Early Socioeconomic Adversity and Young Adult Physical Illness: The Role of Body Mass Index and Depressive Symptoms

Abstract

Purpose The present study investigated the psycho-physiological inter and intra-individual processes that mediate the linkage between childhood/adolescent socioeconomic adversities and adult health outcomes. Specifically, the proposed model examined the roles of youth depressive symptoms and BMI trajectories as mediators that explain the link between early adversity and young adults’ general health and physical illnesses after controlling for gender, race/ethnicity, and earlier general health reports. Methods Using a nationally representative sample of 12,424 from National Longitudinal Study of Adolescent Health (Add Health), this study used growth curve modeling to consider both the severity (initial level) as well as the change over time (deterioration or elevation) as psycho-physiological mediators, thereby acknowledging multiple facets of depressive symptoms and BMI trajectories as psych-physiological mediators of early adversity to adult health. Results Results provide evidence for (a) the influence of early childhood and early adolescent cumulative socioeconomic adversity on both the initial levels and changes over time of depressive symptoms and BMI and (b) the independent influences depressive symptoms and BMI trajectories on the general health and the physical illnesses of young adults Conclusions These findings contribute valuable knowledge to existing research by elucidating how early adversity exerts an enduring long-term influence on physical health problems in young adulthood; further, this information suggests effective intervention and prevention programs should incorporate multiple facets (severity and change over time) of multiple mechanisms (psychological and physiological).

Accelerated epigenetic aging mediates link between adverse childhood experiences and depressive symptoms in older adults: Results from the Health and Retirement Study

“…Thus, a portion of the effects of ACEs on epigenetic aging may be mediated by socioeconomic and lifestyle consequences of childhood adversity. This is consistent with a large body of research linking childhood adversity with BMI ( Chu et al, 2018 ; Pudrovska & Anikputa, 2014 ; Wickrama et al, 2014 ), health risk behaviors ( Campbell et al, 2016 ; Duffy et al, 2018 ; Merrick et al, 2017 ), and socioeconomic attainment ( Font & Maguire-Jack, 2016 ; Liu et al, 2013 ; Yang et al, 2017 ) and research suggesting the effect of ACEs on depressive symptoms is mediated by these socioeconomic and lifestyle factors ( Hughes et al, 2017 ; Jones et al, 2018 ; Merrick et al, 2017 ; Wickrama et al, 2014 ). Additionally, BMI ( Visser et al, 1999 ), health risk behaviors ( Shiels et al, 2014 ), and socioeconomic attainment ( Castagné et al, 2020 ; Chen & Miller, 2013 ) have all been linked to inflammation, a potential pathway linking ACEs to depressive symptoms ( Howren et al, 2009 ).…”

Adverse Childhood Experiences and the Presence of Cancer Risk Factors in Adulthood: A Scoping Review of the Literature From 2005 to 2015

“…Collectively, summed adversity scores (Afifi, Mota, MacMillan, & Sareen, 2013; Crowell et al, 2016; Davis, Usher, et al, 2014; Dube et al, 2010; Duncan, Sartor, et al, 2015; Font & Maguire-Jack, 2016; Friedman, Montez, Sheehan, Guenewald, & Seeman, 2015; Greenfield & Marks, 2009; Hostinar et al, 2015; Li, Chassan, Bruer, Gower, & Shelton, 2015; McCauley et al, 2015; Pederson & Wilson, 2009; Richardson, Dietz, & Gordon-Larsen, 2014; Spann et al, 2014), including early socioeconomic hardships (Bae, Wickrama, & O'Neal, 2014; Wickrama, Kwon, Oshri, & Lee, 2014) and academic adversity (Friedman, Montez, et al, 2015), were positively associated with obesity-related measures. These findings were upheld in female-only samples (Alvarez, Pavao, Baumrind, & Kimerling, 2007; Duncan, Sartor, et al, 2015; Midei, Matthews, & Bromberger, 2010; Shinozaki, Romanowicz, Kung, Rundell, & Mrazek, 2012; Tietjen et al, 2012).…”

Prevalence and factors associated with depression among pregnant mothers in the West Shoa zone, Ethiopia: a community-based cross-sectional study

“…For example, a population-based cohort study conducted in the Netherlands that included a total of 5398 pregnant mothers to investigate the association between maternal socio-economic position and depression reported a statistically significant association between depression during pregnancy and income [21]. Further, a study that investigated the influence of early childhood and early adolescent cumulative socio-economic adversity on the occurrence of depression using a sample of 12,424 has shown a similar association [41]. Unplanned pregnancy increased the odds of depression during pregnancy.…”