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Kogan SM, Kwon E, Brody GH, Azarmehr R, Reck AJ, Anderson T, Sperr M. Family-Centered Prevention to Reduce Discrimination-Related Depressive Symptoms Among Black Adolescents: Secondary Analysis of a Randomized Clinical Trial. JAMA Netw Open 2023; 6:e2340567. [PMID: 37910105 PMCID: PMC10620615 DOI: 10.1001/jamanetworkopen.2023.40567] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Submit a Manuscript] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 05/18/2023] [Accepted: 09/16/2023] [Indexed: 11/03/2023] Open
Abstract
Importance Racial discrimination undermines the mental health of Black adolescents. Preventive interventions that can attenuate the effects of exposure to racial discrimination are needed. Objective To investigate whether participation in the Strong African American Families (SAAF) program moderates Black adolescents' depressive symptoms associated with experience of racial discrimination. Design, Setting, and Participants This secondary analysis used data from a community-based randomized clinical trial of SAAF (SAAF vs no treatment control). Participants were followed up at 10, 22, and 34 months after the baseline assessment. Assessment staff were blind to participant condition. Participants in this trial lived in 7 rural counties in Georgia. SAAF was delivered at local community centers. Eligible families had a child aged 11 to 12 years who self-identified as African American or Black. The joint influence of random assignment to SAAF and exposure to racial discrimination was investigated. Data were analyzed from September 2022 to March 2023. Intervention SAAF is a 7-session (14 hours) family skills training intervention that occurs over 7 weeks. Small groups of caregivers and their adolescents participate in a structured curriculum targeting effective parenting behavior, adolescent self-regulation, and Black pride. Main Outcomes and Measures The main outcome was adolescent-reported depressive symptoms, assessed at 34 months via the 20-item Center for Epidemiologic Studies Depression Scale for Children. Results Of 825 families screened randomly from public school lists, 472 adolescents (mean [SD] age, 11.6 years; 240 [50.8%] female) were enrolled and randomized to SAAF (252 participants) or a no treatment control (220 participants). Exposure to racial discrimination at age 13 years was associated with increased depressive symptoms at age 14 years (β = 0.23; 95% CI, 0.13 to 0.34; P < .001). Interaction analyses indicated that the experimental condition significantly moderated the association of racial discrimination with depressive symptoms: (β = -0.27; 95% CI, -0.47 to -0.08; P = .005). Probing the interaction with simple slopes at ±SD revealed that for the control group, racial discrimination was significantly associated with depressive symptoms (β = 0.39; 95% CI, 0.23 to 0.54; P < .001), while for the SAAF group, there was no association between racial discrimination and depressive symptoms (β = 0.12; P = .09). Conclusions and Relevance This randomized clinical trial found that the SAAF intervention reduced the incidence of racism-associated mental health symptoms among Black adolescents. SAAF is recommended for dissemination to health care practitioners working with rural Black adolescents. Trial Registration ClinicalTrials.gov Identifier: NCT03590132.
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Affiliation(s)
- Steven M. Kogan
- Department of Human Development and Family Science, University of Georgia, Athens
| | - Elizabeth Kwon
- Department of Public Health, Baylor University, Waco, Texas
| | - Gene H. Brody
- Center for Family Research, University of Georgia, Athens
| | - Rabeeh Azarmehr
- Department of Human Development and Family Science, University of Georgia, Athens
| | - Ava J. Reck
- Department of Human Development and Family Science, University of Georgia, Athens
| | - Tracy Anderson
- Center for Family Research, University of Georgia, Athens
| | - Megan Sperr
- Center for Family Research, University of Georgia, Athens
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Hoffman KW, Tran KT, Moore TM, Gataviņš MM, Visoki E, DiDomenico GE, Schultz LM, Almasy L, Hayes MR, Daskalakis NP, Barzilay R. Allostatic load in early adolescence: gene / environment contributions and relevance for mental health. MEDRXIV : THE PREPRINT SERVER FOR HEALTH SCIENCES 2023:2023.10.27.23297674. [PMID: 37961462 PMCID: PMC10635214 DOI: 10.1101/2023.10.27.23297674] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 11/15/2023]
Abstract
Background Allostatic load is the cumulative "wear and tear" on the body due to chronic adversity. We aimed to test poly-environmental (exposomic) and polygenic contributions to allostatic load and their combined contribution to early adolescent mental health. Methods We analyzed data on N = 5,035 diverse youth (mean age 12) from the Adolescent Brain Cognitive Development Study (ABCD). Using dimensionality reduction method, we calculated and overall allostatic load score (AL) using body mass index [BMI], waist circumference, blood pressure, blood glycemia, blood cholesterol, and salivary DHEA. Childhood exposomic risk was quantified using multi-level environmental exposures before age 11. Genetic risk was quantified using polygenic risk scores (PRS) for metabolic system susceptibility (type 2 diabetes [T2D]) and stress-related psychiatric disease (major depressive disorder [MDD]). We used linear mixed effects models to test main, additive, and interactive effects of exposomic and polygenic risk (independent variables) on AL (dependent variable). Mediation models tested the mediating role of AL on the pathway from exposomic and polygenic risk to youth mental health. Models adjusted for demographics and genetic principal components. Results We observed disparities in AL with non-Hispanic White youth having significantly lower AL compared to Hispanic and Non-Hispanic Black youth. In the diverse sample, childhood exposomic burden was associated with AL in adolescence (beta=0.25, 95%CI 0.22-0.29, P<.001). In European ancestry participants (n=2,928), polygenic risk of both T2D and depression was associated with AL (T2D-PRS beta=0.11, 95%CI 0.07-0.14, P<.001; MDD-PRS beta=0.05, 95%CI 0.02-0.09, P=.003). Both polygenic scores showed significant interaction with exposomic risk such that, with greater polygenic risk, the association between exposome and AL was stronger. AL partly mediated the pathway to youth mental health from exposomic risk and from MDD-PRS, and fully mediated the pathway from T2D-PRS. Conclusions AL can be quantified in youth using anthropometric and biological measures and is mapped to exposomic and polygenic risk. Main and interactive environmental and genetic effects support a diathesis-stress model. Findings suggest that both environmental and genetic risk be considered when modeling stress-related health conditions.
