scholarly journals Cardiorenal metabolic biomarkers link early life stress to risk of non-communicable diseases and adverse mental health outcomes

2020 ◽  
Vol 10 (1) ◽  
Author(s):  
Janet Poplawski ◽  
Ana Radmilovic ◽  
Tony D. Montina ◽  
Gerlinde A. S. Metz
Keyword(s):  
Mental Health ◽  
Health Outcomes ◽  
Life Stress ◽  
Early Life ◽  
Early Life Stress ◽  
Communicable Diseases ◽  
Mental Health Outcomes ◽  
Non Communicable Diseases ◽  
Metabolic Biomarkers

scholarly journals The Impact of Distal Influences and Proximal Resources on the Mental Health of African American Older Adults: Findings From the Georgia Centenarian Study

2020 ◽  
Vol 4 (5) ◽  
Author(s):  
Meneka C Johnson Nicholson ◽  
Peter Martin ◽  
Megan Gilligan ◽  
Carolyn E Cutrona ◽  
Daniel W Russell ◽  
...  
Keyword(s):  
Mental Health ◽  
Older Adults ◽  
African American ◽  
Health Outcomes ◽  
Early Life ◽  
Well Being ◽  
Mental Health Outcomes ◽  
Financial Resources ◽  
The Impact ◽  
African American Older Adults

Abstract Background and Objectives Over the years, a large amount of research has been devoted to the investigation of factors that led to mental health outcomes in older adults. For African American older adults, their lived experiences place them at high risk for mental health problems. The purpose of this study was to examine the impact of early life influences (i.e., education, childhood life events, and childhood financial well-being) and present psychosocial resources (i.e., individual, financial, and social) on current mental health outcomes in a sample of African American older adults in their 60s, 80s, and 100s. Research Design and Methods Using data from the Georgia Centenarian Study, 125 participants were interviewed about their mental health, resources, and early life influences. Results A structural equation model was tested and resulted in a good fit. Results indicated that the more social resources African American older adults had available, the lower the number of depressive symptoms they reported. African Americans with higher levels of financial well-being during childhood reported higher self-rated mental health. Older adults had higher levels of financial resources. Level of education showed a positive relationship with financial resources. Indirect effects of distal influences on health outcomes via current resources were not found. Discussion and Implications The findings are of direct practical relevance and can be used to more readily identify older African Americans who may be susceptible to poorer mental health outcomes based upon the impact of their unique distal and proximal psychosocial resources.

scholarly journals EARLY LIFE STRESS AND GENETIC RISK FOR NEUROTICISM PREDICTING HEALTH OUTCOMES IN OLDER SWEDISH TWINS

2017 ◽  
Vol 1 (suppl_1) ◽  
pp. 591-592
Author(s):  
K. Lehto ◽  
I. Karlsson ◽  
C. Lundholm ◽  
N.L. Pedersen
Keyword(s):  
Health Outcomes ◽  
Genetic Risk ◽  
Life Stress ◽  
Early Life ◽  
Early Life Stress

scholarly journals Influence of early life stress on later hypothalamic–pituitary–adrenal axis functioning and its covariation with mental health symptoms: A study of the allostatic process from childhood into adolescence

2011 ◽  
Vol 23 (4) ◽  
pp. 1039-1058 ◽  
Author(s):  
Marilyn J. Essex ◽  
Elizabeth A. Shirtcliff ◽  
Linnea R. Burk ◽  
Paula L. Ruttle ◽  
Marjorie H. Klein ◽  
...  
Keyword(s):  
Mental Health ◽  
Hpa Axis ◽  
Life Stress ◽  
Early Life ◽  
Specific Activity ◽  
Early Life Stress ◽  
Hierarchical Linear Model ◽  
Mental Health Symptoms ◽  
Health Symptoms ◽  
Hypothalamic Pituitary Adrenal

