The fear that remains: Associations between trauma, related psychopathology, and fear‐potentiated startle in youth resettled as refugees

Grasser, Lana Ruvolo; Saad, Bassem; Bazzi, Celine; Suhaiban, Hiba Abu; Mammo, Dalia; Izar, Ragda; Rass, Noor Abou; Winters, Sterling; Nashef, Raya; Ali, Ayat Abed; Javanbakht, Arash; Jovanović, Tanja

doi:10.1002/dev.22385

Cited by 4 publications

(2 citation statements)

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“…The resultant data were exported for statistical analysis. We used the peak EMG signal 20–200 ms after each startle probe as a measure of participants’ acoustic startle responses [ 53 , 57 , 58 , 59 , 60 ]. The EDA measurements were used to compute participants’ skin conductance response (SCR).…”

Section: Methodsmentioning

confidence: 99%

Pre-Learning Stress That Is Temporally Removed from Acquisition Impairs Fear Learning

Zoladz

Cordes

Weiser

et al. 2023

Biology

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Few studies have examined the time-dependent effects of stress on fear learning. Previously, we found that stress immediately before fear conditioning enhanced fear learning. Here, we aimed to extend these findings by assessing the effects of stress 30 min prior to fear conditioning on fear learning and fear generalization. Two hundred and twenty-one healthy adults underwent stress (socially evaluated cold pressor test) or a control manipulation 30 min before completing differential fear conditioning in a fear-potentiated startle paradigm. One visual stimulus (CS+), but not another (CS−), was associated with an aversive airblast to the throat (US) during acquisition. The next day, participants were tested for their fear responses to the CS+, CS−, and several generalization stimuli. Stress impaired the acquisition of fear on Day 1 but had no significant impact on fear generalization. The stress-induced impairment of fear learning was particularly evident in participants who exhibited a robust cortisol response to the stressor. These findings are consistent with the notion that stress administered 30 min before learning impairs memory formation via corticosteroid-related mechanisms and may help us understand how fear memories are altered in stress-related psychological disorders.

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Section: Methodsmentioning

confidence: 99%

Pre-Learning Stress That Is Temporally Removed from Acquisition Impairs Fear Learning

Zoladz

Cordes

Weiser

et al. 2023

Biology

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“…Stress exposure also alters large-scale brain networks that support cognitive and affective functions, such as detecting salient stimuli, cognitive control, and reward processing (see McLaughlin et al, 2019 for review). Taken together, these neurobiological changes likely contribute to the development of emotional and behavioral difficulties and mental health conditions among migrant and refugee youth following the trauma they experience (Cohodes et al, 2021; Grasser et al, 2023).…”

Section: Neurobiological Mechanisms Linking Migration-related Trauma ...mentioning

confidence: 99%

Developmental Neuroscience Informs Policy Related to Migrant and Refugee Children's Mental Health

Kribakaran,

Cohodes,

Gee

2023

Policy Insights from the Behavioral and Brain Sciences

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Migrant and refugee children commonly experience traumatic events and stressful conditions along their migration journeys. Migration-related trauma can have persisting effects on children's mental health. Developmental neuroscience suggests neural mechanisms that connect these experiences to mental health conditions such as post-traumatic stress disorder. This research review, focused on migrant families emigrating from Mexico, Central America, and Haiti and bound for the United States, first overviews the nature of trauma exposure faced by migrant families and next delineates potential neurobiological mechanisms underlying the effects of migration-related trauma on youth mental health. Finally, detailed policy recommendations relate to (1) providing mental health care, (2) addressing chronic stressors in the context of daily life, and (3) preventing migration-related trauma.

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The contribution of childhood trauma to irritability symptoms

Grasser,

Yang,

Brotman

et al. 2024

JCPP Advances

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BackgroundIrritability is a transdiagnostic psychiatric phenotype defined as an increased proneness to anger relative to peers. Trauma is defined as actual or threatened death, serious injury, or sexual violence while adversity more broadly describes difficult or challenging situations including abuse, neglect, and household dysfunction. Irritability [or aggression] is symptom of posttraumatic stress disorder (PTSD) and may arise in response to trauma or traumatic events. Responses to negative early life experiences may differ based on the type of exposure, for example, threat (abuse) versus deprivation (neglect), with implications for development of psychopathology. Therefore, the objective of this study was to investigate the relation between exposure to threat and deprivation, and irritability in a predominantly Hispanic/Latin sample. We hypothesized unique effects of threat versus deprivation on irritability.MethodsWe investigated relations between threat and deprivation aspects of childhood trauma (within each dimension) and later irritability in a sample of n = 48 (26F) youth ages 9–19 (Mage = 14.89, SD = 2.04) recruited based on trauma exposure. Multivariate regression tested the unique effects of threat and deprivation (measurement: Childhood Trauma Questionnaire) on irritability (measurement: Affective Reactivity Index).ResultsGreater threat exposure was associated with more severe self‐reported irritability, F(1,46) = 8.64, B = 0.40, R2 = 0.14, p = 0.005. Findings remained significant after controlling for values of excessive influence and the non‐significant effect of gender (B = 0.25, t = 1.88, p = 0.067). When looking at the unique effects of threat adjusted for deprivation, the relation between threat and irritability remained significant, B = 0.35, t = 2.45, p = 0.019. There was no significant association between deprivation and irritability, F(1,46) = 3.35, B = 0.26, R2 = 0.05, p = 0.074.ConclusionsExposure to threat, but not deprivation, may increase risk for irritability in youth. Early life experiences should be considered in assessment and treatment of youth with clinically impairing irritability. Transdiagnostic treatments targeting irritability should be tested for youth with trauma exposure who do not meet criteria for post‐traumatic stress disorder.

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The fear that remains: Associations between trauma, related psychopathology, and fear‐potentiated startle in youth resettled as refugees

Cited by 4 publications

References 63 publications

Pre-Learning Stress That Is Temporally Removed from Acquisition Impairs Fear Learning

Pre-Learning Stress That Is Temporally Removed from Acquisition Impairs Fear Learning

Developmental Neuroscience Informs Policy Related to Migrant and Refugee Children's Mental Health

The contribution of childhood trauma to irritability symptoms

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