Stress Sensitization and Adolescent Depressive Severity as a Function of Childhood Adversity: A Link to Anxiety Disorders

Abstract

The goal of the present study was to determine whether exposure to adversity in childhood contributes to a differential threshold at which stressful life events provoke depressive reactions in adolescence. In addition, to address empirical and conceptual questions about stress effects, the moderating effect of anxiety disorder history was also explored. This examination was conducted in a sample of 816 children of depressed and nondepressed mothers, who were followed from birth to age 15. Information on adversities experienced in childhood was collected both from mothers during the first five years of their youth's life and from the youths themselves at age 15, and included information on the mother's relationship with her partner, maternal psychopathology, as well as youth-reported abuse. Results indicated that youths with both greater exposure to adversity in childhood and a history of an anxiety disorder displayed increased depressive severity following low levels of episodic stress compared to youths with only one or neither of these risk factors. The results are speculated to reflect the possibility that early anxiety disorders associated with exposure to adversity in childhood may be a marker of dysregulated stress responses, and may help to account for the comorbidity of depression and anxiety in some individuals.

Childhood adversity, adult stressful life events, and risk of past-year psychiatric disorder: a test of the stress sensitization hypothesis in a population-based sample of adults

“…Since this study, stress sensitization effects have been documented in at least five other investigations (Dougherty et al, 2004, Espejo et al, 2006, Harkness et al, 2006, Kendler et al, 2004, Rudolph and Flynn, 2007. Each of these studies finds an interaction between CA and later stress such that depression risk associated with stressful events is particularly heightened among individuals with a history of CAs.…”

“…Each of these studies finds an interaction between CA and later stress such that depression risk associated with stressful events is particularly heightened among individuals with a history of CAs. Elevated risk for MDE among those with CA exposure was evident after low levels of subsequent stress exposure in some of these studies (Harkness et al, 2006), whereas in others heightened vulnerability to MDEs associated with CA exposure was observed only after high levels of stress exposure (Espejo et al, 2006, Kendler et al, 2004. Stress sensitization effects have also been reported among individuals with dysthymia, such that the association between chronic stress and the severity of depressive symptoms was stronger among individuals with a history of CAs (Dougherty et al, 2004).…”

“…Evidence of stress sensitization effects is based on clinical or community samples of primarily females and studies that have focused exclusively on depressive disorders (Dougherty et al, 2004, Espejo et al, 2006, Hammen et al, 2000, Harkness et al, 2006, Rudolph and Flynn, 2007. As a result, the generalizability of these findings, particularly to males, remains unclear.…”

An examination of the association of abuse (physical, sexual, or emotional) and female sexual dysfunction: results from the Boston Area Community Health Survey

“…Medically, abuse has been strongly associated with a range of gastroenterological and genitourinary symptoms (7)(8)(9)(10)(11)(12)(13)(14)(15), pain (16), and worse daily functioning due to poor health (17). Abuse has also been associated with a range of mental health outcomes, including depression and post-traumatic stress disorder (18)(19)(20)(21)(22)(23)(24)(25)(26)(27)(28) as well as substance abuse (29).…”

Early life adversity induced third ventricular enlargement in young adult male patients suffered from major depressive disorder: a study of brain morphology

“…In recent years, ELA was considered to be related to adult affective disorders. There is compelling evidence that early adverse experiences, such as parental loss and maltreatment, are associated with a higher risk for developing depression in later life 8,9 . In a review, Heim et al 10 revealed that ELA significantly increases the incidence of affective disorders and can have an impact on the development of emotional abilities.…”