Biological sensitivity to context: A test of the hypothesized U-shaped relation between early adversity and stress responsivity

2019 ◽  
Vol 32 (2) ◽  
pp. 641-660 ◽  
Author(s):  
Nila Shakiba ◽  
Bruce J. Ellis ◽  
Nicole R. Bush ◽  
W. Thomas Boyce
Keyword(s):  
Stress Reactivity ◽  
Kindergarten Children ◽  
Calibration Model ◽  
Growing Up ◽  
Cortisol Reactivity ◽  
Number Of Children ◽  
Adaptive Calibration ◽  
Stress Responsivity ◽  
Disproportionate Number ◽  
Biological Sensitivity To Context

AbstractWe conducted signal detection analyses to test for curvilinear, U-shaped relations between early experiences of adversity and heightened physiological responses to challenge, as proposed by biological sensitivity to context theory. Based on analysis of an ethnically diverse sample of 338 kindergarten children (4–6 years old) and their families, we identified levels and types of adversity that, singly and interactively, predicted high (top 25%) and low (bottom 25%) rates of stress reactivity. The results offered support for the hypothesized U-shaped curve and conceptually replicated and extended the work of Ellis, Essex, and Boyce (2005). Across both sympathetic and adrenocortical systems, a disproportionate number of children growing up under conditions characterized by either low or high adversity (as indexed by restrictive parenting, family stress, and family economic condition) displayed heightened stress reactivity, compared with peers growing up under conditions of moderate adversity. Finally, as hypothesized by the adaptive calibration model, a disproportionate number of children who experienced exceptionally stressful family conditions displayed blunted cortisol reactivity to stress.

Associations between multisystem stress reactivity and peer nominated aggression in early childhood vary by sex

2020 ◽  
Vol 32 (5) ◽  
pp. 1888-1898
Author(s):  
Melissa J. Hagan ◽  
Danielle S. Roubinov ◽  
W. Thomas Boyce ◽  
Nicole R. Bush
Keyword(s):  
Early Childhood ◽  
Relational Aggression ◽  
Stress Responses ◽  
Physical Aggression ◽  
Stress Reactivity ◽  
Physiological Stress ◽  
Kindergarten Children ◽  
Peer Ratings ◽  
Cortisol Reactivity ◽  
Physiological Stress Response

AbstractThere is emerging evidence that the development of problematic aggression in childhood may be associated with specific physiological stress response patterns, with both biological overactivation and underactivation implicated. This study tested associations between sex-specific patterns of stress responses across the sympathetic nervous system (SNS) and hypothalamic–pituitary–adrenal (HPA) axis and peer nominations of aggression among 271 kindergarten children (Mean age = 5.32 years; 52% Female; 44% White). Upon entry to kindergarten, children participated in a multidomain standardized stress paradigm. Changes in pre-ejection period (PEP) and salivary cortisol were assessed. On a separate day, children provided peer ratings of physical and relational aggression in a standardized interview. As expected, there was a significant three-way interaction between PEP, cortisol reactivity, and sex, but only for physical aggression. Among boys, cortisol reactivity was positively associated with physical aggression only for those with higher SNS reactivity. Findings suggest that for boys, asymmetrical and symmetrical HPA/SNS reactivity may be associated with lower and higher risk for peer-directed physical aggression, respectively. Understanding the complex associations between multisystem physiology, child sex and peer-directed aggression in early childhood may offer insight into individual differences underlying the emergence of behavioral dysregulation in early peer contexts.

scholarly journals New Perspectives in the Model of Stress Response

2017 ◽  
pp. S173-S185 ◽  
Author(s):  
I. TONHAJZEROVA ◽  
M. MESTANIK
Keyword(s):  
Stress Response ◽  
Complex Analysis ◽  
Stress Reactivity ◽  
Developmental Trajectory ◽  
Biofeedback Training ◽  
Human Organism ◽  
Calibration Model ◽  
Promising Tool ◽  
Adaptive Calibration ◽  
As Stress