AbstractThe hypothalamic–pituitary–adrenal (HPA) axis is a primary mechanism in the allostatic process through which early life stress (ELS) contributes to disease. Studies of the influence of ELS on children's HPA axis functioning have yielded inconsistent findings. To address this issue, the present study considers multiple types of ELS (maternal depression, paternal depression, and family expressed anger), mental health symptoms, and two components of HPA functioning (traitlike and epoch-specific activity) in a long-term prospective community study of 357 children. ELS was assessed during the infancy and preschool periods; mental health symptoms and cortisol were assessed at child ages 9, 11, 13, and 15 years. A three-level hierarchical linear model addressed questions regarding the influences of ELS on HPA functioning and its covariation with mental health symptoms. ELS influenced traitlike cortisol level and slope, with both hyper- and hypoarousal evident depending on type of ELS. Further, type(s) of ELS influenced covariation of epoch-specific HPA functioning and mental health symptoms, with a tighter coupling of HPA alterations with symptom severity among children exposed previously to ELS. Results highlight the importance of examining multiple types of ELS and dynamic HPA functioning in order to capture the allostatic process unfolding across the transition into adolescence.

scholarly journals The effect of mindfulness-based stress intervention on neurobiological and symptom measures in adolescents with early life stress: A feasibility randomized controlled trial

2020 ◽  
Author(s):  
Zsofia Cohen ◽  
Kelly T. Cosgrove ◽  
Elisabeth Akeman ◽  
Sara Coffey ◽  
Kent Teague ◽  
...  
Keyword(s):  
Mental Health ◽  
Stress Reduction ◽  
Life Stress ◽  
Early Life ◽  
Controlled Trial ◽  
Early Life Stress ◽  
Medium Effect ◽  
Mental Health Symptoms ◽  
Health Symptoms ◽  
Symptom Level

Background Early life stress (ELS) has been linked to poor mental and physical health outcomes in adolescence and adulthood. Mindfulness reduces symptoms of depression and anxiety and improves cognitive and social outcomes in both youth and adults. However, little is known whether mindfulness can mitigate against the adverse neurobiological and psychological effects of ELS. This study aimed to examine the feasibility of conducting a group mindfulness intervention in adolescents with ELS and provide preliminary indication of potential effects on stress-related biomarkers and mental health symptoms. Methods Forty adolescents were randomized to receive either eight sessions of Mindfulness-Based Stress Reduction for Teens in group format (MBSR-T; n = 21) or Control (CTRL; n = 17). Outcomes were assessed at baseline and follow-up and included measures associated with neurobiological functioning (immune and endocrine biomarkers) and self-reported mental health symptoms. Linear mixed effects models were used to assess the effects of group and time on these outcome measures. ResultsSixteen of the 21 adolescents completed the intervention, attending an average of 6.5 sessions. The model examining depressive symptoms revealed a medium effect for symptom reduction [Cohen’s d = .69] in the MBSR-T relateive to CTRL groups.ConclusionsThis study demonstrated feasibilility of conducting a group-based MBSR intervention for adolescents with ELS. There was some evidence for efficacy on a symptom level with potential subtle changes on a biological level. Future larger studies are needed to determine the efficacy of group-based mindfulness interventions in this population.

Race, social pain minimization, and mental health

2021 ◽  
pp. 136843022110408
Author(s):  
Kyle L. Benbow ◽  
Brianna L. Smith ◽  
Karlee J. Tolbert ◽  
Jason C. Deska ◽  
Jonathan W. Kunstman
Keyword(s):  
Mental Health ◽  
Social Support ◽  
Health Outcomes ◽  
Life Stress ◽  
Mental Health Outcomes ◽  
Race Difference ◽  
Social Pain ◽  
Cross Sectional ◽  
Third Person ◽  
Initial Support

People often believe Black individuals experience less social pain and require less social support to cope with distress than White individuals (e.g., Deska, Kunstman, Lloyd, et al., 2020). However, researchers have not tested whether biases in third-person pain judgments translate to first-person experiences with social pain minimization. For example, do Black individuals feel their social pain is underrecognized to a greater extent than White individuals? The current work tested whether Black individuals felt their social pain was minimized more than White individuals and if the experience of social pain minimization was related to worse mental health and greater life stress. Data from two cross-sectional, correlational studies provide initial support for these predictions ( Ntotal = 1,501). Black participants felt their social pain was minimized more than White participants and this race difference in social pain minimization was associated with worse mental health and greater life stress. These results suggest that Black individuals feel their pain is underrecognized and this experience of social pain minimization is related to worse mental health outcomes.

scholarly journals The effect of a mindfulness-based stress intervention on neurobiological and symptom measures in adolescents with early life stress: a randomized feasibility study

