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Beurel E, Nemeroff CB. Early Life Adversity, Microbiome, and Inflammatory Responses. Biomolecules 2024; 14:802. [PMID: 39062516 PMCID: PMC11275239 DOI: 10.3390/biom14070802] [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: 04/29/2024] [Revised: 06/28/2024] [Accepted: 07/01/2024] [Indexed: 07/28/2024] Open
Abstract
Early life adversity has a profound impact on physical and mental health. Because the central nervous and immune systems are not fully mature at birth and continue to mature during the postnatal period, a bidirectional interaction between the central nervous system and the immune system has been hypothesized, with traumatic stressors during childhood being pivotal in priming individuals for later adult psychopathology. Similarly, the microbiome, which regulates both neurodevelopment and immune function, also matures during childhood, rendering this interaction between the brain and the immune system even more complex. In this review, we provide evidence for the role of the immune response and the microbiome in the deleterious effects of early life adversity, both in humans and rodent models.
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Affiliation(s)
- Eléonore Beurel
- Department of Psychiatry and Behavioral Sciences, Miller School of Medicine, University of Miami, Miami, FL 33136, USA;
- Department of Biochemistry and Molecular Biology, Miller School of Medicine, University of Miami, Miami, FL 33136, USA
| | - Charles B. Nemeroff
- Department of Psychiatry and Behavioral Sciences, Mulva Clinic for Neurosciences, University of Texas (UT) Dell Medical School, Austin, TX 78712, USA
- Mulva Clinic for Neurosciences, UT Austin Dell Medical School, Austin, TX 78712, USA
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Phua DY, Chen H, Yap F, Chong YS, Gluckman PD, Broekman BFP, Eriksson JG, Meaney MJ. Allostatic load in children: The cost of empathic concern. Proc Natl Acad Sci U S A 2023; 120:e2217769120. [PMID: 37725642 PMCID: PMC10523447 DOI: 10.1073/pnas.2217769120] [Citation(s) in RCA: 1] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 10/18/2022] [Accepted: 07/26/2023] [Indexed: 09/21/2023] Open
Abstract
Early-life adversity affects long-term health outcomes but there is considerable interindividual variability in susceptibility to environmental influences. We proposed that positive psychological characteristics that reflect engagement with context, such as being concerned about people or performance on tasks (i.e., empathic concern), could moderate the interindividual variation in sensitivity to the quality of the early environment. We studied 526 children of various Asian nationalities in Singapore (46.6% female, 13.4% below the poverty line) with longitudinal data on perinatal and childhood experiences, maternal report on empathic concern of the child, and a comprehensive set of physiological measures reflecting pediatric allostatic load assessed at 6 y of age. The perinatal and childhood experiences included adversities and positive experiences. We found that cumulative adverse childhood experience was positively associated with allostatic load of children at 6 y of age at higher levels of empathic concern but not significantly associated at lower levels of empathic concern. This finding reveals evidence for the importance of empathic concern as a psychological characteristic that moderates the developmental impact of environmental influences, serving as a source for vulnerability to adversities in children.
