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Varghese N, Buergin D, Boonmann C, Stadler C, Schmid M, Eckert A, Unternaehrer E. Interplay between stress, sleep, and BDNF in a high-risk sample of young adults. Sci Rep 2023; 13:20524. [PMID: 37993570 PMCID: PMC10665413 DOI: 10.1038/s41598-023-47726-0] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 07/03/2023] [Accepted: 11/17/2023] [Indexed: 11/24/2023] Open
Abstract
Children in institutional care have a high risk to experience childhood adversities (CAs), with consequences for physical and mental well-being. The long-term effects of CAs on the brain, including consequences for neuronal plasticity and sleep, are poorly understood. This study examined the interplay between stress (including CAs), sleep, and brain-derived neurotrophic factor (BDNF), a prominent marker for neuronal plasticity. Participants (N = 131, mean age = 26.3±3.4 years, 40 females) with residential youth-care history completed questionnaires measuring CAs (Childhood Trauma Questionnaire, CTQ), psychological well-being (World Health Organization-Five Well-Being Index, WHO-5), and sleep disturbances (Pittsburgh Sleep Quality Inventory, PSQI). Hair cortisol and serum BDNF concentration were measured using enzyme-linked immunosorbent assays. The analyses were conducted by using bootstrap regression models. There was no association of stress parameters or sleep with BDNF concentration. However, we found a significant association of CAs and well-being with sleep disturbances. Last, we found an association between CAs and BDNF in sleep-healthy but not sleep-disturbed participants. Our findings indicated a role of sleep disturbance in the association between stress and BDNF. Still, further studies are warranted using vulnerable groups at-risk to understand long-term effects on mental health and sleep.
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Affiliation(s)
- Nimmy Varghese
- Research Cluster, Molecular & Cognitive Neuroscience, Division of Neurobiology, University of Basel, 4002, Basel, Switzerland
- Neurobiology Lab for Brain Aging and Mental Health, Medical Faculty, Psychiatric University Clinics Basel, University of Basel, 4002, Basel, Switzerland
| | - David Buergin
- Child and Adolescent Research Department, University Psychiatric Clinics Basel (UPK), University of Basel, Wilhelm Klein-Strasse 27, 4002, Basel, Switzerland
- Jacobs Center for Productive Youth Development, University of Zurich, Zurich, Switzerland
| | - Cyril Boonmann
- Child and Adolescent Research Department, University Psychiatric Clinics Basel (UPK), University of Basel, Wilhelm Klein-Strasse 27, 4002, Basel, Switzerland
- LUMC-Curium - Department of Child of Adolescent Psychiatry, Leiden University Medical Center, Leiden, The Netherlands
| | - Christina Stadler
- Child and Adolescent Research Department, University Psychiatric Clinics Basel (UPK), University of Basel, Wilhelm Klein-Strasse 27, 4002, Basel, Switzerland
| | - Marc Schmid
- Child and Adolescent Research Department, University Psychiatric Clinics Basel (UPK), University of Basel, Wilhelm Klein-Strasse 27, 4002, Basel, Switzerland
| | - Anne Eckert
- Research Cluster, Molecular & Cognitive Neuroscience, Division of Neurobiology, University of Basel, 4002, Basel, Switzerland
- Neurobiology Lab for Brain Aging and Mental Health, Medical Faculty, Psychiatric University Clinics Basel, University of Basel, 4002, Basel, Switzerland
| | - Eva Unternaehrer
- Child and Adolescent Research Department, University Psychiatric Clinics Basel (UPK), University of Basel, Wilhelm Klein-Strasse 27, 4002, Basel, Switzerland.
- Department of Psychology, University of Konstanz, Konstanz, Germany.