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Affiliation(s)
- Kevin W. Hoffman
- Department of Psychiatry, Perelman School of Medicine, University of Pennsylvania, Philadelphia, US
- Department of Child and Adolescent Psychiatry and Behavioral Science, Children’s Hospital of Philadelphia, Philadelphia, US
| | - Kate T. Tran
- Lifespan Brain Institute of Children’s Hospital of Philadelphia and Penn Medicine, Philadelphia, US
| | - Tyler M. Moore
- Department of Psychiatry, Perelman School of Medicine, University of Pennsylvania, Philadelphia, US
- Lifespan Brain Institute of Children’s Hospital of Philadelphia and Penn Medicine, Philadelphia, US
| | - Mārtiņš M. Gataviņš
- Lifespan Brain Institute of Children’s Hospital of Philadelphia and Penn Medicine, Philadelphia, US
| | - Elina Visoki
- Lifespan Brain Institute of Children’s Hospital of Philadelphia and Penn Medicine, Philadelphia, US
| | - Grace E. DiDomenico
- Lifespan Brain Institute of Children’s Hospital of Philadelphia and Penn Medicine, Philadelphia, US
| | - Laura M. Schultz
- Lifespan Brain Institute of Children’s Hospital of Philadelphia and Penn Medicine, Philadelphia, US
- Department of Biomedical and Health Informatics, Children’s Hospital of Philadelphia, Philadelphia, US
| | - Laura Almasy
- Lifespan Brain Institute of Children’s Hospital of Philadelphia and Penn Medicine, Philadelphia, US
- Department of Biomedical and Health Informatics, Children’s Hospital of Philadelphia, Philadelphia, US
- Department of Genetics, Perelman School of Medicine, University of Pennsylvania, Philadelphia, US
| | - Matthew R. Hayes
- Department of Psychiatry, Perelman School of Medicine, University of Pennsylvania, Philadelphia, US
| | - Nikolaos P. Daskalakis
- Department of Psychiatry, McLean Hospital, Harvard Medical School, Belmont, MA, USA
- Stanley Center for Psychiatric Research, Broad Institute of MIT and Harvard, Cambridge, MA, USA
| | - Ran Barzilay
- Department of Psychiatry, Perelman School of Medicine, University of Pennsylvania, Philadelphia, US
- Department of Child and Adolescent Psychiatry and Behavioral Science, Children’s Hospital of Philadelphia, Philadelphia, US
- Lifespan Brain Institute of Children’s Hospital of Philadelphia and Penn Medicine, Philadelphia, US
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Handley ED, Russotti J, Ross AJ, Toth SL, Cicchetti D. A person-centered data analytic approach to dopaminergic polygenic moderation of child maltreatment exposure. Dev Psychobiol 2023; 65:e22403. [PMID: 37338249 PMCID: PMC10287038 DOI: 10.1002/dev.22403] [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: 10/11/2022] [Revised: 04/27/2023] [Accepted: 05/03/2023] [Indexed: 06/21/2023]
Abstract
The present study illustrates the utility of latent class analysis, a person-centered data analytic approach, as an innovative method for identifying naturally occurring patterns of polygenic risk, specifically within the dopaminergic system. Moreover, this study tests whether latent classes of polygenic variation moderate the effect of child maltreatment exposure on internalizing symptoms among African ancestry youth. African ancestry youth were selected for this study because youth of color are overrepresented in the child welfare system and because African ancestry individuals are significantly underrepresented in genomics research. Results identified three latent classes of dopaminergic gene variation. Class 1 was marked predominately by homozygous minor alleles, Class 2 was characterized by homozygous major and heterozygous presentations, and Class 3 was marked by heterozygous alleles on the DAT-1 single-nucleotide polymorphisms (SNPs) and a combination of homozygous major and minor alleles on the other SNPs. Results indicated that a greater number of maltreatment subtypes experienced were associated with higher internalizing symptoms only for children with the latent polygenic Class 2 pattern. This latent class was distinctly characterized by more homozygous major or heterozygous allelic presentations along all three DAT-1 SNPs. This significant latent polygenic class by environment interaction was replicated in an independent replication sample. Together, findings suggest that African ancestry children with a pattern of dopaminergic variation characterized by this specific combination of polygenic variation are more vulnerable to developing internalizing symptoms following maltreatment exposure, relative to their peers with other dopamine-related polygenic patterns.
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Affiliation(s)
| | | | | | | | - Dante Cicchetti
- Mt. Hope Family Center, University of Rochester
- University of Minnesota
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4
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Juster RP, Misiak B. Advancing the allostatic load model: From theory to therapy. Psychoneuroendocrinology 2023:106289. [PMID: 37202225 DOI: 10.1016/j.psyneuen.2023.106289] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Submit a Manuscript] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 04/27/2023] [Accepted: 04/27/2023] [Indexed: 05/20/2023]
Affiliation(s)
- Robert-Paul Juster
- Research Center of the Montreal Mental Health University Institute, Canada; Department of Psychiatry and Addiction, University of Montreal, Canada.
| | - Blazej Misiak
- Department and Clinic of Psychiatry, Wroclaw Medical University, Poland
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Beese S, Postma J, Graves JM. Allostatic Load Measurement: A Systematic Review of Reviews, Database Inventory, and Considerations for Neighborhood Research. INTERNATIONAL JOURNAL OF ENVIRONMENTAL RESEARCH AND PUBLIC HEALTH 2022; 19:ijerph192417006. [PMID: 36554888 PMCID: PMC9779615 DOI: 10.3390/ijerph192417006] [Citation(s) in RCA: 4] [Impact Index Per Article: 2.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 10/24/2022] [Revised: 12/13/2022] [Accepted: 12/14/2022] [Indexed: 05/27/2023]
Abstract
BACKGROUND Neighborhoods are critical to understanding how environments influence health outcomes. Prolonged environmental stressors, such as a lack of green spaces and neighborhood socioeconomic disadvantage, have been associated with higher allostatic load levels. Since allostatic load levels experienced earlier in life have stronger associations with mortality risk, neighborhoods may be uniquely suited to monitor and mitigate the impacts of environmental stressors. Researchers often study allostatic load in neighborhoods by utilizing administrative boundaries within publicly accessible databases as proxies for neighborhoods. METHODS This systematic review of reviews aims to identify commonly used biomarkers in the measurement of allostatic load, compare measurement approaches, inventory databases to study allostatic load, and spotlight considerations referenced in the literature where allostatic load is studied in neighborhoods. The review was conducted using the search term "allostatic load" in the MEDLINE, CINAHL, and PsychINFO databases. The search results were filtered to include reviews. RESULTS The search returned 499 articles after deduplication. Overall, 18 synthesis reviews met the inclusion criteria and were retained for extraction. The synthesis reviews analyzed represented 238 studies published from 1995 to 2020. The original ten biomarkers were most often used to measure allostatic load. More recently, body mass index and C-reactive protein have additionally been frequently used to measure allostatic load burden. CONCLUSIONS The scientific contributions of this study are that we have identified a clear gap in geographic considerations when studying allostatic load. The implication of this study is that we have highlighted geographic concepts when conducting neighborhood-level research using administrative databases as a neighborhood proxy and outlined emerging future trends that can enable future study of allostatic load in the neighborhood context.
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Affiliation(s)
- Shawna Beese
- College of Agricultural, Human, and Natural Resources Sciences, Washington State University, Pullman, WA 99164, USA
- College of Nursing, Washington State University, Spokane, WA 99202, USA
| | - Julie Postma
- College of Nursing, Washington State University, Spokane, WA 99202, USA
| | - Janessa M. Graves
- College of Nursing, Washington State University, Spokane, WA 99202, USA
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Guidi J, Lucente M, Sonino N, Fava GA. Allostatic Load and Its Impact on Health: A Systematic Review. PSYCHOTHERAPY AND PSYCHOSOMATICS 2021; 90:11-27. [PMID: 32799204 DOI: 10.1159/000510696] [Citation(s) in RCA: 411] [Impact Index Per Article: 137.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 07/17/2020] [Accepted: 08/06/2020] [Indexed: 11/19/2022]
Abstract
INTRODUCTION Allostatic load refers to the cumulative burden of chronic stress and life events. It involves the interaction of different physiological systems at varying degrees of activity. When environmental challenges exceed the individual ability to cope, then allostatic overload ensues. Allostatic load is identified by the use of biomarkers and clinical criteria. OBJECTIVE To summarize the current knowledge on allostatic load and overload and its clinical implications based on a systematic review of the literature. METHODS PubMed, PsycINFO, Web of Science, and the Cochrane Library were searched from inception to December 2019. A manual search of the literature was also performed, and reference lists of the retrieved articles were examined.We considered only studies in which allostatic load or overload were adequately described and assessed in either clinical or non-clinical adult populations. RESULTS A total of 267 original investigations were included. They encompassed general population studies, as well as clinical studies on consequences of allostatic load/overload on both physical and mental health across a variety of settings. CONCLUSIONS The findings indicate that allostatic load and overload are associated with poorer health outcomes. Assessment of allostatic load provides support to the understanding of psychosocial determinants of health and lifestyle medicine. An integrated approach that includes both biological markers and clinimetric criteria is recommended.