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Affiliation(s)
- Desiree Y. Phua
- Translational Neuroscience Programme, Singapore Institute for Clinical Sciences (SICS), Agency for Science, Technology and Research (A*STAR), Singapore117609, Republic of Singapore
| | - Helen Chen
- Department of Psychological Medicine, Kandang Kerbau Women’s and Children’s Hospital, Singapore229899, Republic of Singapore
- Paediatric Medicine Academic Clinical Programme, Duke-National University of Singapore, Singapore169857, Republic of Singapore
| | - Fabian Yap
- Department of Psychological Medicine, Kandang Kerbau Women’s and Children’s Hospital, Singapore229899, Republic of Singapore
- Department of Paediatric Medicine, Kandang Kerbay Women’s and Children’s Hospital, 100 Bukit Timah Road, Singapore229899, Republic of Singapore
| | - Yap Seng Chong
- Translational Neuroscience Programme, Singapore Institute for Clinical Sciences (SICS), Agency for Science, Technology and Research (A*STAR), Singapore117609, Republic of Singapore
- Yong Loo Lin School of Medicine, Human Potential Translational Research Programme and O&G Department, National University of Singapore, Singapore117597, Singapore
| | - Peter D. Gluckman
- Translational Neuroscience Programme, Singapore Institute for Clinical Sciences (SICS), Agency for Science, Technology and Research (A*STAR), Singapore117609, Republic of Singapore
- Centre for Human Evolution, Adaptation and Disease, Liggins Institute, University of Auckland, Auckland1023, New Zealand
- Public Health Research Program, Folkhalsan Research Center, Helsinki00250, Finland
| | - Birit F. P. Broekman
- Department of Psychiatry, Amsterdam University Medical Centers (UMC) and Onze Lieve Vrouwe Gasthuis (OLVG), Vrije Universiteit (VU), Amsterdam1081 HV, The Netherlands
| | - Johan G. Eriksson
- Translational Neuroscience Programme, Singapore Institute for Clinical Sciences (SICS), Agency for Science, Technology and Research (A*STAR), Singapore117609, Republic of Singapore
- Yong Loo Lin School of Medicine, Human Potential Translational Research Programme and O&G Department, National University of Singapore, Singapore117597, Singapore
- Public Health Research Program, Folkhalsan Research Center, Helsinki00250, Finland
- Department of General Practice and Primary Health Care, University of Helsinki, Helsinki00100, Finland
| | - Michael J. Meaney
- Translational Neuroscience Programme, Singapore Institute for Clinical Sciences (SICS), Agency for Science, Technology and Research (A*STAR), Singapore117609, Republic of Singapore
- Yong Loo Lin School of Medicine, Human Potential Translational Research Programme and O&G Department, National University of Singapore, Singapore117597, Singapore
- Brain-Body Initiative, Department of Paediatrics, Yong Loo Lin School of Medicine, National University of Singapore, Singapore117597, Republic of Singapore
- Sackler Program for Epigenetics and Psychobiology at McGill University, MontrealQCH3A 0G4, Canada
- Department of Psychiatry, Douglas Mental Health University Institute, McGill University, MontrealQCH3A 0G4, Canada
- Brain-Body Initiative, Agency for Science, Technology and Research (A*STAR), Singapore138632, Republic of Singapore
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3
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Rohr JC, Bourassa KA, Thompson DS, Fowler JC, Frueh BC, Weinstein BL, Petrosino J, Madan A. History of childhood physical abuse is associated with gut microbiota diversity among adult psychiatric inpatients. J Affect Disord 2023; 331:50-56. [PMID: 36933668 DOI: 10.1016/j.jad.2023.03.023] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Submit a Manuscript] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 12/05/2022] [Revised: 03/03/2023] [Accepted: 03/11/2023] [Indexed: 03/20/2023]
Abstract
BACKGROUND Traumatic life events are associated with the development of psychiatric and chronic medical illnesses. This exploratory study examined the relationship between traumatic life events and the gut microbiota among adult psychiatric inpatients. METHODS 105 adult psychiatric inpatients provided clinical data and a single fecal sample shortly after admission. A modified version of the Stressful Life Events Screening Questionnaire was used to quantify history of traumatic life events. 16S rRNA gene sequencing was used to analyze the gut microbial community. RESULTS Gut microbiota diversity was not associated with overall trauma score or any of the three trauma factor scores. Upon item-level analysis, history of childhood physical abuse was uniquely associated with beta diversity. Linear Discriminant Analysis Effect Size (LefSe) analyses revealed that childhood physical abuse was associated with abundance of distinct bacterial taxa associated with inflammation. LIMITATIONS This study did not account for dietary differences, though diet was highly restricted as all participants were psychiatric inpatients. Absolute variance accounted for by the taxa was small though practically meaningful. The study was not powered for full subgroup analysis based on race and ethnicity. CONCLUSIONS This study is among the first to demonstrate a relationship between childhood physical abuse and gut microbiota composition among adult psychiatric patients. These findings suggest that early childhood adverse events may have long-conferred systemic consequences. Future efforts may target the gut microbiota for the prevention and/or treatment of psychiatric and medical risk associated with traumatic life events.
