a probable psychological disorder a decade after the fires. Mental health appears to fluctuate for those who are not consistently resilient, apparently as a result of ongoing stressors. The observation that most people with probable disorder are not receiving care highlights the need for further planning about managing long-term mental health needs of disaster-affected communities.

scholarly journals Measuring More Than Exposure: Does Stress Appraisal Matter for Black–White Differences in Anxiety and Depressive Symptoms Among Older Adults?

2020 ◽  
Vol 4 (5) ◽  
Author(s):  
Lauren L Brown ◽  
Leah R Abrams ◽  
Uchechi A Mitchell ◽  
Jennifer A Ailshire
Keyword(s):  
Mental Health ◽  
Health Disparities ◽  
Depressive Symptoms ◽  
Race Differences ◽  
Anxiety Symptoms ◽  
Stressful Events ◽  
Stress Exposure ◽  
Mental Health Disparities ◽  
Stress Appraisal ◽  
Chronic Stressors

Abstract Background and Objectives Prior research and theory suggest that exposure to objectively stressful events contributes to mental health disparities. Yet, blacks report higher cumulative stress exposure than whites but lower levels of common psychiatric disorders. In order to understand why blacks bear disproportionate stress exposure but similar or better mental health relative to whites, we need to consider race differences in not only stress exposure, but also stress appraisal—how upsetting stress exposures are perceived to be. Research Design and Methods We examine whether race differences in the number of reported chronic stressors across 5 domains (health, financial, residential, relationship, and caregiving) and their appraised stressfulness explain black–white differences in anxiety and depressive symptoms. Data come from 6019 adults aged older than 52 from the 2006 Health and Retirement Study. Results Older blacks in this sample experience greater exposure to chronic stressors but appraise stressors as less upsetting relative to whites. In fully adjusted models, stress exposure is related to higher levels of anxiety and depressive symptoms, and perceiving stress as upsetting is associated with higher symptomology for whites and blacks. We also find that blacks report greater anxiety symptoms but fewer depressive symptoms with more stress exposure relative to whites. Stress appraisal partially explains race differences in the association between stress exposure and anxiety symptoms and fully explains race differences in the association between exposure and depressive symptoms. Discussion and Implications The relationship between race, chronic stress exposure, and mental health is mediated by stress appraisal. Stress appraisal provides insight on important pathways contributing to black–white mental health disparities in older adulthood.

scholarly journals Mental health indicators among pregnant Aboriginal women in Canada: results from the Maternity Experiences Survey

2018 ◽  
Vol 38 (7/8) ◽  
pp. 269-276 ◽  
Author(s):  
Chantal Nelson ◽  
Karen M. Lawford ◽  
Victoria Otterman ◽  
Elizabeth K. Darling
Keyword(s):  
Mental Health ◽  
First Nations ◽  
Stressful Life Events ◽  
Previous History ◽  
Health Indicators ◽  
Correction Method ◽  
Stressful Events ◽  
Aboriginal Women ◽  
Maternity Experiences Survey ◽  
History Of

Introduction There is little research done on mental health among pregnant Aboriginal women. Therefore, the purpose of the study was to examine the prevalence of postpartum depression (PPD) and its determinants, including pre-existing depression among non-Aboriginal and Aboriginal women in Canada. Methods The Maternity Experiences Survey (MES) is a national survey of Canadian women’s experiences and practices before conception, up to the early months of parenthood. Predictors of PPD were calculated using the Mantel-Haenszel correction method relative to the risk estimates based on the odds ratio from adjusted regression analysis. The analysis was conducted among women who self-identified as Aboriginal (Inuit, Métis or First Nations living off-reserve) and those who identified as non-Aboriginal. Results The prevalence of pre-existing depression was higher among self-reported First Nations off-reserve and Métis women than non-Aboriginal women. Inuit women had the lowest prevalence of self-reported pre-existing depression, and Aboriginal women reported a higher prevalence of PPD than non-Aboriginal women. Pre-existing depression was not a predictor for PPD for Inuit or Métis women in this study but was a positive predictor among First Nations off-reserve and non-Aboriginal women. A disproportionally higher number of Aboriginal women reported experiencing abuse, as compared to non-Aboriginal women. Conclusion Our study demonstrated that common predictors of PPD including anxiety, experiencing stressful life events during pregnancy, having low levels of social support, and a previous history of depression were consistent among non-Aboriginal women. However, with the exception of the number of stressful events among First Nations offreserve, these were not associated with PPD among Aboriginal women. This information can be used to further increase awareness of mental health indicators among Aboriginal women.

Sign in / Sign up

Export Citation Format

Share Document