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Affiliation(s)
- Jenny Guidi
- Department of Psychology, University of Bologna, Bologna, Italy,
| | | | - Nicoletta Sonino
- Department of Statistical Sciences, University of Padova, Padova, Italy.,Department of Psychiatry, State University of New York at Buffalo, Buffalo, New York, USA
| | - Giovanni A Fava
- Department of Psychiatry, State University of New York at Buffalo, Buffalo, New York, USA
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Whelan E, O'Shea J, Hunt E, Dockray S. Evaluating measures of allostatic load in adolescents: A systematic review. Psychoneuroendocrinology 2021; 131:105324. [PMID: 34198124 DOI: 10.1016/j.psyneuen.2021.105324] [Citation(s) in RCA: 20] [Impact Index Per Article: 6.7] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Submit a Manuscript] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 03/28/2021] [Revised: 06/09/2021] [Accepted: 06/10/2021] [Indexed: 12/21/2022]
Abstract
BACKGROUND Adolescents can experience heightened stress due to biopsychosocial changes that occur during this developmental stage. The 'wear and tear' of the physiological systems responsible for managing our stress response can lead to dysregulation of these systems, known as allostatic load (AL). AL is commonly measured within adult populations, however, inconsistencies exist across measures used to quantify the effects of stress on health. The aim of this review was to identify variations in measures across AL studies, and to consider how specific measures may be more appropriate for use within adolescent populations. METHOD Pubmed, PsycINFO, PsycARTICLES, Academic Search Complete, were searched in July 2020, using search terms 'allostatic load' and 'adolescence'. AL studies (1988-2020) with an adolescent population (age 10-24 years) were included. 354 records were screened by two reviewers and 41 full-text articles were assessed for eligibility. RESULTS 25 studies were included in final synthesis. Biomarkers of AL ranged from 1 to 14. The most common index of AL consisted of 6 biomarkers; cortisol, epinephrine, norepinephrine, systolic blood pressure, diastolic blood pressure, and body-mass index. FINDINGS Defining measures of AL during adolescence may help to identify vulnerabilities specific to adolescents, which may shape their lifelong health trajectories.
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Affiliation(s)
- Eadaoin Whelan
- School of Applied Psychology, University College Cork, Ireland.
| | - Jen O'Shea
- School of Applied Psychology, University College Cork, Ireland
| | - Eithne Hunt
- Dept. of Occupational Science and Occupational Therapy, University College Cork, Ireland
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The Association between Neighborhood Disorder and Health: Exploring the Moderating Role of Genotype and Marriage. INTERNATIONAL JOURNAL OF ENVIRONMENTAL RESEARCH AND PUBLIC HEALTH 2021; 18:ijerph18030898. [PMID: 33494231 PMCID: PMC7908190 DOI: 10.3390/ijerph18030898] [Citation(s) in RCA: 3] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 12/05/2020] [Revised: 01/12/2021] [Accepted: 01/19/2021] [Indexed: 01/19/2023]
Abstract
The present study extends prior research on the link between neighborhood disorder and health by testing an integrated model that combines various social and biological factors. Hypotheses were tested using a sample of 325 African American women from the Family and Community Health Study (FACHS). As expected, inflammatory burden was the biophysiological mechanism that mediated much of the association between neighborhood physical disorder and perceived physical health. This finding provided additional support for the view that global self-ratings of health are powerful predictors of morbidity because, in large measure, they are indicators of chronic, systemic inflammation. Further, both genetic variation and marital status served to moderate the association between neighborhood disorder and health. Finally, being married largely eliminated the probability that neighborhood disorder would combine with genetic vulnerability to increase inflammatory burden and perceived illness. Overall, the findings demonstrate the value of constructing integrated models that specify various biophysiological mechanisms that link social conditions to physical health.
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Leve LD, Neiderhiser JM, Ganiban JM, Natsuaki MN, Shaw DS, Reiss D. The Early Growth and Development Study: A Dual-Family Adoption Study from Birth Through Adolescence. Twin Res Hum Genet 2019; 22:716-727. [PMID: 31526412 PMCID: PMC7056588 DOI: 10.1017/thg.2019.66] [Citation(s) in RCA: 48] [Impact Index Per Article: 9.6] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 12/21/2022]
Abstract
The Early Growth and Development Study (EGDS) is a prospective adoption study of birth parents, adoptive parents and adopted children (n = 561 adoptees). The original sample has been expanded to include siblings of the EGDS adoptees who were reared by the birth mother and assessed beginning at age 7 years (n = 217 biological children), and additional siblings in both the birth and adoptive family homes, recruited when the adoptees were 8-15 years old (n = 823). The overall study aims are to examine how family, peer and contextual processes affect child and adolescent adjustment, and to examine their interplay (mediation, moderation) with genetic influences. Adoptive and birth parents were originally recruited through adoption agencies located throughout the USA following the birth of a child. Assessments are ongoing and occurred in 9 month's intervals until the adoptees turned 3 years of age, and in 1 to 2 year intervals thereafter through age 15. Data collection includes the following primary constructs: child temperament, behavior problems, mental health, peer relations, executive functioning, school performance and health; birth and adoptive parent personality characteristics, mental health, health, context, substance use, parenting and marital relations; and the prenatal environment. Findings highlight the power of the adoption design to detect environmental influences on child development and provide evidence of complex interactions and correlations between genetic, prenatal environmental and postnatal environmental influences on a range of child outcomes. The study sample, procedures and an overview of findings are summarized and ongoing assessment activities are described.
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Affiliation(s)
- Leslie D. Leve
- Prevention Science Institute, University of Oregon, Eugene, Oregon, 97403, USA
| | - Jenae M. Neiderhiser
- Department of Psychology, The Pennsylvania State University, University Park, Pennsylvania, 16802, USA
| | - Jody M. Ganiban
- Center for Family Research, George Washington University, Washington DC, 20037, USA
| | - Misaki N. Natsuaki
- Department of Psychology, University of California, Riverside, California, 92521, USA
| | - Daniel S. Shaw
- Department of Psychology, University of Pittsburgh, Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania, 15260, USA
| | - David Reiss
- Yale Child Study Center, Yale School of Medicine, New Haven, Connecticut, 06519, USA
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Sellers R, Smith AF, Leve LD, Nixon E, Cane T, Cassell JA, Harold GT. Utilising Genetically-Informed Research Designs to Better Understand Family Processes and Child Development: Implications for Adoption and Foster Care Focused Interventions. ADOPTION & FOSTERING 2019; 43:351-371. [PMID: 31576061 PMCID: PMC6771282 DOI: 10.1177/0308575919866526] [Citation(s) in RCA: 3] [Impact Index Per Article: 0.6] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 06/10/2023]
Abstract
Understanding the interplay between genetic factors and family environmental processes (e.g., inter-parental relationship quality, positive versus negative parenting practices) and children's mental health (e.g., anxiety, depression, conduct problems, ADHD) in the contexts of adoption and foster-care research and practice is critical for effective prevention and intervention programme development. Whilst evidence highlights the importance of family environmental processes for the mental health and well-being of children in adoption and foster care, there is relatively limited evidence of effective interventions specifically for these families. Additionally, family-based interventions not specific to the context of adoption and foster-care typically show small to medium effects, and even where interventions are efficacious, not all children benefit. One explanation for why interventions may not work well for some is that responses to intervention may be influenced by an individual's genetic make-up. This paper summarises how genetically-informed research designs can help disentangle genetic from environmental processes underlying psychopathology outcomes for children, and how this evidence can provide improved insights into the development of more effective preventative intervention targets for adoption and foster-care families. We discuss current difficulties in translating behavioural genetics research to prevention science, and provide recommendations to bridge the gap between behavioural genetics research and prevention science, with lessons for adoption and foster-care research and practice.