2021 ◽  
Vol 21 (1) ◽  
Author(s):  
Zsofia P. Cohen ◽  
Kelly T. Cosgrove ◽  
Elisabeth Akeman ◽  
Sara Coffey ◽  
Kent Teague ◽  
...  
Keyword(s):  
Mental Health ◽  
Depressive Symptoms ◽  
Stress Reduction ◽  
Life Stress ◽  
Early Life ◽  
Early Life Stress ◽  
Medium Effect ◽  
Control Group ◽  
Treatment As Usual ◽  
Symptom Level

Abstract Background Early life stress (ELS) has been linked to poor mental and physical health outcomes in adolescence and adulthood. Mindfulness reduces symptoms of depression and anxiety and improves cognitive and social outcomes in both youth and adults. However, little is known whether mindfulness can mitigate against the adverse neurobiological and psychological effects of ELS. This study aimed to examine the feasibility of conducting a group mindfulness intervention in adolescents with ELS and provide preliminary indication of potential effects on stress-related biomarkers and mental health symptoms. Methods Forty adolescents were randomized to receive either eight sessions of Mindfulness-Based Stress Reduction for Teens in group format (MBSR-T; n = 21) or Treatment as Usual Control group (CTRL; n = 17). Outcomes were assessed at baseline and follow-up and included measures associated with neurobiological functioning (immune and endocrine biomarkers) and self-reported mental health (depressive) symptoms. Linear mixed effects models were used to assess the effects of group and time on these outcome measures. Results Sixteen of the 21 adolescents completed the intervention, attending an average of 6.5 sessions. The model examining cortisol responses to stress induction revealed medium effects trending toward significance (Cohen’s d = .56) for anticipatory cortisol levels in the MBSR-T relative to CTRL groups. No significant effects were found in models examining C-reactive protein or interleukin 6 inflammatory markers. The model examining depressive symptoms revealed a medium effect for symptom reduction (Cohen’s d = .69) in the MBSR-T relative to CTRL groups. Conclusions This study demonstrated feasibility of conducting a group-based MBSR-T intervention for adolescents with ELS. There was some evidence for efficacy on a symptom level with potential subtle changes on a biological level. Future larger studies are needed to determine the efficacy of group-based mindfulness interventions in this population. Trial registration Identifier #NCT03633903, registered 16/08/2018.

scholarly journals A Polygenic Score for Body Mass Index is Associated with Depressive Symptoms via Early Life Stress: Evidence for gene-environment correlation

2019 ◽  
Author(s):  
Reut Avinun ◽  
Ahmad R. Hariri
Keyword(s):  
Mental Health ◽  
Body Mass Index ◽  
Depressive Symptoms ◽  
Body Mass ◽  
Indirect Effect ◽  
Genetic Risk ◽  
Life Stress ◽  
Early Life ◽  
Early Life Stress ◽  
Gene Environment

ABSTRACTBackgroundIncreasing childhood overweight and obesity rates are associated with not only adverse physical, but also mental health outcomes, including depression. These negative outcomes may be caused and/or exacerbated by the bullying and shaming overweight individuals experience. As body mass index (BMI) can be highly heritable, we hypothesized that a genetic risk toward higher BMI, will predict higher early life stress (ELS), which in turn will predict higher depressive symptoms in adulthood. Such a process will reflect an evocative gene-environment correlation (rGE) wherein an individual’s genetically influenced phenotype evokes a reaction from the environment that subsequently shapes the individual’s health.MethodsWe modeled genetic risk using a polygenic score of BMI derived from a recent large GWAS meta-analysis. Self-reports were used for the assessment of ELS and depressive symptoms in adulthood. The discovery sample consisted of 524 non-Hispanic Caucasian university students from the Duke Neurogenetics Study (DNS; 278 women, mean age 19.78±1.23 years) and the independent replication sample consisted of 5 930 white British individuals from the UK biobank (UKB; 3 128 women, mean age 62.66±7.38 years).ResultsA significant mediation effect was found in the DNS (indirect effect=.207, bootstrapped SE=.10, 95% CI: .014 to .421), and then replicated in the UKB (indirect effect=.04, bootstrapped SE=.01, 95% CI: .018 to .066). Higher BMI polygenic scores were associated with higher depressive symptoms through the experience of higher ELS.ConclusionsOur findings suggest that evocative rGE may contribute to weight-related mental health problems and stress the need for interventions that aim to reduce weight bias, specifically during childhood.

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