The effects of childhood sexual abuse on cortisol trajectories in pregnancy are moderated by current family functioning

Bublitz, Margaret H.; Parade, Stephanie H.; Stroud, Laura R.

doi:10.1016/j.biopsycho.2014.08.014

Cited by 39 publications

(39 citation statements)

References 49 publications

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“…Heim et al (74) showed that CSF CRF concentrations were correlated with the severity and duration of physical and sexual abuse, and high CRF may arise due to GR down-regulation and impaired negative feedback inhibition, as supported by early reports linking childhood abuse with higher cortisol response to the DEX/CRH challenge test in adults (71, 78). Recent work has shown that some subjects having experienced childhood abuse exhibit lower levels of cortisol, with marked differences depending on gender (79–82), time of cortisol sampling (79), source tissue (83), type of abuse (84, 85), and the presence of concurrent psychiatric (71, 78) or other health conditions (84). Importantly, decreased cortisol may not be exclusively linked to PTSD (83, 86), as has often been supposed (87, 88); rather, decreased cortisol production may reflect an adaptation to chronically stressful situations, whereas elevated cortisol production may prime individuals to react to unpredictable stressors, and these situations may both constitute ELA (81).…”

Section: Resultsmentioning

confidence: 99%

Effects of the Social Environment and Stress on Glucocorticoid Receptor Gene Methylation: A Systematic Review

Turecki

Meaney

2016

Biological Psychiatry

615

419

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The early-life social environment can induce stable changes that influence neurodevelopment and mental health. Research focused on early-life adversity revealed that early-life experiences have a persistent impact on gene expression and behaviour through epigenetic mechanisms. The hypothalamus-pituitary-adrenal (HPA) axis is sensitive to changes in the early-life environment that associate with DNA methylation of a neuron-specific exon 17 promoter of the glucocorticoid receptor (GR; NR3C1). Since Weaver et al published the initial findings in 2004, numerous reports have investigated GR gene methylation in relationship to early-life experience, parental stress and psychopathology. We conducted a systematic review of this growing literature, which identified 40 articles (13 animal and 27 human studies) published since 2004. The majority of these examined the GR exon variant 1F in humans or the GR17 in rats, and 89% of human studies and 70% of animal studies of early-life adversity reported increased methylation at this exon variant. All the studies investigating exon 1F/17 methylation in conditions of parental stress (one animal study and 7 human studies) also reported increased methylation. Studies examining psychosocial stress and psychopathology had less consistent results, with 67% of animal studies reporting increased exon 17 methylation and 17% of human studies reporting increased exon 1F methylation. We found great consistency among studies investigating early life adversity and the effect of parental stress, even if the precise phenotype and measures of social environment adversity varied among studies. These results are encouraging and warrant further investigation to better understand correlates and characteristics of these associations.

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Section: Resultsmentioning

confidence: 99%

Effects of the Social Environment and Stress on Glucocorticoid Receptor Gene Methylation: A Systematic Review

Turecki

Meaney

2016

Biological Psychiatry

615

419

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“…In this vein, studies using Adverse Childhood Experiences Scale (ACES; Dube et al, 2003) suggest that childhood trauma could alter neurobiological mechanisms involved in later stress responses, such as amygdala activity and daily cortisol rhythms (Bublitz & Stroud, 2013; Teicher & Samson, 2013), and accelerated cell aging (Chen et al, 2014). Further research has indicated that the biological correlates of childhood trauma in adulthood might be even more pronounced in the context of current stress, demonstrating the importance of assessing both childhood trauma and current environments in studies of adult psychopathology (Bubliz, Parade, & Stroud, 2014). Our finding that the cross-level interaction was significant for MD, but not PTS, symptoms suggests that the impact of neighborhood crime could have a more general impact on survivors’ mental health, rather than an effect on symptoms tied to a specific traumatic event.…”

Section: Discussionmentioning

confidence: 99%

Childhood trauma and neighborhood-level crime interact in predicting adult posttraumatic stress and major depression symptoms