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Affiliation(s)
- R Sellers
- School of Psychology, Andrew and Virginia Rudd Centre for Adoption Research and Practice, University of Sussex, Brighton, UK
- Institute of Psychological Medicine and Clinical Neurosciences, School of Medicine, MRC Centre for Neuropsychiatric Genetics and Genomics, Cardiff University, Cardiff, UK
| | - A F Smith
- School of Psychology, Andrew and Virginia Rudd Centre for Adoption Research and Practice, University of Sussex, Brighton, UK
| | - L D Leve
- Prevention Science Institute, University of Oregon, Eugene, USA
| | - E Nixon
- School of Psychology, Trinity College Dublin, The University of Dublin, Ireland
| | - T Cane
- School of Social Work and Social Care, University of Sussex, UK
| | - J A Cassell
- Brighton and Sussex Medical School, Falmer, Brighton BN1 9PH
| | - G T Harold
- School of Psychology, Andrew and Virginia Rudd Centre for Adoption Research and Practice, University of Sussex, Brighton, UK
- Institute of Psychological Medicine and Clinical Neurosciences, School of Medicine, MRC Centre for Neuropsychiatric Genetics and Genomics, Cardiff University, Cardiff, UK
- School of Psychology, Trinity College Dublin, The University of Dublin, Ireland
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11
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Jones-Mason K, Alkon A, Coccia M, Bush NR. Autonomic nervous system functioning assessed during the Still-Face Paradigm: A meta-analysis and systematic review of methods, approach and findings. DEVELOPMENTAL REVIEW 2018; 50:113-139. [PMID: 33707809 DOI: 10.1016/j.dr.2018.06.002] [Citation(s) in RCA: 35] [Impact Index Per Article: 5.8] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 11/16/2022]
Abstract
Animal and human research suggests that the development of the autonomic nervous system (ANS) is particularly sensitive to early parenting experiences. The Still-Face Paradigm (SFP), one of the most widely used measures to assess infant reactivity and emotional competence, evokes infant self-regulatory responses to parental interaction and disengagement. This systematic review of 33 peer-reviewed studies identifies patterns of parasympathetic (PNS) and sympathetic (SNS) nervous system activity demonstrated by infants under one year of age during the SFP and describes findings within the context of sample demographic characteristics, study methodologies, and analyses conducted. A meta-analysis of a subset of 14 studies with sufficient available respiratory sinus arrhythmia (RSA) data examined whether the SFP reliably elicited PNS withdrawal (RSA decrease) during parental disengagement or PNS recovery (RSA increase) during reunion, and whether results differed by socioeconomic status (SES). Across SES, the meta-analysis confirmed that RSA decreased during the still-face episode and increased during reunion. When studies were stratified by SES, low-SES or high-risk groups also showed RSA decreases during the still face episode but failed to show an increase in RSA during reunion. Few studies have examined SNS activity during the SFP to date, preventing conclusions in that domain. The review also identified multiple qualifications to patterns of SFP ANS findings, including those that differed by ethnicity, infant sex, parental sensitivity, and genetics. Strengths and weaknesses in the extant research that may explain some of the variation in findings across the literature are also discussed, and suggestions for strengthening future research are provided.
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Affiliation(s)
- Karen Jones-Mason
- Department of Psychiatry, Center for Health and Community, Weill Neurosciences Institute, University of California, San Francisco
| | - Abbey Alkon
- School of Nursing Department of Family Health Care Nursing, University of California, San Francisco
| | - Michael Coccia
- Department of Psychiatry, Center for Health and Community, Weill Neurosciences Institute, University of California, San Francisco
| | - Nicole R Bush
- Department of Psychiatry, Center for Health and Community, Weill Neurosciences Institute, University of California, San Francisco.,Department of Pediatrics, University of California, San Francisco
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Barton AW, Brody GH, Zapolski TCB, Goings TC, Kogan SM, Windle M, Yu T. Trajectory classes of cannabis use and heavy drinking among rural African American adolescents: multi-level predictors of class membership. Addiction 2018; 113:1439-1449. [PMID: 29453937 PMCID: PMC6043384 DOI: 10.1111/add.14200] [Citation(s) in RCA: 13] [Impact Index Per Article: 2.2] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Submit a Manuscript] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 05/01/2017] [Revised: 07/26/2017] [Accepted: 02/12/2018] [Indexed: 11/30/2022]
Abstract
AIMS To inform research on the etiology and prevention of substance use among rural African American youth by (a) identifying developmental trajectory classes of cannabis use and heavy drinking across adolescence and young adulthood and (b) examining associations between trajectory class membership and multi-level assessments of risk factors. DESIGN A prospective study spanning 9 years with assessments of cannabis use and heavy drinking, the catecholamines epinephrine and norepinephrine, perceived stress and psychosocial risk factors. SETTING Rural communities in the southeastern United States. PARTICIPANTS African American youth (n = 518). MEASUREMENTS Participants were assessed for cannabis use and heavy drinking at seven assessments beginning at 16 years of age and continuing to 25 years of age. At age 19, participants provided overnight urine voids that were assayed for catecholamines, a biological marker of life stress resulting from sympathetic nervous system activation. At ages 16 and 19, participants provided information on malleable psychosocial risk factors. FINDINGS Latent class growth models revealed three distinct trajectory classes for cannabis use and for heavy drinking. Higher levels of circulating stress hormones and perceived stress were associated with classes reporting greater substance use over time (all Ps < 0.05). A composite of selected risk factors discriminated class membership (all Ps < 0.05). Trajectory classes characterized by rapid usage increases in early adulthood exhibited the greatest increase in deviant peer affiliations between ages 16 and 19 years. CONCLUSIONS Rural African American youth's cannabis use and heavy drinking across adolescence and young adulthood demonstrate distinct developmental courses; a small number of risk factors and measures of biological and perceived stress differentiate class membership prognostically. Variability over time in these measures, specifically an increase in deviant peer affiliation, may help to account for steep increases in young adulthood.
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Affiliation(s)
- Allen W. Barton
- Center for Family Research, University of Georgia, 1095 College Station Road, Athens, Georgia 30602-4527
| | - Gene. H. Brody
- Center for Family Research, University of Georgia, 1095 College Station Road, Athens, Georgia 30602-4527
| | - Tamika C. B. Zapolski
- Department of Psychology, Indiana University–Purdue University Indianapolis, 402 N. Blackford Street, Indianapolis, Indiana 46202-3275
| | - Trenette C. Goings
- School of Social Work, University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill, 325 Pittsboro Street, Chapel Hill, North Carolina 27599
| | - Steven M. Kogan
- Department of Human Development and Family Science, University of Georgia, 305 Sanford Drive, Athens, Georgia 30602
| | - Michael Windle
- Department of Behavioral Sciences and Health Education, Rollins School of Public Health, Emory University, 1518 Clifton Road NE, Atlanta, Georgia 30322
| | - Tianyi Yu
- Center for Family Research, University of Georgia, 1095 College Station Road, Athens, Georgia 30602-4527
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Calcaterra V, Cena H, de Silvestri A, Albertini R, De Amici M, Valenza M, Pelizzo G. Stress Measured by Allostatic Load in Neurologically Impaired Children: The Importance of Nutritional Status. Horm Res Paediatr 2018; 88:224-230. [PMID: 28693012 DOI: 10.1159/000477906] [Citation(s) in RCA: 14] [Impact Index Per Article: 2.3] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Submit a Manuscript] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 01/27/2017] [Accepted: 05/30/2017] [Indexed: 11/19/2022] Open
Abstract
BACKGROUND Allostatic load (AL) is the cumulative physiological wear and tear that results from repeated efforts to adapt to stressors over time. The life stress response is modified by nutritional status. AIM We estimated AL scores among neurologically impaired (NI) children; the association with malnutrition was also evaluated. METHODS Forty-one patients with severe disabilities were included. Data based on 15 biomarkers were used to create the AL score. A dichotomous outcome of high AL was defined for those who had ≥6 dysregulated components. Body mass index (BMI)-standard deviation score (SDS) <-2 or SDS ≥2 and biochemical markers (≥4) defined malnutrition. RESULTS High AL was noted in 17/41 of the whole sample (41.47%). Malnutrition occurred in 36.6% of the subjects. A significant correlation between high AL and malnutrition was observed (p = 0.01; ar ea under the receiver operating characteristic curve, 0.7457). High AL subjects had a significantly higher BMI (p = 0.009) and lower BMI-SDS (p = 0.003) than low AL subjects. AL score correlated with fat mass (p ≤ 0.01) and negatively correlated with fat-free mass (p ≤ 0.02). CONCLUSION In NI children, high AL was associated with malnutrition. Body composition is a better indicator than BMI of allostatic adjustments. AL estimation should be considered a measure of health risk and be used to promote quality of life in at-risk disabled populations.