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Affiliation(s)
- Jessica C Rohr
- Department of Psychiatry & Behavioral Health, Houston Methodist, Houston, TX, USA.
| | - Katelynn A Bourassa
- Department of Psychiatry & Behavioral Health, Houston Methodist, Houston, TX, USA
| | - Dominique S Thompson
- Department of Psychiatry & Behavioral Health, Houston Methodist, Houston, TX, USA; Department of Molecular Virology & Microbiology, Alkek Center for Metagenomics and Microbiome Research, Baylor College of Medicine, Houston, TX, USA
| | - J Christopher Fowler
- Department of Psychiatry & Behavioral Health, Houston Methodist, Houston, TX, USA; Houston Methodist Academic Institute, Houston, TX, USA; Department of Psychiatry, Weill Cornell Medical College, New York, NY, USA
| | | | - Benjamin L Weinstein
- Department of Psychiatry & Behavioral Health, Houston Methodist, Houston, TX, USA
| | - Joseph Petrosino
- Department of Molecular Virology & Microbiology, Alkek Center for Metagenomics and Microbiome Research, Baylor College of Medicine, Houston, TX, USA
| | - Alok Madan
- Department of Psychiatry & Behavioral Health, Houston Methodist, Houston, TX, USA; Houston Methodist Academic Institute, Houston, TX, USA; Department of Psychiatry, Weill Cornell Medical College, New York, NY, USA
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Kaufman J, Khan M, Shepard Payne J, Mancini J, Summers White Y. Transgenerational Inheritance and Systemic Racism in America. PSYCHIATRIC RESEARCH AND CLINICAL PRACTICE 2023. [DOI: 10.1176/appi.prcp.20220043] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 03/11/2023] Open
Affiliation(s)
- Joan Kaufman
- Center for Child and Family Traumatic Stress, Kennedy Krieger Institute and Department of Psychiatry, Johns Hopkins School of Medicine, Baltimore, MD (J. Kaufman, M. Khan, J. Shepard Payne, J. Mancini, Y. Summers White)
| | - Maria Khan
- Center for Child and Family Traumatic Stress, Kennedy Krieger Institute and Department of Psychiatry, Johns Hopkins School of Medicine, Baltimore, MD (J. Kaufman, M. Khan, J. Shepard Payne, J. Mancini, Y. Summers White)
| | - Jennifer Shepard Payne
- Center for Child and Family Traumatic Stress, Kennedy Krieger Institute and Department of Psychiatry, Johns Hopkins School of Medicine, Baltimore, MD (J. Kaufman, M. Khan, J. Shepard Payne, J. Mancini, Y. Summers White)
| | - Julia Mancini
- Center for Child and Family Traumatic Stress, Kennedy Krieger Institute and Department of Psychiatry, Johns Hopkins School of Medicine, Baltimore, MD (J. Kaufman, M. Khan, J. Shepard Payne, J. Mancini, Y. Summers White)
| | - Yvonne Summers White
- Center for Child and Family Traumatic Stress, Kennedy Krieger Institute and Department of Psychiatry, Johns Hopkins School of Medicine, Baltimore, MD (J. Kaufman, M. Khan, J. Shepard Payne, J. Mancini, Y. Summers White)
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Zilioli S, Gómez JM, Jiang Y, Rodriguez-Stanley J. Childhood Socioeconomic Status and Cardiometabolic Health: A Test of the John Henryism Hypothesis in African American Older Adults. J Gerontol A Biol Sci Med Sci 2022; 77:e56-e64. [PMID: 34569595 PMCID: PMC8824633 DOI: 10.1093/gerona/glab280] [Citation(s) in RCA: 2] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 11/15/2020] [Indexed: 02/04/2023] Open
Abstract
BACKGROUND John Henryism (JH) is a form of active high-effort coping. Low-socioeconomic status (SES) African Americans adopting JH to deal with structural racism and other chronic stressors might be more likely to display cardiovascular disease risk factors. Previous tests of this hypothesis have mostly focused on the moderating role of current SES and hypertension as the outcome variable. Furthermore, most of the previous work has been conducted among young and middle-aged adults. This study aimed at extending work on the JH hypothesis by testing the combined effect of JH and childhood SES on metabolic syndrome and systemic inflammation among African American older adults. METHODS One hundred seventy urban African American older adults (Mage = 67.64 years, 75.9% female) were recruited. Participants completed questionnaires assessing JH, childhood SES, and other variables used as covariates (ie, demographic information, chronic conditions, medication use, and health behaviors). Blood pressure, waist circumference, and blood were also collected. Triglycerides, high-density lipoprotein cholesterol, hemoglobin A1C, and C-reactive protein levels were measured from the blood samples. RESULTS JH was positively associated with metabolic syndrome symptoms among participants reporting low childhood SES levels, but not among those reporting high childhood SES levels. The same pattern did not emerge when we considered current SES. Similar patterns of results did not emerge as far as systemic inflammation was concerned. CONCLUSIONS Our findings highlight the importance of considering the joint impact of objective conditions early in life and individual psychological proclivities in explaining increased risk for cardiovascular disease risk in this population.
