Associations between adverse childhood family environments and blood pressure differ between men and women

Abstract

BackgroundIt is unclear how adverse childhood family environments differentially impact adult health outcomes among men and women. This brief communication reports on the independent and joint effects of adverse childhood family environments and sex on indicators of health in adulthood.Methods & Results213 18-55-year olds reported on their childhood family environment (Risky Families Questionnaire (RFQ); Family Environment Scale (FEStotal)) and their current perceived stress and depressive and anxious affect. Resting systolic (SBP) and diastolic blood pressure (DBP), and heart rate (HR) were taken during a laboratory visit, and total cortisol output was measured in saliva samples collected at home. Exposure to childhood adversity did not vary by sex. Women had lower SBP, DBP, and total cortisol output, but higher HR, than men (ps < .05). Sex moderated the association between childhood family environment and SBP (RFQ: B = -.316; SE = .120; p = .009; FEStotal: B = -.274; SE = .117; p = .021) and DBP (FEStotal: B = -.193; SE = .094; p = .041), such that exposure to greater childhood adversity was linked to lower BP in women only. Results were largely unchanged after adjusting for concurrent perceived stress and depressive and anxious affect. Separate effects of individual FES subscales are also discussed.ConclusionsContrary to expectations, exposure to adverse childhood family environments was associated with lower resting BP among women, perhaps indicative of basal cardiovascular hypoactivation, whereas early adversity was not linked to BP among men.

Adverse Childhood Experiences and Blood Pressure in Women in the United States: A Systematic Review

“…A national cohort study of 12,420 young adults, half of whom were female, found a lower prevalence of hypertension in women who experienced physical abuse (aOR, 0.81; 95% CI, 0.64‐1.01) or had social services involvement (aOR, 0.78; 95% CI, 0.50‐1.22), but again the difference was not statistically significant 36 . In a smaller sample of 213 adults from the greater Pittsburgh area, family conflict and emotional neglect were associated with lower systolic and diastolic blood pressure among women but not among men 34 …”

“…Several studies in this review did not identify a direct relationship between ACEs and a single blood pressure measurement. Moreover, 3 cross‐sectional analyses reported that higher ACE scores were associated with having lower, not higher, blood pressure 27,34,36 . This enigmatic finding should be interrogated further to explore hypotheses such as (1) the differential relationship of the sympathetic nervous system and blood pressure among women versus men 43 and (2) the role of estrogen receptors in the brain on the sympathetic nervous system 4 …”

“…Moreover, 3 cross-sectional analyses reported that higher ACE scores were associated with having lower, not higher, blood pressure. 27,34,36 This enigmatic finding should be interrogated further to explore hypotheses such as (1) the differential relationship of the sympathetic nervous system and blood pressure among women versus men 43 and (2) the role of estrogen receptors in the brain on the sympathetic nervous system. 4 Notably, there were important findings about the association between ACEs and the trajectory of blood pressure over time.…”

“…36 In a smaller sample of 213 adults from the greater Pittsburgh area, family conflict and emotional neglect were associated with lower systolic and diastolic blood pressure among women but not among men. 34…”

Family promotion of children's healthy lifestyles during theCOVID‐19 pandemic in light of Saudi Vision 2030

“…Therefore, it is critical to develop public health and social challenges that improve the lives of children, families, and societies. (Merrick et al, 2019;Schreier et al, 2019).…”