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Affiliation(s)
- Valeria Calcaterra
- Department of the Mother and Child Health, Pediatric Unit, Fondazione IRCCS Policlinico San Matteo, Pavia, Italy.,Department of Internal Medicine, University of Pavia, Pavia, Italy
| | - Hellas Cena
- Department of Public Health, Experimental and Forensic Medicine, Unit of Human Nutrition, University of Pavia, Pavia, Italy
| | - Annalisa de Silvestri
- Biometry and Clinical Epidemiology, Scientific Direction, Fondazione IRCCS Policlinico San Matteo, Pavia, Italy
| | - Riccardo Albertini
- Laboratory of Clinical Chemistry, Fondazione IRCCS Policlinico San Matteo, Pavia, Italy
| | - Mara De Amici
- Immuno-Allergy Laboratory, Pediatric Clinic, Fondazione IRCCS Policlinico San Matteo, Pavia, Italy
| | - Mario Valenza
- Operating Room Coordination, Ospedale ARNAS Civico, Di Cristina e Benfratelli, Palermo, Italy
| | - Gloria Pelizzo
- Pediatric Surgery Unit, Children's Hospital, Istituto Mediterraneo di Eccellenza Pediatrica, Palermo, Italy
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Harold GT, Sellers R. Annual Research Review: Interparental conflict and youth psychopathology: an evidence review and practice focused update. J Child Psychol Psychiatry 2018; 59:374-402. [PMID: 29574737 DOI: 10.1111/jcpp.12893] [Citation(s) in RCA: 126] [Impact Index Per Article: 21.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Submit a Manuscript] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Accepted: 02/07/2018] [Indexed: 12/20/2022]
Abstract
The quality of the interparental relationship is recognized as an important influence on child and adolescent psychopathology. Historically, clinically oriented research on this topic has focused on the impacts of parental divorce and domestic violence as primary interparental relationship influences on child outcomes, to the relative neglect of dimensional or qualitative features of the couple/interparental relationship for youth (child and adolescent) psychopathology. Recent research has highlighted that children are affected by attributes of interparental conflict, specifically how parents express and manage conflicts in their relationship, across a continuum of expressed severity and negativity - ranging from silence to violence. Furthermore, new evidence highlights that children's emotional, behavioral, social, academic outcomes, and future interpersonal relationships are adversely affected by conflict between parents/carers whether adults are living together or not (i.e. married or separated), or where children are or are not genetically related to their rearing parents (e.g. adoption). We review evidence and present an integrated theoretical model, highlighting how children are affected by interparental conflict and what this evidence base means for effective intervention and prevention program development, as well as the development of possible cost-benefit models. Additionally, we review policy implications of this research and highlight some very recent examples of UK-based policy focusing on addressing the interparental relationship and its impact on youth psychopathology.
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Leve LD, Neiderhiser JM, Harold GT, Natsuaki MN, Bohannan BJM, Cresko WA. Naturalistic Experimental Designs as Tools for Understanding the Role of Genes and the Environment in Prevention Research. PREVENTION SCIENCE : THE OFFICIAL JOURNAL OF THE SOCIETY FOR PREVENTION RESEARCH 2018; 19:68-78. [PMID: 28093649 PMCID: PMC5511771 DOI: 10.1007/s11121-017-0746-8] [Citation(s) in RCA: 12] [Impact Index Per Article: 2.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 11/26/2022]
Abstract
Before genetic approaches were applied in experimental studies with human populations, they were used by animal and plant breeders to observe, and experimentally manipulate, the role of genes and environment on specific phenotypic or behavioral outcomes. For obvious ethical reasons, the same level of experimental control is not possible in human populations. Nonetheless, there are natural experimental designs in human populations that can serve as logical extensions of the rigorous quantitative genetic experimental designs used by animal and plant researchers. Applying concepts such as cross-fostering and common garden rearing approaches from the life science discipline, we describe human designs that can serve as naturalistic proxies for the controlled quantitative genetic experiments facilitated in life sciences research. We present the prevention relevance of three such human designs: (1) children adopted at birth by parents to whom they are not genetically related (common garden approach); (2) sibling designs where one sibling is reared from birth with unrelated adoptive parents and the other sibling is reared from birth by the biological mother of the sibling pair (cross-fostering approach); and (3) in vitro fertilization designs, including egg donation, sperm donation, embryo donation, and surrogacy (prenatal cross-fostering approach). Each of these designs allows for differentiation of the effects of the prenatal and/or postnatal rearing environment from effects of genes shared between parent and child in naturalistic ways that can inform prevention efforts. Example findings from each design type are provided and conclusions drawn about the relevance of naturalistic genetic designs to prevention science.
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Affiliation(s)
- Leslie D Leve
- Prevention Science Institute, University of Oregon, Eugene, OR, 97403-6217, USA.
| | | | - Gordon T Harold
- University of Sussex, Brighton, UK
- Tomsk State University, Tomsk, Russia
| | | | - Brendan J M Bohannan
- Institute of Ecology and Evolution and Department of Biology, University of Oregon, Eugene, OR, USA
| | - William A Cresko
- Institute of Ecology and Evolution and Department of Biology, University of Oregon, Eugene, OR, USA
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Bae D, Wickrama KAS. Stress Processes Linking Parent-Child Disconnection to Disease Risk in Young Adulthood: Amplification by Genotype. J Youth Adolesc 2017; 46:1137-1148. [PMID: 28343261 DOI: 10.1007/s10964-017-0666-8] [Citation(s) in RCA: 5] [Impact Index Per Article: 0.7] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 01/20/2017] [Accepted: 03/18/2017] [Indexed: 02/04/2023]
Abstract
Previous studies have documented that early stressful family relationships influence subsequent stressful life circumstances and health outcomes over the life course. Less is known, however, about whether stressful parent-child relationships increase the influence of proximal stressors on youth health operating as a stress-sensitizing life context, and individual genetic variations have effects on these developmental processes. Informed by life course stress process theory, which focuses on the proliferation, accumulation, and interactions of stressors over the life course as health risks, we examined whether (a) parent-child disconnection influences the occurrence of stressful life events in young adulthood, (b) parent-child disconnection potentiates the impact of stressful life events on young adults' health, or (c) potential health impact is intensified further by individual genotype. Using longitudinal data from a nationally representative sample of 11,290 adolescents (Mean age 15.5 years, 53% female) over a period of 13 years, we found parent-child disconnection influenced young adults' stressful life events and amplified the impact of stressful life events on cardio-metabolic disease risk. We also found the association between stressful life events and cardio-metabolic disease risk was further intensified by the 5-HTTLPR polymorphism. Our findings demonstrate that stressful family relationships not only initiate stress processes over the early life course, but also sensitize youth to stressors, and that 5-HTTLPR polymorphism interacts with stressful life experiences to predict heightened disease risk.
