Adverse Childhood Life Events and Postpartum Psychosis in Bipolar Disorder

Background Women with bipolar disorder are at increased risk of postpartum psychosis. Adverse childhood life events have been associated with depression in the postpartum period, but have been little studied in relation to postpartum psychosis. In this study we investigated whether adverse childhood life events are associated with postpartum psychosis in a large sample of women with bipolar I disorder. Methods Participants were 432 parous women with DSM-IV bipolar I disorder recruited into the Bipolar Disorder Research Network (www.BDRN.org). Diagnoses and lifetime psychopathology, including perinatal episodes, were obtained via a semi-structured interview (Schedules for Clinical Assessment in Neuropsychiatry; Wing et al., 1990) and case-notes. Adverse childhood life events were assessed via self-report and case-notes, and compared between women with postpartum psychosis (n=208) and those without a lifetime history of perinatal mood episodes (n=224). Results There was no significant difference in the rate of any adverse childhood life event, including childhood sexual abuse, or in the total number of adverse childhood life events between women who experienced postpartum psychosis and those without a lifetime history of perinatal mood episodes, even after controlling for demographic and clinical differences between the groups. Limitations Adverse childhood life events were assessed in adulthood and therefore may be subject to recall errors. Conclusions We found no evidence for an association between adverse childhood life events and the occurrence of postpartum psychosis. Our data suggest that, unlike postpartum depression, childhood adversity does not play a significant role in the triggering of postpartum psychosis in women with bipolar disorder

Adverse Childhood Events, Empathy, and Altruism

poster abstractWith a growing prevalence of adverse treatment of children, it is important to look into the longterm effects of negative childhood experiences – specifically their capacities for empathic concern and helping behavior. Empathy is the tendency to read and interpret others’ emotions. Long-term outcomes of adverse childhood events (ACE) include a host of mental health disorders. Other studies have found that, on the other hand, ACE is correlated to an increase in empathy. Previous studies have also indicated that stress can increase prosocial behavior; the latter seems to function in offsetting the effects of the former. Clarification can be found in a motivational process model, which theorizes that experiencing ACE increases one’s motivation to help others who may experience the same circumstances. While ACE may indeed initially result in a blunting of affect, successfully overcoming the effects of these events often leads to a desire to change outcomes for others. 836 adults (72.5% female) completed an online survey that included the Interpersonal Reactivity Index, the Adverse Childhood Events scale, and the altruistic behaviors scale. In line with previous research, both Adverse Childhood Events, r=.155, p<.001, and empathic concern, r=.188, p<.001, are positively correlated with altruism. However, there is little research that determines the link between adverse childhood events and empathy. Not only are empathic concern, B=.153, p=<.001, and the experience of adverse childhood events, B=.190, p<.001, positively associated with altruism, but there is a strong interaction affect between empathic concern and adverse childhood events, B=.107, p=.002. In other words, the interaction between empathic concern and a history of adverse childhood events is positively associated with altruism. Most research on factors associated with altruism has focused on simple main effects. However, by exploring interaction effects, we can better determine what types of people are more likely to behave altruistically

Childhood adverse life events and skeletal muscle mitochondrial function.

Social stress experienced in childhood is associated with adverse health later in life. Mitochondrial function has been implicated as a mechanism for how stressful life events get under the skin to influence physical well-being. Using data from the Study of Muscle, Mobility, and Aging (n = 879, 59% women), linear models examined whether adverse childhood events (i.e., physical abuse) were associated with two measures of skeletal muscle mitochondrial energetics in older adults: (i) maximal adenosine triphosphate production (ATPmax) and (ii) maximal state 3 respiration (Max OXPHOS). Forty-five percent of the sample reported experiencing one or more adverse childhood events. After adjustment, each additional event was associated with -0.08 SD (95% confidence interval = -0.13, -0.02) lower ATPmax. No association was observed with Max OXPHOS. Adverse childhood events are associated with lower ATP production in later life. Findings indicate that mitochondrial function may be a mechanism for understanding how early social stress influences health in later life