Lowe

Quinn

Richards

et al. 2016

Child Abuse & Neglect

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Previous research has identified several individual-level factors that modify the risk of childhood trauma on adult psychiatric symptoms, including symptoms of major depression (MD) and posttraumatic stress (PTS). Neighborhood-level factors also influence the impact of individual-level exposures on adult psychopathology. However, no prior studies to our knowledge have explored cross-level interactions between childhood trauma and neighborhood-level factors on MD and PTS symptoms. The purpose of this study was therefore to explore cross-level interactions between a neighborhood-level factor – neighborhood-level crime – and childhood trauma on MD and PTS symptoms. Participants in this study (N = 3,192) were recruited from a large public hospital, and completed self-report inventories of childhood trauma and MD and PTS symptoms. Participant addresses were mapped onto 2010 census tracts, and data on crime within each tract was collected. Multilevel models found a significant cross-level interaction between childhood trauma and neighborhood crime on MD symptoms, such that the influence of high levels of childhood trauma on MD symptoms was enhanced for participants living in high-crime neighborhoods. Supplementary analyses found variation in the strength of cross-level interaction terms by types of childhood trauma and crime, with the strongest associations including emotional neglect paired with personal and property crime. The results provide preliminary support for interventions that help childhood trauma survivors find housing in less vulnerable neighborhoods and build skills to cope with neighborhood crime.

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“…For example, pregnant women with a history of childhood sexual abuse exhibit a significantly higher cortisol awakening response (a marker of HPA axis dysregulation) compared to pregnant women without a history of sexual abuse, 84 which is further exacerbated by maternal stress during pregnancy. 85,86 Women exposed to physical and/or sexual abuse have been reported during pregnancy to have increased cortisol concentrations in hair (a measure of cumulative cortisol production). 87 Pregnant women with a history of CM also are more likely to develop conditions in pregnancy such as depression, 12,56,88 sleep disturbances, 89 and certain obstetric complications 15,90 that, in turn, are associated with altered MPF endocrine and immune/inflammatory stress biology.…”

Section: Mechanisms Of Intergenerational Transmission Of Childhood Mamentioning

confidence: 99%

Intergenerational Transmission of Maternal Childhood Maltreatment Exposure: Implications for Fetal Brain Development

Buß

Entringer

Moog

et al. 2017

Journal of the American Academy of Child & Adolescent Psych

193

153

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Objective Growing evidence suggests the deleterious consequences of exposure to childhood maltreatment (CM) may not only endure over the exposed individual’s life span, but also may be transmitted across generations. The time windows, mechanisms, and targets of such intergenerational transmission are, however, poorly understood. The prevailing paradigm posits that mother-to-child transmission of the effects of maternal CM likely occurs after her child’s birth. We seek to extend this paradigm, and we advance here a trans-disciplinary framework that integrates the concepts of biological embedding of life experiences and fetal origins of health and disease risk. Method We posit that the period of embryonic and fetal life represents a particularly sensitive time for intergenerational transmission; that the developing brain represents a target of particular interest; and that stress-sensitive maternal-placental-fetal biological (endocrine, immune) pathways represent leading candidate mechanisms of interest. Results The plausibility of our model is supported by theoretical considerations and empirical findings in humans and animals. We synthesize several research areas and identify important knowledge gaps that may warrant further study. Conclusion The scientific and public health relevance of this effort relates to achieving a better understanding of the “when,” “what,” and “how” of intergenerational transmission of CM, with implications for early identification of risk, prevention, and intervention.

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The effects of childhood sexual abuse on cortisol trajectories in pregnancy are moderated by current family functioning

Cited by 39 publications

References 49 publications

Effects of the Social Environment and Stress on Glucocorticoid Receptor Gene Methylation: A Systematic Review

Effects of the Social Environment and Stress on Glucocorticoid Receptor Gene Methylation: A Systematic Review

Childhood trauma and neighborhood-level crime interact in predicting adult posttraumatic stress and major depression symptoms

Intergenerational Transmission of Maternal Childhood Maltreatment Exposure: Implications for Fetal Brain Development

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