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Affiliation(s)
- Dayoung Bae
- Center for Family Research, 1095 College Station Road, Athens, 30602, GA, USA.
| | - Kandauda A S Wickrama
- Department of Human Development and Family Science, The University of Georgia, Athens, GA, USA
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Edes AN, Crews DE. Allostatic load and biological anthropology. AMERICAN JOURNAL OF PHYSICAL ANTHROPOLOGY 2017; 162 Suppl 63:44-70. [DOI: 10.1002/ajpa.23146] [Citation(s) in RCA: 53] [Impact Index Per Article: 7.6] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Track Full Text] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 06/23/2016] [Revised: 10/20/2016] [Accepted: 11/18/2016] [Indexed: 01/27/2023]
Affiliation(s)
- Ashley N. Edes
- Department of Anthropology and School of Public HealthThe Ohio State University
| | - Douglas E. Crews
- Department of Anthropology and School of Public HealthThe Ohio State University
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Brody GH, Yu T, Shalev I. Risky family processes prospectively forecast shorter telomere length mediated through negative emotions. Health Psychol 2016; 36:438-444. [PMID: 27831704 DOI: 10.1037/hea0000443] [Citation(s) in RCA: 62] [Impact Index Per Article: 7.8] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 12/31/2022]
Abstract
OBJECTIVE This study was designed to examine prospective associations of risky family environments with subsequent levels of negative emotions and peripheral blood mononuclear cell telomere length (TL), a marker of cellular aging. A second purpose was to determine whether negative emotions mediate the hypothesized link between risky family processes and diminished telomere length. METHOD Participants were 293 adolescents (age 17 years at the first assessment) and their primary caregivers. Caregivers provided data on risky family processes when the youths were age 17 years, youths reported their negative emotions at age 18 years, and youths' TL was assayed from a blood sample at age 22 years. RESULTS The results revealed that (a) risky family processes forecast heightened negative emotions (β = .316, p < .001) and diminished TL (β = -.199, p = .003) among youths, (b) higher levels of negative emotions forecast shorter TL (β = -.187, p = .012), and (c) negative emotions served as a mediator connecting risky family processes with diminished TL (indirect effect = -0.012, 95% CI [-0.036, -0.002]). CONCLUSIONS These findings are consistent with the hypothesis that risky family processes presage premature cellular aging through effects on negative emotions, with potential implications for lifelong health. (PsycINFO Database Record
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Affiliation(s)
- Gene H Brody
- Center for Family Research, University of Georgia
| | - Tianyi Yu
- Center for Family Research, University of Georgia
| | - Idan Shalev
- Department of Biobehavioral Health, Pennsylvania State University
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Contextual adversity, telomere erosion, pubertal development, and health: Two models of accelerated aging, or one? Dev Psychopathol 2016; 28:1367-1383. [DOI: 10.1017/s0954579416000900] [Citation(s) in RCA: 36] [Impact Index Per Article: 4.5] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 12/24/2022]
Abstract
AbstractTwo independent lines of inquiry suggest that growing up under conditions of contextual adversity (e.g., poverty and household chaos) accelerates aging and undermines long-term health. Whereas work addressing the developmental origins of health and disease highlights accelerated-aging effects of contextual adversity on telomere erosion, that informed by an evolutionary analysis of reproductive strategies highlights such effects with regard to pubertal development (in females). That both shorter telomeres early in life and earlier age of menarche are associated with poor health later in life raises the prospect, consistent with evolutionary life-history theory, that these two bodies of theory and research are tapping into the same evolutionary–developmental process whereby longer term health costs are traded off for increased probability of reproducing before dying via a process of accelerated aging. Here we make the case for such a claim, while highlighting biological processes responsible for these effects, as well as unknowns in the epigenetic equation that might instantiate these contextually regulated developmental processes.
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Jones‐Mason K, Allen IE, Bush N, Hamilton S. Epigenetic marks as the link between environment and development: examination of the associations between attachment, socioeconomic status, and methylation of the SLC6A4 gene. Brain Behav 2016; 6:e00480. [PMID: 27458544 PMCID: PMC4951620 DOI: 10.1002/brb3.480] [Citation(s) in RCA: 19] [Impact Index Per Article: 2.4] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Submit a Manuscript] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 09/14/2015] [Revised: 02/25/2016] [Accepted: 03/16/2016] [Indexed: 12/25/2022] Open
Abstract
BACKGROUND Epigenetic processes act as a link between environment and individual development. This pilot study examined the association between socioeconomic status (SES), attachment, and methylation of the promoter region of the serotonin transporter gene (SLC6A4). METHODS Attachment classification and SLC6A4 methylation was determined in 100 late adolescents. We hypothesized that (1) SES would interact with methylation to predict higher unresolved loss (UL) or trauma scores on the Adult Attachment Interview; (2) across SES, participants with unresolved attachment would have lower levels of methylation than organized or secure participants; and (3) within the unresolved classification, SES would predict methylation. RESULTS Results showed that lower methylation and low-SES were associated with higher UL, and higher methylation and low-SES were associated with higher unresolved trauma. Across SES, unresolved participants had lower levels of methylation than organized participants. Within the unresolved category, low-SES unresolved participants had higher levels of methylation than mid/upper-SES participants. SES was unrelated to methylation within the secure and organized categories. CONCLUSIONS These results suggest that the quality of attachment relationships may impact epigenetic processes.
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Affiliation(s)
- Karen Jones‐Mason
- Department of Social WelfareUniversity of California, BerkeleyBerkeleyCalifornia
- Center for Health & CommunityUniversity of CaliforniaSan FranciscoCalifornia
| | - Isabel Elaine Allen
- Department of StatisticsUniversity of California, San FranciscoSan FranciscoCalifornia
| | - Nicole Bush
- Department of Psychiatry and PediatricsUniversity of California, San FranciscoSan FranciscoCalifornia
| | - Steve Hamilton
- Department of PsychiatryUniversity of California, San FranciscoSan FranciscoCalifornia
- Department of PsychiatryKaiser‐Permanente San Francisco Medical CenterSan FranciscoCalifornia
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Abstract
Exposure to early life adversity is linked to impaired affective, cognitive, and behavioral functioning and increases risk for various psychiatric and medical conditions. Stress-induced increases in pro-inflammatory cytokines may be a biological mechanism of these effects. Few studies have examined cytokine levels in children experiencing early life adversity, and very little research has investigated cytokines or other markers of inflammation in saliva. In the present study, we examined salivary interleukin (IL)-1β and C-reactive protein (CRP) levels in relation to stress exposure in 40 children aged 3 to 5 years who were enrolled in a larger study of early life adversity. Childhood maltreatment status was assessed via review of child welfare records. Contextual stress exposure, traumatic life event history, and symptoms of psychopathology were assessed via caregiver interviews at a home visit. In a subsequent visit, salivary IL-1β and CRP were obtained before and after participation in four emotion-eliciting tasks. The number of past-month contextual stressors, lifetime contextual stressors, and traumatic life events each demonstrated a significant main effect on IL-1β. Baseline IL-1β was positively associated with each of the significant main-effect adversities. Postchallenge IL-1β displayed positive associations with each adversity variable, but these were not significant. CRP was not significantly associated with any of the adversity variables. Given the evidence suggesting the involvement of IL-1β in the neuropathology of psychiatric conditions, these results may have important implications for developmental outcomes.
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22
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Johnson SB, Riis JL, Noble KG. State of the Art Review: Poverty and the Developing Brain. Pediatrics 2016; 137:peds.2015-3075. [PMID: 26952506 PMCID: PMC4811314 DOI: 10.1542/peds.2015-3075] [Citation(s) in RCA: 313] [Impact Index Per Article: 39.1] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Submit a Manuscript] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Accepted: 10/20/2015] [Indexed: 12/14/2022] Open
Abstract
In the United States, >40% of children are either poor or near-poor. As a group, children in poverty are more likely to experience worse health and more developmental delay, lower achievement, and more behavioral and emotional problems than their more advantaged peers; however, there is broad variability in outcomes among children exposed to similar conditions. Building on a robust literature from animal models showing that environmental deprivation or enrichment shapes the brain, there has been increasing interest in understanding how the experience of poverty may shape the brain in humans. In this review, we summarize research on the relationship between socioeconomic status and brain development, focusing on studies published in the last 5 years. Drawing on a conceptual framework informed by animal models, we highlight neural plasticity, epigenetics, material deprivation (eg, cognitive stimulation, nutrient deficiencies), stress (eg, negative parenting behaviors), and environmental toxins as factors that may shape the developing brain. We then summarize the existing evidence for the relationship between child poverty and brain structure and function, focusing on brain areas that support memory, emotion regulation, and higher-order cognitive functioning (ie, hippocampus, amygdala, prefrontal cortex) and regions that support language and literacy (ie, cortical areas of the left hemisphere). We then consider some limitations of the current literature and discuss the implications of neuroscience concepts and methods for interventions in the pediatric medical home.