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Bürgin D, Witt A, Seker S, d'Huart D, Meier M, Jenkel N, Boonmann C, Schmeck K, Fegert JM, Schmid M. Childhood maltreatment and mental health problems in a 10-year follow-up study of adolescents in youth residential care: A latent transition analysis. Dev Psychopathol 2023:1-16. [PMID: 37990404 DOI: 10.1017/s0954579423001426] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 11/23/2023]
Abstract
Childhood maltreatment and mental health problems are common among young people placed out-of-home. However, evidence on the impact of maltreatment on the course of mental health problems in at-risk populations is sparse. The aim of this longitudinal study is twofold: (a) describe the course of mental health problems and the shift in symptom patterns among adolescents in youth residential care into young adulthood and (b) assess how childhood maltreatment is related to the course of mental health problems. One hundred and sixty-six adolescents in Swiss youth residential care were followed up into young adulthood (36.1% women; MAge-Baseline = 16.1 years; MAge-Follow-Up = 26.4 years). Latent transition analysis was employed to analyze transitions of symptom patterns and their association with maltreatment exposure. We found three latent classes of mental health problems: a "multiproblem"-class (51.8% baseline; 33.7% follow-up), a "low symptom"-class (39.2% baseline; 60.2% follow-up), and an "externalizing"-class (9.0% baseline; 6.0% follow-up). Individuals in the "multiproblem"-class were likely to transition towards less-complex symptom patterns. Higher severity of self-reported childhood maltreatment was associated with more complex and persistent mental health problems. Our study underlines the need for collaboration between residential and psychiatric care systems within and after care placements, with a specialized focus on trauma-informed interventions and care.
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Affiliation(s)
- David Bürgin
- Child and Adolescent Psychiatric Research Department (UPKKJ), University Psychiatric Hospitals, University of Basel, Basel, Switzerland
- Jacobs Center for Productive Youth Development, University of Zurich, Zurich, Switzerland
| | - Andreas Witt
- Department of Child and Adolescent Psychiatry, University Psychiatric Services Berne, Berne, Switzerland
| | - Süheyla Seker
- Child and Adolescent Psychiatric Research Department (UPKKJ), University Psychiatric Hospitals, University of Basel, Basel, Switzerland
| | - Delfine d'Huart
- Child and Adolescent Psychiatric Research Department (UPKKJ), University Psychiatric Hospitals, University of Basel, Basel, Switzerland
| | - Maria Meier
- Child and Adolescent Psychiatric Research Department (UPKKJ), University Psychiatric Hospitals, University of Basel, Basel, Switzerland
- Department of Psychology, Division of Neuropsychology, University of Konstanz, Constance, Germany
| | - Nils Jenkel
- Child and Adolescent Psychiatric Research Department (UPKKJ), University Psychiatric Hospitals, University of Basel, Basel, Switzerland
| | - Cyril Boonmann
- Child and Adolescent Psychiatric Research Department (UPKKJ), University Psychiatric Hospitals, University of Basel, Basel, Switzerland
- Department of Child and Adolescent Psychiatry - LUMC Curium, Leiden University Medical Center, Leiden, The Netherlands
| | - Klaus Schmeck
- Child and Adolescent Psychiatric Research Department (UPKKJ), University Psychiatric Hospitals, University of Basel, Basel, Switzerland
| | - Jörg M Fegert
- Department of Child and Adolescent Psychiatry/Psychotherapy, University Ulm, Ulm, Germany
| | - Marc Schmid
- Child and Adolescent Psychiatric Research Department (UPKKJ), University Psychiatric Hospitals, University of Basel, Basel, Switzerland
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Bürgin D, Clemens V, Varghese N, Eckert A, Huber M, Bruttin E, Boonmann C, Unternährer E, O'Donovan A, Schmid M. Adverse and traumatic exposures, posttraumatic stress disorder, telomere length, and hair cortisol – Exploring associations in a high-risk sample of young adult residential care leavers. Brain Behav Immun Health 2022; 26:100524. [PMID: 36213488 PMCID: PMC9535425 DOI: 10.1016/j.bbih.2022.100524] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 03/07/2022] [Revised: 08/17/2022] [Accepted: 09/25/2022] [Indexed: 12/02/2022] Open
Abstract