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Affiliation(s)
- Samuele Zilioli
- Department of Psychology, Wayne State University, Detroit, Michigan, USA
- Department of Family Medicine and Public Health Sciences, Wayne State University, Detroit, Michigan, USA
| | - Jennifer M Gómez
- Department of Psychology, Wayne State University, Detroit, Michigan, USA
- Center for Institutional Courage, Palo Alto, California, USA
| | - Yanping Jiang
- Institute for Health, Health Care Policy and Aging Research, Rutgers, The State University of New Jersey, New Brunswick, USA
- Department of Family Medicine and Community Health, Rutgers, The State University of New Jersey, New Brunswick, USA
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Suglia SF, Appleton AA, Bleil ME, Campo RA, Dube SR, Fagundes CP, Heard-Garris NJ, Johnson SB, Slopen N, Stoney CM, Watamura SE. Timing, duration, and differential susceptibility to early life adversities and cardiovascular disease risk across the lifespan: Implications for future research. Prev Med 2021; 153:106736. [PMID: 34293381 PMCID: PMC8595689 DOI: 10.1016/j.ypmed.2021.106736] [Citation(s) in RCA: 12] [Impact Index Per Article: 4.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Submit a Manuscript] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 01/04/2021] [Revised: 07/15/2021] [Accepted: 07/16/2021] [Indexed: 12/13/2022]
Abstract
Early life adversities (ELA), include experiences such as child maltreatment, household dysfunction, bullying, exposure to crime, discrimination, bias, and victimization, and are recognized as social determinants of cardiovascular disease (CVD). Strong evidence shows exposure to ELA directly impacts cardiometabolic risk in adulthood and emerging evidence suggests there may be continuity in ELA's prediction of cardiometabolic risk over the life course. Extant research has primarily relied on a cumulative risk framework to evaluate the relationship between ELA and CVD. In this framework, risk is considered a function of the number of risk factors or adversities that an individual was exposed to across developmental periods. The cumulative risk exposure approach treats developmental periods and types of risk as equivalent and interchangeable. Moreover, cumulative risk models do not lend themselves to investigating the chronicity of adverse exposures or consider individual variation in susceptibility, differential contexts, or adaptive resilience processes, which may modify the impact of ELA on CVD risk. To date, however, alternative models have received comparatively little consideration. Overall, this paper will highlight existing gaps and offer recommendations to address these gaps that would extend our knowledge of the relationship between ELA and CVD development. We focus specifically on the roles of: 1) susceptibility and resilience, 2) timing and developmental context; and 3) variation in risk exposure. We propose to expand current conceptual models to incorporate these factors to better guide research that examines ELA and CVD risk across the life course.
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Affiliation(s)
- Shakira F Suglia
- Department of Epidemiology, Emory University, Atlanta, GA, United States of America.