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Affiliation(s)
- Sara B. Johnson
- Department of Pediatrics, Johns Hopkins School of Medicine, Baltimore, Maryland;,Department of Population Family and Reproductive Health, Johns Hopkins Bloomberg School of Public Health, Baltimore, Maryland; and
| | - Jenna L. Riis
- Department of Population Family and Reproductive Health, Johns Hopkins Bloomberg School of Public Health, Baltimore, Maryland; and
| | - Kimberly G. Noble
- Department of Neuroscience and Education, Teachers College, Columbia University, New York, New York
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Abstract
OBJECTIVES The purposes of this study were to compare the relative fit of two alternative factor models of allostatic load (AL) and physiological systems, and to test factor invariance across age and sex. METHODS Data were from the Midlife in the United States II Biomarker Project, a large (n = 1255) multisite study of adults aged 34 to 84 years (56.8% women). Specifically, 23 biomarkers were included, representing seven physiological systems: metabolic lipids, metabolic glucose, blood pressure, parasympathetic nervous system, sympathetic nervous system, hypothalamic-pituitary-adrenal axis, and inflammation. For factor invariance tests, age was categorized into three groups (≤45, 45-60, and >60 years). RESULTS A bifactor model where biomarkers simultaneously load onto a common AL factor and seven unique system-specific factors provided the best fit to the biomarker data (comparative fit index = 0.967, root mean square error of approximation = 0.043, standardized root mean square residual = 0.028). Results from the bifactor model were consistent with invariance across age groups and sex. CONCLUSIONS These results support the theory that represents and operationalizes AL as multisystem physiological dysregulation and operationalizing AL as the shared variance across biomarkers. Results also demonstrate that in addition to the variance in biomarkers accounted for by AL, individual physiological systems account for unique variance in system-specific biomarkers. A bifactor model allows researchers greater precision to examine both AL and the unique effects of specific systems.
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Affiliation(s)
- Joshua F. Wiley
- Department of Psychology, University of California, Los Angeles, CA, USA
- Mary MacKillop Institute for Health Research, Australian Catholic University, Victoria, Australia
| | - Tara L. Gruenewald
- Davis School of Gerontology, University of Southern California, Los Angeles, CA, USA
| | - Arun S. Karlamangla
- Division of Geriatrics, David Geffen School of Medicine, University of California, Los Angeles, CA, USA
| | - Teresa E. Seeman
- Division of Geriatrics, David Geffen School of Medicine, University of California, Los Angeles, CA, USA
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Cadet JL. Epigenetics of Stress, Addiction, and Resilience: Therapeutic Implications. Mol Neurobiol 2016; 53:545-560. [PMID: 25502297 PMCID: PMC4703633 DOI: 10.1007/s12035-014-9040-y] [Citation(s) in RCA: 95] [Impact Index Per Article: 11.9] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 10/20/2014] [Accepted: 11/30/2014] [Indexed: 12/12/2022]
Abstract
Substance use disorders (SUDs) are highly prevalent. SUDs involve vicious cycles of binges followed by occasional periods of abstinence with recurrent relapses despite treatment and adverse medical and psychosocial consequences. There is convincing evidence that early and adult stressful life events are risks factors for the development of addiction and serve as cues that trigger relapses. Nevertheless, the fact that not all individuals who face traumatic events develop addiction to licit or illicit drugs suggests the existence of individual and/or familial resilient factors that protect these mentally healthy individuals. Here, I give a brief overview of the epigenetic bases of responses to stressful events and of epigenetic changes associated with the administration of drugs of abuse. I also discuss the psychobiology of resilience and alterations in epigenetic markers that have been observed in models of resilience. Finally, I suggest the possibility that treatment of addiction should involve cognitive and pharmacological approaches that enhance resilience in at risk individuals. Similar approaches should also be used with patients who have already succumbed to the nefarious effects of addictive substances.
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Affiliation(s)
- Jean Lud Cadet
- Molecular Neuropsychiatry Research Branch, DHHS/NIH/NIDA Intramural Research Program, National Institutes of Health, 251 Bayview Boulevard, Baltimore, MD, 21224, USA.
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Lundwall RA, Dannemiller JL, Goldsmith HH. Genetic associations with reflexive visual attention in infancy and childhood. Dev Sci 2015; 20. [PMID: 26613685 DOI: 10.1111/desc.12371] [Citation(s) in RCA: 51] [Impact Index Per Article: 5.7] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 07/16/2014] [Accepted: 08/28/2015] [Indexed: 12/11/2022]
Abstract
This study elucidates genetic influences on reflexive (as opposed to sustained) attention in children (aged 9-16 years; N = 332) who previously participated as infants in visual attention studies using orienting to a moving bar (Dannemiller, 2004). We investigated genetic associations with reflexive attention measures in infancy and childhood in the same group of children. The genetic markers (single nucleotide polymorphisms and variable number tandem repeats on the genes APOE, BDNF, CHRNA4, COMT, DRD4, HTR4, IGF2, MAOA, SLC5A7, SLC6A3, and SNAP25) are related to brain development and/or to the availability of neurotransmitters such as acetylcholine, dopamine, or serotonin. This study shows that typically developing children have differences in reflexive attention associated with their genes, as we found in adults (Lundwall, Guo & Dannemiller, 2012). This effort to extend our previous findings to outcomes in infancy and childhood was necessary because genetic influence may differ over the course of development. Although two of the genes that were tested in our adult study (Lundwall et al., 2012) were significant in either our infant study (SLC6A3) or child study (DRD4), the specific markers tested differed. Performance on the infant task was associated with SLC6A3. In addition, several genetic associations with an analogous child task occurred with markers on CHRNA4, COMT, and DRD4. Interestingly, the child version of the task involved an interaction such that which genotype group performed poorer on the child task depended on whether we were examining the higher or lower infant scoring group. These findings are discussed in terms of genetic influences on reflexive attention in infancy and childhood.
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Belsky J, Ruttle PL, Boyce WT, Armstrong JM, Essex MJ. Early adversity, elevated stress physiology, accelerated sexual maturation, and poor health in females. Dev Psychol 2015; 51:816-822. [PMID: 25915592 PMCID: PMC4446150 DOI: 10.1037/dev0000017] [Citation(s) in RCA: 93] [Impact Index Per Article: 10.3] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 12/18/2022]
Abstract
Evolutionary-minded developmentalists studying predictive-adaptive-response processes linking childhood adversity with accelerated female reproductive development and health scientists investigating the developmental origins of health and disease (DOoHaD) may be tapping the same process, whereby longer-term health costs are traded off for increased probability of reproducing before dying via a process of accelerated reproductive maturation. Using data from 73 females, we test the following propositions using path analysis: (a) greater exposure to prenatal stress predicts greater maternal depression and negative parenting in infancy, (b) which predicts elevated basal cortisol at 4.5 years, (c) which predicts accelerated adrenarcheal development, (d) which predicts more physical and mental health problems at age 18. Results prove generally consistent with these propositions, including a direct link from cortisol to mental health problems. DOoHaD investigators should consider including early sexual maturation as a core component linking early adversity and stress physiology with poor health later in life in females.