The reactions of human organism to changes of internal or external environment termed as stress response have been at the center of interest during recent decades. Several theories were designed to describe the regulatory mechanisms which maintain the stability of vital physiological functions under conditions of threat or other environmental challenges. However, most of the models of stress reactivity were focused on specific aspects of the regulatory outcomes – physiological (e.g. neuroendocrine), psychological or behavioral regulation. Recently, a novel complex theory based on evolutionary and developmental biology has been introduced. The Adaptive Calibration Model of stress response employs a broad range of the findings from previous theories of stress and analyzes the responsivity to stress with respect to interindividual differences as a consequence of conditional adaptation – the ability to modify developmental trajectory to match the conditions of the social and physical environment. This review summarizes the contributions of the most important models in the field of stress response and emphasizes the importance of complex analysis of the psycho-physiological mechanisms. Moreover, it outlines the implications for nonpharmacological treatment of stress-related disorders with the application of biofeedback training as a promising tool based on voluntary modification of neurophysiological functions.

scholarly journals Future-Proofing Startups: Stress Management Principles Based on Adaptive Calibration Model and Active Inference Theory

Entropy ◽  
2021 ◽  
Vol 23 (9) ◽  
pp. 1155
Author(s):  
Stephen Fox
Keyword(s):  
Stress Management ◽  
Life Histories ◽  
Internal State ◽  
Generative Models ◽  
Calibration Model ◽  
Active Inference ◽  
Ecological Fitness ◽  
Adaptive Calibration ◽  
Stress Responsivity ◽  
Inference Theory

In this paper, the Adaptive Calibration Model (ACM) and Active Inference Theory (AIT) are related to future-proofing startups. ACM encompasses the allocation of energy by the stress response system to alternative options for action, depending upon individuals’ life histories and changing external contexts. More broadly, within AIT, it is posited that humans survive by taking action to align their internal generative models with sensory inputs from external states. The first contribution of the paper is to address the need for future-proofing methods for startups by providing eight stress management principles based on ACM and AIT. Future-proofing methods are needed because, typically, nine out of ten startups do not survive. A second contribution is to relate ACM and AIT to startup life cycle stages. The third contribution is to provide practical examples that show the broader relevance ACM and AIT to organizational practice. These contributions go beyond previous literature concerned with entrepreneurial stress and organizational stress. In particular, rather than focusing on particular stressors, this paper is focused on the recalibrating/updating of startups’ stress responsivity patterns in relation to changes in the internal state of the startup and/or changes in the external state. Overall, the paper makes a contribution to relating physics of life constructs concerned with energy, action and ecological fitness to human organizations.

scholarly journals The Adaptive Calibration Model of stress responsivity

2011 ◽  
Vol 35 (7) ◽  
pp. 1562-1592 ◽  
Author(s):  
Marco Del Giudice ◽  
Bruce J. Ellis ◽  
Elizabeth A. Shirtcliff
Keyword(s):  
Calibration Model ◽  
Adaptive Calibration ◽  
Stress Responsivity

Belgium: Creeping Vulnerability of Children

2017 ◽  
Author(s):  
Julie Vinck ◽  
Wim Van Lancker
Keyword(s):  
Social Protection ◽  
Child Poverty ◽  
Growing Up ◽  
Important Lesson ◽  
The Great Recession ◽  
Number Of Children ◽  
Poverty Risk ◽  
Poor Households ◽  
Families With Children ◽  
The Impact

Belgium has been plagued by comparatively high levels of child poverty, and by a creeping, yet significant, increase that started in the good years before the crisis. This is related to the relatively high share of jobless households, the extremely high and increasing poverty risk of children growing up in these households, and benefits that are inadequate to shield jobless families with children from poverty. Although the impact of the Great Recession was limited in Belgium, the crisis seems to have had an impact on child poverty, by increasing the number of children living in work-poor households. Although the Belgian welfare state had an important cushioning impact, its poverty-reducing capacity was less strong than it used to be. The most important lesson from the crisis is that in order to make further headway in reducing child poverty, not only activation but also social protection should be improved.