| | - Allison A Appleton
- Department of Epidemiology and Biostatistics, University at Albany School of Public Health, State University of New York, Albany, NY, United States of America
| | - Maria E Bleil
- Department of Child, Family, and Population Health Nursing, University of Washington, Seattle, WA, United States of America
| | - Rebecca A Campo
- National Institutes of Health, National Heart, Lung, and Blood Institute, Bethesda, MD, United States of America
| | - Shanta R Dube
- Public Health Program, Levine College of Health Sciences, Wingate University, Wingate, NC, United States of America
| | - Christopher P Fagundes
- Department of Psychological Sciences, Rice University, Department of Behavioral Science, The University of Texas MD Anderson Cancer Center, Department of Psychiatry, Baylor College of Medicine, Houston, TX, United States of America
| | - Nia J Heard-Garris
- Division of Advanced General Pediatrics, Department of Pediatrics, Ann & Robert H. Lurie Children's Hospital of Chicago and Northwestern University Feinberg School of Medicine, Mary Ann & J. Milburn Smith Child Health Research, Outreach, and Advocacy Center, Stanley Manne Children's Research Institute, Ann & Robert H. Lurie Children's Hospital of Chicago, Chicago, IL, United States of America
| | - Sara B Johnson
- Division of General Pediatrics, Department of Pediatrics, Johns Hopkins School of Medicine, Baltimore, MD, United States of America
| | - Natalie Slopen
- Department of Social and Behavioral Sciences, Harvard T. H. Chan School of Public Health, Boston, MA, United States of America
| | - Catherine M Stoney
- National Institutes of Health, National Heart, Lung, and Blood Institute, Bethesda, MD, United States of America
| | - Sarah E Watamura
- Department of Psychology, University of Denver, Denver, CO, United States of America
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Risky family climates presage increased cellular aging in young adulthood. Psychoneuroendocrinology 2021; 130:105256. [PMID: 34058561 PMCID: PMC8217285 DOI: 10.1016/j.psyneuen.2021.105256] [Citation(s) in RCA: 4] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.3] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Submit a Manuscript] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 12/07/2020] [Revised: 04/30/2021] [Accepted: 05/02/2021] [Indexed: 12/16/2022]
Abstract
A scientific consensus is emerging that children reared in risky family climates are prone to chronic diseases and premature death later in life. Few prospective data, however, are available to inform the mechanisms of these relationships. In a prospective study involving 323 Black families, we sought to determine whether, and how, childhood risky family climates are linked to a potential risk factor for later-life disease: increases in cellular aging (indexed by epigenetic aging). As hypothesized, risky family climates were associated with greater outflows of the stress hormones epinephrine and norepinephrine at ages 19 and 20 years; this, in turn, led to increases in cellular aging across ages 20-27 years. If sustained, these tendencies may place children from risky family climates on a trajectory toward the chronic diseases of aging.
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Bleil ME, Spieker SJ, Booth-LaForce C. Targeting Parenting Quality to Reduce Early Life Adversity Impacts on Lifespan Cardiometabolic Risk. Front Psychol 2021; 12:678946. [PMID: 34149571 PMCID: PMC8211431 DOI: 10.3389/fpsyg.2021.678946] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 03/10/2021] [Accepted: 05/12/2021] [Indexed: 11/16/2022] Open
Abstract
Mounting evidence that early life adversity (ELA) exposures confer risk for cardiometabolic disease over the lifespan motivated this narrative review to examine parenting quality as a potential intervention target to reduce ELA exposures or mitigate their impact as a way of reducing or preventing cardiometabolic disease. We describe findings from the limited number of family-based intervention studies in ELA-exposed children that have tested parenting impacts on cardiometabolic health outcomes. We then describe the implications of this work and make recommendations for future research that will move this field forward.
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Affiliation(s)
- Maria E. Bleil
- Child, Family, and Population Health Nursing, University of Washington, Seattle, WA, United States
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Boyce WT, Levitt P, Martinez FD, McEwen BS, Shonkoff JP. Genes, Environments, and Time: The Biology of Adversity and Resilience. Pediatrics 2021; 147:peds.2020-1651. [PMID: 33495368 DOI: 10.1542/peds.2020-1651] [Citation(s) in RCA: 84] [Impact Index Per Article: 28.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Submit a Manuscript] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Accepted: 10/28/2020] [Indexed: 11/24/2022] Open
Abstract
Exposures to adverse environments, both psychosocial and physicochemical, are prevalent and consequential across a broad range of childhood populations. Such adversity, especially early in life, conveys measurable risk to learning and behavior and to the foundations of both mental and physical health. Using an interactive gene-environment-time (GET) framework, we survey the independent and interactive roles of genetic variation, environmental context, and developmental timing in light of advances in the biology of adversity and resilience, as well as new discoveries in biomedical research. Drawing on this rich evidence base, we identify 4 core concepts that provide a powerful catalyst for fresh thinking about primary health care for young children: (1) all biological systems are inextricably integrated, continuously "reading" and adapting to the environment and "talking back" to the brain and each other through highly regulated channels of cross-system communication; (2) adverse environmental exposures induce alterations in developmental trajectories that can lead to persistent disruptions of organ function and structure; (3) children vary in their sensitivity to context, and this variation is influenced by interactions among genetic factors, family and community environments, and developmental timing; and (4) critical or sensitive periods provide unmatched windows of opportunity for both positive and negative influences on multiple biological systems. These rapidly moving frontiers of investigation provide a powerful framework for new, science-informed thinking about health promotion and disease prevention in the early childhood period.