Background Childhood adversities (CAs), potentially traumatic exposures (PTEs), and posttraumatic stress disorder (PTSD) are known to increase the risk for poor health outcomes, including diseases of aging and early mortality. Telomere length (TL) and hair cortisol concentrations (HCC) are biomarkers known to be associated with CA and PTEs, and PTSD, but there is considerable heterogeneity in findings. Objectives This study aims to investigate the association of CAs, PTEs, and PTSD with TL and HCC in a high-risk sample of young adults who were previously placed in youth residential care institutions throughout Switzerland. Method Our sample includes 130 participants (30.8% women, M Age = 26.5 ± 3.7 years) with previous youth residential care placements (MPlacements= 3.9). CAs and PTEs, as well as PTSD, were assessed with self-reported questionnaires and semi-structured clinical interviews. Immune cell TL was measured with quantitative polymerase chain reaction (qPCR) in whole blood. Hair samples were collected for HCC measurement and assayed with high-sensitivity ELISA. Multivariate regression models were fitted to describe the associations between CAs, PTEs, and PTSD with TL and HCC, adjusting for covariates. Results In our high-risk sample, a higher burden of CAs, PTEs, Criterion A trauma, and PTSD was associated with longer TL. PTEs, Criterion A trauma, and PTSD were associated with lower HCC, however no significant associations between CAs and HCC were found. The magnitude of these effects varied depending on the dimensional or categorical nature of the stress-phenotype and the specific measure used. Conclusions Our findings are in contrast with many, but not all, previous studies of associations between adversity and both TL and HCC. For instance, our findings are in line with other studies that find a state of hypocortisolism in PTSD. Better measurement of adversities and trauma, multisystem biomarker approaches, and more research in larger high-risk samples at the upper end of the adversity-continuum is warranted. In this high-risk sample,childhood adversities, potential traumatic exposures, criterion A trauma, or posttraumatic stress disorder (PTSD) was associated with longer telomere length (TL). Potentially traumatic exposures, criterion A trauma, and PTSD were associated with lower hair cortisol concentrations. The magnitude of these effects varied depending on the dimensional or categorical nature of the stress-phenotype and the specific measure used. Hypocortisolism might explain findings of longer TL in participants with cumulated adverse and traumatic exposures. Research in high-risk populations is strongly needed as results across the entire spectrum of adversity exposures may not generalize to the top end of the spectrum.
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Affiliation(s)
- David Bürgin
- Research Department for Child and Adolescent Psychiatry, University Psychiatric Hospitals Basel, University of Basel, Basel, Switzerland
- Department for Child and Adolescent Psychiatry and Psychotherapy, University Hospital Ulm, Ulm, Germany
- Department of Psychiatry and Weill Institute for Neurosciences, University of California San Francisco, San Francisco, USA
- San Francisco Veterans Affairs Medical Center, San Francisco, CA, USA
- Corresponding author. University Psychiatric Hospitals Basel Research Department for Child and Adolescent Psychiatry Wilhelm-Klein Strasse 27, 4056, Basel, Switzerland.
| | - Vera Clemens
- Department for Child and Adolescent Psychiatry and Psychotherapy, University Hospital Ulm, Ulm, Germany
| | - Nimmy Varghese
- Neurobiological Laboratory for Brain Aging and Mental Health, Transfaculty Research Platform, University of Basel, Basel, Switzerland
| | - Anne Eckert
- Neurobiological Laboratory for Brain Aging and Mental Health, Transfaculty Research Platform, University of Basel, Basel, Switzerland
| | - Mara Huber
- Research Department for Child and Adolescent Psychiatry, University Psychiatric Hospitals Basel, University of Basel, Basel, Switzerland
| | - Evelyne Bruttin
- Research Department for Child and Adolescent Psychiatry, University Psychiatric Hospitals Basel, University of Basel, Basel, Switzerland
| | - Cyril Boonmann
- Research Department for Child and Adolescent Psychiatry, University Psychiatric Hospitals Basel, University of Basel, Basel, Switzerland
| | - Eva Unternährer
- Research Department for Child and Adolescent Psychiatry, University Psychiatric Hospitals Basel, University of Basel, Basel, Switzerland
| | - Aoife O'Donovan
- Department of Psychiatry and Weill Institute for Neurosciences, University of California San Francisco, San Francisco, USA
- San Francisco Veterans Affairs Medical Center, San Francisco, CA, USA
| | - Marc Schmid
- Research Department for Child and Adolescent Psychiatry, University Psychiatric Hospitals Basel, University of Basel, Basel, Switzerland