Adverse Childhood Experiences and Early Life Adversity and their Effects on Chronic Health: A Literature Review

With more than 439,000 annual U.S. deaths associated with childhood adversity, it is important to understand and prevent exposure to Adverse Childhood Events and Early Life Adversity. The purpose of this literature review is to identify and examine the pathophysiology between adverse childhood experiences (ACE’s) and their negative effects on health across the lifespan. Fifteen peer-reviewed articles that were published in notable journals were analyzed to include in this review. The results of these articles show that Adverse Childhood Experiences and Early Life Adversity can lead to the development of chronic inflammatory conditions across the lifespan. Using Barker Hypothesis and the Early Life Sensitivity Model, this review examines the pathophysiological mechanisms by which ACE’s and ELA can lead to dysregulation of the immune system and the hypothalamic-pituitary-adrenal (HPA) axis. Early childhood exposure to adverse events causes chronic heightened cortisol levels and increased inflammatory markers, which contribute to the development and increase the risk of chronic inflammatory diseases. Interventions focused on protecting children and preventing exposure to adverse events are a priority in combating these long-term health effects

Our Early Years of Life\u27s Effects on our Future Health and Well-Being

Many poor health outcomes later into adulthood have been triggered by adverse life events that have occurred during childhood. Most of the general population has experienced some sort of adverse childhood event that has negatively impacted their future health. Adverse childhood events include any traumatic event that has occurred during childhood including maltreatment (sexual abuse, mental abuse, and physical abuse), neglect, parental loss, and peer victimization. Raising awareness regarding the opportunities to intervene in a child’s life as a means to prevent behavioral, psychological, and substance abuse disorders before they would typically manifest on their own is the ultimate goal. As health care providers, it is imperative that the nursing profession offer profound resources to those affected by childhood trauma and be able to identify and intervene as early and as appropriately as possible with proper education and resources. Based on a thorough literature review it is found that adverse childhood events can cause a variety of different health outcomes into adulthood. Some of these health outcomes in adulthood include mental illness (anxiety, depression, post-traumatic stress disorder, etc.), cardiovascular alterations (stroke and coronary artery disease), and drug abuse. The more adverse childhood events that occurred in a person’s life, the more prevalence there was for poor diet, daily smoking, and heavier alcohol consumption. However, these negative outcomes decreased when there was a supportive adult present to consult with. With early and proper identification and intervention poorer health outcomes in adulthood can be avoided. Adverse childhood experiences negatively impact the mental and physical health of an individual throughout their life. In order to mitigate this impact, education and intervention is required

Prenatal and childhood adversity and inflammation in children: A population-based longitudinal study

BACKGROUND: Stressful life events experienced during childhood and early prenatal development have been associated with inflammation during childhood. However, no study has considered these two exposures jointly, or has investigated the effect of their interaction. METHODS: In the Avon Longitudinal Study of Parents and Children, a general-population birth cohort, we explored if inflammatory markers [serum C-reactive protein (CRP) and interleukin 6 (IL-6)] at age 9 years were related to early prenatal events (at 18 weeks pregnancy), childhood events (measured on seven occasions at ages 0-9 years) and their interaction (n=3,915). Latent growth curve modelling estimated trajectories of childhood events, and linear regression explored associations of prenatal and childhood events with inflammatory markers. Models controlled for ethnicity, socioeconomic status and body mass index, were stratified by gender and considered both unweighted and weighted (by impact) event exposures. RESULTS: Even after adjustment for confounders and prenatal events, both the intercept and the slope of number of childhood events were associated with IL-6, but only in females. The significant effect of the slope held for both weighted (by impact) and unweighted event specifications. Prenatal events were not associated with either inflammatory marker when childhood events were controlled. There was no evidence for synergistic effects of prenatal and childhood events. CONCLUSION: Independently of prenatal adverse life events, the number and increase in number of adverse life events experienced in childhood were associated positively with plasma levels of inflammatory markers, such as IL-6, in girls. This gender specificity warrants further research