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Affiliation(s)
- W Thomas Boyce
- Departments of Pediatrics and Psychiatry, University of California, San Francisco, San Francisco, California
| | - Pat Levitt
- The Saban Research Institute, Children's Hospital Los Angeles, Los Angeles, California.,Keck School of Medicine, University of Southern California, Los Angeles, California
| | - Fernando D Martinez
- Asthma and Airway Disease Research Center, The University of Arizona, Tucson, Arizona
| | - Bruce S McEwen
- The Rockefeller University, New York, New York.,Deceased
| | - Jack P Shonkoff
- Center on the Developing Child and .,Harvard Graduate School of Education, Harvard University, Cambridge, Massachusetts.,Department of Social & Behavioral Sciences, Harvard T.H. Chan School of Public Health and.,Harvard Medical School and Boston Children's Hospital, Harvard University, Boston, Massachusetts.,Boston Children's Hospital, Boston, Massachusetts; and.,Department of Pediatrics, Massachusetts General Hospital, Boston, Massachusetts
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10
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Shonkoff JP, Slopen N, Williams DR. Early Childhood Adversity, Toxic Stress, and the Impacts of Racism on the Foundations of Health. Annu Rev Public Health 2021; 42:115-134. [PMID: 33497247 DOI: 10.1146/annurev-publhealth-090419-101940] [Citation(s) in RCA: 116] [Impact Index Per Article: 38.7] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 11/09/2022]
Abstract
Inequalities in health outcomes impose substantial human and economic costs on all societies-and the relation between early adversity and lifelong well-being presents a rich scientific framework for fresh thinking about health promotion and disease prevention broadly, augmented by a deeper focus on how racism influences disparities more specifically. This review begins with an overview of advances in the biology of adversity and resilience through an early childhood lens, followed by an overview of the unique effects of racism on health and a selective review of findings from related intervention research. This article presents a framework for addressing multiple dimensions of the public health challenge-including institutional/structural racism, cultural racism, and interpersonal discrimination-and concludes with the compelling need to protect the developing brain and other biological systems from the physiological disruptions of toxic stress that can undermine the building blocks of optimal health and development in the early childhood period.
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Affiliation(s)
- Jack P Shonkoff
- Center on the Developing Child, Harvard University, Cambridge, Massachusetts 02138, USA.,Department of Social and Behavioral Sciences, Harvard T.H. Chan School of Public Health, Harvard University, Boston, Massachusetts 02115, USA; , , .,Harvard Graduate School of Education, Harvard University, Cambridge, Massachusetts 02138, USA.,Harvard Medical School, Harvard University, Boston, Massachusetts 02115, USA
| | - Natalie Slopen
- Center on the Developing Child, Harvard University, Cambridge, Massachusetts 02138, USA.,Department of Social and Behavioral Sciences, Harvard T.H. Chan School of Public Health, Harvard University, Boston, Massachusetts 02115, USA; , ,
| | - David R Williams
- Center on the Developing Child, Harvard University, Cambridge, Massachusetts 02138, USA.,Department of Social and Behavioral Sciences, Harvard T.H. Chan School of Public Health, Harvard University, Boston, Massachusetts 02115, USA; , , .,Department of African and African American Studies and Department of Sociology, Harvard University, Cambridge, Massachusetts 02138-3654, USA
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11
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Bleil ME, Spieker SJ, Gregorich SE, Thomas AS, Hiatt RA, Appelhans BM, Roisman GI, Booth-LaForce C. Early Life Adversity and Pubertal Timing: Implications for Cardiometabolic Health. J Pediatr Psychol 2021; 46:36-48. [PMID: 33120426 PMCID: PMC7819716 DOI: 10.1093/jpepsy/jsaa082] [Citation(s) in RCA: 15] [Impact Index Per Article: 5.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 04/05/2020] [Revised: 07/24/2020] [Accepted: 08/22/2020] [Indexed: 12/18/2022] Open