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Affiliation(s)
- Jay Belsky
- Department of Human Ecology, University of California, Davis
| | - Paula L. Ruttle
- Department of Psychiatry, School of Medicine and Public Health, University of Wisconsin–Madison
| | | | - Jeffrey M. Armstrong
- Department of Psychiatry, School of Medicine and Public Health, University of Wisconsin–Madison
| | - Marilyn J. Essex
- Department of Psychiatry, School of Medicine and Public Health, University of Wisconsin–Madison
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Chen E, Miller GE, Brody GH, Lei M. Neighborhood Poverty, College Attendance, and Diverging Profiles of Substance Use and Allostatic Load in Rural African American Youth. Clin Psychol Sci 2014; 3:675-685. [PMID: 26366329 DOI: 10.1177/2167702614546639] [Citation(s) in RCA: 63] [Impact Index Per Article: 6.3] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Submit a Manuscript] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 11/15/2022]
Abstract
A subset of African American youth who live in impoverished neighborhoods display resilient profiles academically and behaviorally. We hypothesized that this resilience might be "skin-deep," in that the ongoing efforts needed to achieve success might take a physiological toll on these youth. At age 19, 452 rural African American youth were assessed on broader contextual risk (neighborhood poverty) and external indicators of success (college attendance). One year later, participants were assessed on substance use and cumulative physiological risk (allostatic load). African American youth from more disadvantaged neighborhoods who attended college had lower levels of substance use, but higher levels of allostatic load compared to those from less disadvantaged neighborhoods who attended college, or to those who did not attend college. These findings indicate that a subset of African American youth from poor neighborhoods exhibits a profile of "skin-deep resilience," characterized by external successes combined with heightened internal physiological risk.
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Brody GH, Yu T, MacKillop J, Miller GE, Chen E, Obasi EM, Beach SRH. Catecholamine levels and delay discounting forecast drug use among African American youths. Addiction 2014; 109:1112-8. [PMID: 24521257 PMCID: PMC4048637 DOI: 10.1111/add.12516] [Citation(s) in RCA: 12] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.2] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Submit a Manuscript] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 05/13/2013] [Revised: 08/19/2013] [Accepted: 02/03/2014] [Indexed: 11/26/2022]
Abstract
AIMS To test hypotheses about the contributions of the catecholamines epinephrine and norepinephrine [which serve as biological markers of life stress through sympathetic nervous system (SNS) activation], delay discounting and their interaction to the prediction of drug use among young African American adults. DESIGN A 1-year prospective study that involved assessment of SNS activity and collection of self-report data involving delay discounting and drug use. SETTING Rural communities in the southeastern United States. PARTICIPANTS A total of 456 African Americans who were 19 years of age at the beginning of the study. MEASUREMENTS At age 19, participants provided overnight urine voids that were assayed for epinephrine and norepinephrine. Participants were also assessed for hyperbolic temporal discounting functions (k) and drug use. At age 20, the participants again reported their drug use. FINDINGS Linear regression analyses revealed that (i) catecholamine levels at age 19 forecast increases in drug use [B = 0.087, P < 0.01, 95% confidence interval (CI) = 0.025, 0.148] and (ii) among young men, catecholamine levels interacted positively with delay discounting to forecast increases in drug use (simple slope = 0.113, P < 0.001, 95% CI = 0.074, 0.152). CONCLUSIONS Higher urinary catecholamine concentrations in their adulthood predict higher levels of drug use a year later among young African American men in the United States who engage in high, but not low, levels of delay discounting.
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Affiliation(s)
- Gene H. Brody
- Center for Family Research, University of Georgia, 1095 College Station Road, Athens, GA 30602-4527
| | - Tianyi Yu
- Center for Family Research, University of Georgia, 1095 College Station Road, Athens, GA 30602-4527
| | - James MacKillop
- Department of Psychology, University of Georgia, 125 Baldwin Street, Athens, GA 30602-3013
| | - Gregory E. Miller
- Department of Psychology, Northwestern University, 2029 Sheridan Road, Evanston, IL 60208-2710
| | - Edith Chen
- Department of Psychology, Northwestern University, 2029 Sheridan Road, Evanston, IL 60208-2710
| | - Ezemenari M. Obasi
- Department of Educational Psychology, University of Houston, 4800 Calhoun Road, Houston, TX 77204
| | - Steven R. H. Beach
- Owens Institute for Behavioral Research, University of Georgia, 200 D. W. Brooks Drive, Athens, GA 30602-7419
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Childhood abuse, parental warmth, and adult multisystem biological risk in the Coronary Artery Risk Development in Young Adults study. Proc Natl Acad Sci U S A 2013; 110:17149-53. [PMID: 24062432 DOI: 10.1073/pnas.1315458110] [Citation(s) in RCA: 129] [Impact Index Per Article: 11.7] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 11/18/2022] Open
Abstract
Childhood abuse increases adult risk for morbidity and mortality. Less clear is how this "toxic" stress becomes embedded to influence health decades later, and whether protective factors guard against these effects. Early biological embedding is hypothesized to occur through programming of the neural circuitry that influences physiological response patterns to subsequent stress, causing wear and tear across multiple regulatory systems. To examine this hypothesis, we related reports of childhood abuse to a comprehensive 18-biomarker measure of multisystem risk and also examined whether presence of a loving parental figure buffers against the impact of childhood abuse on adult risk. A total of 756 subjects (45.8% white, 42.7% male) participated in this ancillary substudy of the Coronary Artery Risk Development in Young Adults Study. Childhood stress was determined by using the Risky Families Questionnaire, a well-validated retrospective self-report scale. Linear regression models adjusting for age, sex, race, parental education, and oral contraceptive use found a significant positive relationship between reports of childhood abuse and multisystem health risks [B (SE) = 0.68 (0.16); P < 0.001]. Inversely, higher amounts of reported parental warmth and affection during childhood was associated with lower multisystem health risks [B (SE) = -0.40 (0.14); P < 0.005]. A significant interaction of abuse and warmth (P < 0.05) was found, such that individuals reporting low levels of love and affection and high levels of abuse in childhood had the highest multisystem risk in adulthood.
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Brody GH, Chen YF, Yu T, Beach SRH, Kogan SM, Simons RL, Windle M, Philibert RA. Life stress, the dopamine receptor gene, and emerging adult drug use trajectories: a longitudinal, multilevel, mediated moderation analysis. Dev Psychopathol 2012; 24:941-51. [PMID: 22781864 PMCID: PMC3395235 DOI: 10.1017/s0954579412000466] [Citation(s) in RCA: 26] [Impact Index Per Article: 2.2] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 02/03/2023]
Abstract
This study was designed to examine the prospective relations of life stress and genetic status with increases in drug use. African Americans (N = 399) in rural Georgia (Wave 1 mean age = 17 years) provided three waves of data across 27.5 months and a saliva sample from which the dopamine receptor D4 (DRD4) gene was genotyped. Multilevel growth curve modeling analysis indicated that emerging adults manifested the highest escalations in drug use when they reported high life stress and carried an allele of DRD4 with 7 or more repeats (7 + R allele). In addition, emerging adults who reported high life stress and carried the 7 + R allele evinced the largest increases in two proximal risk factors for drug use: affiliations with drug-using companions and drug use vulnerability cognitions. Furthermore, when the Gene × Environment interaction effects on the increases in affiliations with drug-using companions and vulnerability cognitions were entered into the model forecasting drug use, the Life Stress × DRD4 Status interaction on drug use became nonsignificant in the presence of the risk mechanisms. This finding provides an example of "second generation" Gene × Environment interaction research in which the interaction's effects on proximal risk mechanisms account for its effects on outcomes.
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Affiliation(s)
- Gene H Brody
- University of Georgia, Center for Family Research, 1095 College Station Road, Athens, GA 30602-4527, USA.
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