scholarly journals Transgenerational epigenetic programming via sperm microRNA recapitulates effects of paternal stress

2015 ◽  
Vol 112 (44) ◽  
pp. 13699-13704 ◽  
Author(s):  
Ali B. Rodgers ◽  
Christopher P. Morgan ◽  
N. Adrian Leu ◽  
Tracy L. Bale
Keyword(s):  
Molecular Mechanisms ◽  
Stress Reactivity ◽  
Sirtuin 1 ◽  
Stress Axis ◽  
Regulatory Function ◽  
Maternal Mrna ◽  
Epigenetic Programming ◽  
Molecular Events ◽  
Stress Responsivity ◽  
Paternal Stress

Epigenetic signatures in germ cells, capable of both responding to the parental environment and shaping offspring neurodevelopment, are uniquely positioned to mediate transgenerational outcomes. However, molecular mechanisms by which these marks may communicate experience-dependent information across generations are currently unknown. In our model of chronic paternal stress, we previously identified nine microRNAs (miRs) that were increased in the sperm of stressed sires and associated with reduced hypothalamic–pituitary–adrenal (HPA) stress axis reactivity in offspring. In the current study, we rigorously examine the hypothesis that these sperm miRs function postfertilization to alter offspring stress responsivity and, using zygote microinjection of the nine specific miRs, demonstrated a remarkable recapitulation of the offspring stress dysregulation phenotype. Further, we associated long-term reprogramming of the hypothalamic transcriptome with HPA axis dysfunction, noting a marked decreased in the expression of extracellular matrix and collagen gene sets that may reflect an underlying change in blood–brain barrier permeability. We conclude by investigating the developmental impact of sperm miRs in early zygotes with single-cell amplification technology, identifying the targeted degradation of stored maternal mRNA transcripts including sirtuin 1 and ubiquitin protein ligase E3a, two genes with established function in chromatin remodeling, and this potent regulatory function of miRs postfertilization likely initiates a cascade of molecular events that eventually alters stress reactivity. Overall, these findings demonstrate a clear mechanistic role for sperm miRs in the transgenerational transmission of paternal lifetime experiences.

Are Too Many Children Being Treated with Methylphenidate?*

1992 ◽  
Vol 37 (8) ◽  
pp. 570-572 ◽  
Author(s):  
Jean-M. Ruel ◽  
C. Peter Hickey
Keyword(s):  
Attention Deficit Hyperactivity Disorder ◽  
British Columbia ◽  
Attention Deficit ◽  
Number Of Children ◽  
Hyperactivity Disorder ◽  
Disproportionate Number

A survey was conducted of the use of methylphenidate in British Columbia during a six month period to determine if a disproportionate number of children are being treated with methylphenidate for hyperactivity. The data obtained do not indicate a problem regarding the diagnosis of attention deficit hyperactivity disorder in children. However, the data pertaining to adults indicate that the reasons stated for prescribing methylphenidate are controversial in a significant number of cases.

Children's vagal regulatory capacity predicts attenuated sympathetic stress reactivity in a socially supportive context: Evidence for a protective effect of the vagal system

2012 ◽  
Vol 24 (2) ◽  
pp. 677-689 ◽  
Author(s):  
Brian C. Wolff ◽  
Martha E. Wadsworth ◽  
Frank H. Wilhelm ◽  
Iris B. Mauss
Keyword(s):  
Social Support ◽  
Health Outcomes ◽  
Social Cognitive ◽  
Stress Reactivity ◽  
Differential Susceptibility ◽  
Positive Health ◽  
Sinus Arrhythmia ◽  
Regulatory Capacity ◽  
Stress Responding ◽  
Biological Sensitivity To Context