Abstract
OBJECTIVE To identify early life adversity (ELA) risk factors for earlier pubertal timing, itself a risk factor for poor cardiometabolic health, and to determine whether such ELA-related risk may be mediated by pre-pubertal body mass index (BMI). METHODS Subjects included 426 female participants in a prospective birth cohort study, the NICHD Study of Early Child Care and Youth Development. Survival analysis models were fit to examine ELA exposures, representing childhood socioeconomic status (SES), maternal sensitivity, mother-child attachment, and negative life events, along with child health indicators and covariates, in relation to pubertal timing outcomes, including age at menarche and ages at Tanner stage II for breast and pubic hair development. RESULTS Higher childhood SES emerged as an independent predictor of older age at menarche, showing each one standard deviation increase in childhood SES corresponded to a 1.3% increase in age at menarche (factor change = 1.013; 1.003-1.022; p < .01), but did not predict breast or pubic hair development (ps > .05). In mediation analyses, indirect (mediated) effects of mother-child attachment on the pubertal timing outcomes, via pre-pubertal BMI, were all statistically significant (ps < .05). CONCLUSIONS Higher childhood SES predicted directly, and secure (vs. insecure) mother-child attachment predicted indirectly (via pre-pubertal BMI), later pubertal timing, suggesting these factors may protect girls from earlier pubertal development. By extension, clinical implications are that intervention strategies designed to lessen ELA- and pre-pubertal obesity-related risk may be effective in remediating life course pathways linking ELA, accelerated pubertal development, and cardiometabolic risk.
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Affiliation(s)
- Maria E Bleil
- Child, Family, & Population Health Nursing, University of Washington
| | - Susan J Spieker
- Child, Family, & Population Health Nursing, University of Washington
| | | | - Alexis S Thomas
- Child, Family, & Population Health Nursing, University of Washington
| | - Robert A Hiatt
- Department of Epidemiology & Biostatistics, University of California San Francisco
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12
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Law LH, Wilson DK, St. George SM, Kitzman H, Kipp CJ. Families Improving Together (FIT) for weight loss: a resource for translation of a positive climate-based intervention into community settings. Transl Behav Med 2020; 10:1064-1069. [PMID: 31167022 PMCID: PMC7543080 DOI: 10.1093/tbm/ibz020] [Citation(s) in RCA: 7] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.8] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 11/13/2022] Open
Abstract
Climate-based weight loss interventions, or those that foster a nurturing family environment, address important ecological influences typically ignored by the traditional biomedical treatments. Promoting a climate characterized by positive communication, autonomy support, and parental warmth supports adolescents in making healthy behavioral changes. In addition, encouraging these skills within the family may have additional benefits of improved family functioning and other mental and physical health outcomes. Although several programs have identified essential elements and established the evidence base for the efficacy of these interventions, few have offered resources for the translation of these constructs from theoretical concepts to tangible practice. This paper provides strategies and resources utilized in the Families Improving Together (FIT) for weight loss randomized controlled trial to create a warm, supportive climate characterized by positive communication within the parent-child relationship. Detailed descriptions of how Project FIT emphasized these constructs through facilitator training, intervention curriculum, and process evaluation are provided as a resource for clinical and community interventions. Researchers are encouraged to provide resources to promote translation of evidence-based interventions for programs aiming to utilize a positive climate-based family approach for lifestyle modification.