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Higher hair cortisol concentrations associated with shorter leukocyte telomere length in high-risk young adults. Sci Rep 2022; 12:11730. [PMID: 35821228 PMCID: PMC9276815 DOI: 10.1038/s41598-022-14905-4] [Citation(s) in RCA: 1] [Impact Index Per Article: 0.5] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 02/16/2022] [Accepted: 06/14/2022] [Indexed: 01/01/2023] Open
Abstract
Chronic stress is associated with accelerated biological aging as indexed by short age-adjusted leukocyte telomere length (LTL). Exploring links of biological stress responses with LTL has proved challenging due to the lack of biological measures of chronic psychological stress. Hair cortisol concentration (HCC) has emerged as a measure of chronic hypothalamic pituitary adrenal (HPA) axis activation, allowing the examination of relationships between aggregate cortisol concentrations over time and LTL. Our sample includes 92 participants (38% women, Mage = 26 ± 3.7 years) from a high-risk sample of young adults with previous residential care placements. Two cm hair was collected for HCC, reflecting approximately eight weeks of cortisol secretion. LTL was measured with quantitative polymerase chain reaction (qPCR) in whole blood samples. All samples for LTL were run in triplicate and assayed twice. Linear and polynomial regression models were used to describe the association between HCC and LTL, adjusting for age and sex. HCC and LTL showed negative associations (std. ß = − 0.67, 95% CI [− 0.83, − 0.52], p < .001) in age- and sex-adjusted analyses, indicating that higher HCCs are associated with shorter LTL. Using polynomial regression, we found a curvilinear relationship indicating a stronger negative association at lower cortisol concentrations. Higher HCCs were associated with shorter LTL, supporting the hypothesized involvement of prolonged cortisol secretion in telomere attrition. Thus, HCC may prove useful as a biological indicator of chronic stress associated with aging-related processes in samples exposed to high levels of stress.
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Abstract
Zusammenfassung. Theoretischer Hintergrund: Verschiedene Studien zeigen auf, dass ehemals ausserfamiliär platzierte Jugendliche, die viele biologische und psychosoziale Risikofaktoren akkumulieren, im weiteren Lebenslauf häufig eine geringere soziale Teilhabe aufweisen. Fragestellung: Dieser Themenschwerpunkt berichtet von einer Längsschnittstudie (JAEL – Jugendhilfe aus Erfahrung lernen) mit ehemals fremdplatzierten jungen Erwachsenen, die einer Hochrisikostichprobe zugeordnet werden können. Methode: Die Studie kombiniert für ihre Forschungsfragen prospektive und retrospektive Aspekte sowie qualitativ und quantitativ erhobene Daten. Ergebnisse: Der Themenschwerpunkt gibt sowohl eine kurze Einführung in die Methoden und die Rekrutierung der Stichprobe als auch einen Einblick in drei ausgewählte Themen, die in den drei Beiträgen dieses Themenschwerpunktes behandelt werden. Der erste Beitrag berichtet über die Ergebnisse zum Verlauf der psychischen Probleme vom Jugend- bis ins junge Erwachsenenalter. Der zweite Beitrag befasst sich mit Misshandlung und Vernachlässigung in der Kindheit als Risikofaktor für die soziale Teilhabe im jungen Erwachsenenalter, wie z. B. Arbeitslosigkeit, Legalbewährung, sozioökonomische Lage, psychische Gesundheit oder auch Beziehungsfähigkeit. Diese negativen Auswirkungen können durch Selbstwirksamkeitserfahrungen abgemildert werden. Der dritte Beitrag beinhaltet einen der bisher weniger beachteter Längsschnittstudienaspekte, nämlich die Risikofaktoren für eine Persönlichkeitsstörung in einer Hochrisikostichprobe sowie deren Stabilität. Diskussion und Schlussfolgerung: Auf die Bedeutung und Implikationen für Interventionen und Jugendhilfepolitik einerseits und die Forschung in diesem Feld andererseits wird eingegangen.
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Affiliation(s)
- Marc Schmid
- Klinik für Kinder- und Jugendliche der Universitären Psychiatrischen Kliniken Basel (UPK Basel), Universität Basel
| | - Jörg M. Fegert
- Klinik für Kinder- und Jugendpsychiatrie/-psychotherapie des Universitätsklinikums Ulm, Universität Ulm
| | - Klaus Schmeck
- Klinik für Kinder- und Jugendliche der Universitären Psychiatrischen Kliniken Basel (UPK Basel), Universität Basel
| | - Cyril Boonmann
- Klinik für Kinder- und Jugendliche der Universitären Psychiatrischen Kliniken Basel (UPK Basel), Universität Basel
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