AbstractSocial support and vagal regulatory capacity (VRC), an index of flexible vagal responses during various types of stress, are linked to attenuated stress responding and positive health outcomes. Guided by the polyvagal perspective, we tested whether children's VRC is associated with attenuated sympathetic nervous system (SNS) stress reactivity in socially supportive conditions. Sixty-one 4- to 5-year-old children living in poverty underwent two standardized laboratory stress induction procedures. Cardiac vagal reactivity (respiratory sinus arrhythmia) to a first set of stressors (social, cognitive, physical, and emotional) indexed VRC. During a second set of stressors, participants were randomly assigned to a supportive or nonsupportive social context, and cardiac sympathetic reactivity (preejection period) was assessed. We hypothesized VRC would predict lower SNS stress reactivity, but only in the socially supportive context. Children with high VRC showed attenuated SNS stress reactivity in the socially supportive context compared to children with high VRC in the nonsupportive context and children with low VRC in either context. Individual differences in VRC predict attenuated SNS stress reactivity in socially supportive conditions. Understanding how social support and VRC jointly mitigate SNS stress reactivity may further efforts to prevent negative health outcomes. Implications for biological sensitivity to context and differential susceptibility theories are discussed.

Beyond allostatic load: Rethinking the role of stress in regulating human development

2013 ◽  
Vol 26 (1) ◽  
pp. 1-20 ◽  
Author(s):  
Bruce J. Ellis ◽  
Marco Del Giudice
Keyword(s):  
Life History ◽  
Stress Response ◽  
Allostatic Load ◽  
Life History Theory ◽  
Calibration Model ◽  
Load Model ◽  
Adaptive Calibration ◽  
Trade Offs ◽  
Response Systems

AbstractHow do exposures to stress affect biobehavioral development and, through it, psychiatric and biomedical disorder? In the health sciences, the allostatic load model provides a widely accepted answer to this question: stress responses, while essential for survival, have negative long-term effects that promote illness. Thus, the benefits of mounting repeated biological responses to threat are traded off against costs to mental and physical health. The adaptive calibration model, an evolutionary–developmental theory of stress–health relations, extends this logic by conceptualizing these trade-offs as decision nodes in allocation of resources. Each decision node influences the next in a chain of resource allocations that become instantiated in the regulatory parameters of stress response systems. Over development, these parameters filter and embed information about key dimensions of environmental stress and support, mediating the organism's openness to environmental inputs, and function to regulate life history strategies to match those dimensions. Drawing on the adaptive calibration model, we propose that consideration of biological fitness trade-offs, as delineated by life history theory, is needed to more fully explain the complex relations between developmental exposures to stress, stress responsivity, behavioral strategies, and health. We conclude that the adaptive calibration model and allostatic load model are only partially complementary and, in some cases, support different approaches to intervention. In the long run, the field may be better served by a model informed by life history theory that addresses the adaptive role of stress response systems in regulating alternative developmental pathways.

scholarly journals Cortisol Response to Psychosocial Stress in Chinese Early Puberty Girls: Possible Role of Depressive Symptoms

2015 ◽  
Vol 2015 ◽  
pp. 1-5 ◽  
Author(s):  
Ying Sun ◽  
Fang Deng ◽  
Yang Liu ◽  
Fang-Biao Tao
Keyword(s):  
Depressive Symptoms ◽  
Salivary Cortisol ◽  
Social Stress ◽  
Stress Reactivity ◽  
Pubertal Timing ◽  
Stress Test ◽  
Cortisol Concentration ◽  
Early Puberty ◽  
Cortisol Reactivity

Objective. The present study aimed at investigating unique patterns of salivary cortisol reactivity and recovery in response to a social stressor among girls with early puberty and exploring possible role of depressive symptom in this association.Design. Case-control study.Patients. Fifty-six girls with early puberty and age- and body mass index- (BMI-) matched normal puberty controls(n=56)were selected.Measurements. Salivary cortisol was measured in response to the Groningen Social Stress Test for Children.Results. Girls with early puberty had higher cortisol concentration at the end of the GSST (C3), cortisol concentration 20 min after the end of the GSST (C4), and AUC increment (AUCi) compared to non-early puberty girls. Depressive symptoms correlated with blunted HPA reactivity among girls with early puberty.Conclusion. This study demonstrated the disturbance effect of objectively examined early pubertal timing on HPA axis responses. It also suggested that stress reactivity might be blunted for individuals with depressive symptoms.

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