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Affiliation(s)
- Lauren H Law
- Department of Psychology, University of South Carolina, Columbia, SC
| | - Dawn K Wilson
- Department of Psychology, University of South Carolina, Columbia, SC
| | - Sara M St. George
- Department of Public Health Sciences, University of Miami Miller School of Medicine, Miami, FL
| | - Heather Kitzman
- Baylor Scott and White Health and Wellness Center, Dallas, TX
| | - Colby J Kipp
- Department of Psychology, University of South Carolina, Columbia, SC
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13
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Farrell AK, Stanton SCE. Toward a Mechanistic Understanding of Links Between Close Relationships and Physical Health. CURRENT DIRECTIONS IN PSYCHOLOGICAL SCIENCE 2019. [DOI: 10.1177/0963721419855657] [Citation(s) in RCA: 26] [Impact Index Per Article: 5.2] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 12/17/2022]
Abstract
Although researchers have made great strides in identifying links between close relationship processes and physical health, we know less about the psychological and behavioral mechanisms underlying these links. As we move toward considering relationships as a public health issue, understanding mechanistic pathways in relationships–health links is crucial for designing efficient and effective interventions. In this review, we outline criteria for establishing a construct as a relationships–health mechanism. We then discuss how best to test potential mechanisms of relationships–health links and identify some promising mechanism candidates on the basis of initial evidence (emotion, attachment, sleep, and substance abuse). We conclude by recommending key directions for future research.
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Chen E, Hayen R, Le V, Austin MK, Shalowitz MU, Story RE, Miller GE. Neighborhood Social Conditions, Family Relationships, and Childhood Asthma. Pediatrics 2019; 144:peds.2018-3300. [PMID: 31320467 PMCID: PMC6856806 DOI: 10.1542/peds.2018-3300] [Citation(s) in RCA: 14] [Impact Index Per Article: 2.8] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Submit a Manuscript] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Accepted: 05/22/2019] [Indexed: 12/18/2022] Open
Abstract
BACKGROUND AND OBJECTIVES Poor neighborhood conditions have established associations with poorer child health, but little is known about protective factors that mitigate the effects of difficult neighborhood conditions. In this study, we tested if positive family relationships can buffer youth who live in dangerous and/or disorderly neighborhoods from poor asthma outcomes. METHODS A total of 308 youths (aged 9-17) who were physician-diagnosed with asthma and referred from community pediatricians and/or family practitioners participated in this cross-sectional study. Neighborhood conditions around families' home addresses were coded by using Google Street View images. Family relationship quality was determined via youth interviews. Clinical asthma outcomes (asthma symptoms, activity limitations, and forced expiratory volume in 1 second percentile), asthma management behaviors (family response to asthma symptoms and integration of asthma into daily life), and asthma-relevant immunologic processes (lymphocyte T helper 1 and T helper 2 cytokine production and sensitivity to glucocorticoid inhibition) were assessed via questionnaires, interviews, spirometry, and blood draws. RESULTS Significant interactions were found between neighborhood conditions and family relationship quality (β = |.11-.15|; P < .05). When neighborhood danger and/or disorder was low, family relationships were not associated with asthma. When neighborhood danger and/or disorder was high, better family relationship quality was associated with fewer asthma symptoms, fewer activity limitations, and higher forced expiratory volume in 1 second percentile. Similar patterns emerged for asthma management behaviors. With immunologic measures, greater neighborhood danger and/or disorder was associated with greater T helper 1 and T helper 2 cytokine production and reduced glucocorticoid sensitivity. CONCLUSIONS When youth live in dangerous and/or disorderly neighborhoods, high family relationship quality can buffer youth from poor asthma outcomes. Although families may not be able to change their neighborhoods, they may nonetheless be able to facilitate better asthma outcomes in their children through strong family relationships.
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Affiliation(s)
- Edith Chen
- Department of Psychology and Institute for Policy Research, Northwestern University, Evanston, Illinois; and
| | - Robin Hayen
- Department of Psychology and Institute for Policy
Research, Northwestern University, Evanston, Illinois; and
| | - Van Le
- Department of Psychology and Institute for Policy
Research, Northwestern University, Evanston, Illinois; and
| | - Makeda K. Austin
- Department of Psychology and Institute for Policy
Research, Northwestern University, Evanston, Illinois; and
| | - Madeleine U. Shalowitz
- Center for Clinical Research Informatics, NorthShore
University HealthSystem, Evanston, Illinois
| | | | - Gregory E. Miller
- Department of Psychology and Institute for Policy
Research, Northwestern University, Evanston, Illinois; and
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