Childhood abuse and psychotic experiences - evidence for mediation by adulthood adverse life events

AIMS: We have previously reported an association between childhood abuse and psychotic experiences (PEs) in survey data from South East London. Childhood abuse is related to subsequent adulthood adversity, which could form one pathway to PEs. We aimed to investigate evidence of mediation of the association between childhood abuse and PEs by adverse life events.METHODS: Data were analysed from the South East London Community Health Study (SELCoH, n = 1698). Estimates of the total effects on PEs of any physical or sexual abuse while growing up were partitioned into direct (i.e. unmediated) and indirect (total and specific) effects, mediated via violent and non-violent life events.RESULTS: There was strong statistical evidence for direct (OR 1.58, 95% CI: 1.19-2.1) and indirect (OR 1.51, 95% CI: 1.32-1.72) effects of childhood abuse on PEs after adjustment for potential confounders, indicating partial mediation of this effect via violent and non-violent life events. An estimated 47% of the total effect of abuse on PEs was mediated via adulthood adverse life events, of which violent life events made up 33% and non-violent life events the remaining 14%.CONCLUSIONS: The association between childhood abuse and PEs is partly mediated through the experience of adverse life events in adulthood. There is some evidence that a larger proportion of this effect was mediated through violent life events than non-violent life events.</p

Correlates of adverse childhood events among adults with schizophrenia spectrum disorders

OBJECTIVE: Multiple studies have found that childhood adversity is related to a range of poor mental health, substance abuse, poor physical health, and poor social functioning outcomes in the general population of adults. However, despite the high rates of childhood adversity in schizophrenia, the clinical correlates of these events have not been systematically evaluated. This study evaluated the relationship between adverse experiences in childhood and functional, clinical, and health outcomes among adults with schizophrenia. METHODS: The authors surveyed 569 adults with schizophrenia regarding adverse childhood events (including physical abuse, sexual abuse, parental mental illnesses, loss of a parent, parental separation or divorce, witnessing domestic violence, and foster or kinship care). The relationships between cumulative exposure to these events and psychiatric, physical, and functional outcomes were evaluated. RESULTS: Increased exposure to adverse childhood events was strongly related to psychiatric problems (suicidal thinking, hospitalizations, distress, and posttraumatic stress disorder), substance abuse, physical health problems (HIV infection), medical service utilization (physician visits), and poor social functioning (homelessness or criminal justice involvement). CONCLUSIONS: The findings extend the results of research in the general population by suggesting that childhood adversity contributes to worse mental health, substance abuse, worse physical health, and poor functional outcomes in schizophrenia

The Relationship Between Adverse Childhood Experiences And Social Anxiety Disorder Symptoms: The Mediating Role Of Rumination

This study aimed to examine the mediating role of rumination in the relationship between adverse childhood experiences and social anxiety disorder symptoms. In this study, which was conducted with correlational design, one of the quantitative research methods, 878 participants were reached. 78.2 of the participants are women and 21.8 are men. In the study, self-report scales consisting of a personal information form, adverse childhood experiences scale, rumination scale, and Liebowitz social anxiety scale were administered to the participants. The analysis of the data regarding the research findings was carried out using the SPSS 25 package program. First of all, the relationship between adverse childhood experiences and social anxiety and rumination was examined; Then, parallel multi-agent analysis and serial intermediary analyses were performed using the Process V4.2 extension (Model 4). According to the findings, it was found that there was a significant positive relationship between adverse childhood experiences, social anxiety disorder symptoms, and rumination variables. It has also been observed that rumination has a mediating role in the relationship between adverse childhood experiences and social anxiety disorder symptoms. Examining the role of rumination in the relationship between childhood adverse events and social anxiety symptoms may help develop new interventions targeting SAD and expand the literature on the cognitive, behavioral, and affective vulnerabilities that early adverse events bring with them.CURRENT PSYCHOLOG