Cardiovascular reactions to psychological stress and abuse history: the role of occurrence, frequency, and type of abuse

Ginty, Annie T.; Masters, Nicole A; Nelson, Eliza; Kaye, Karen T; Conklin, Sarah M.

doi:10.1080/10615806.2016.1210791

Cited by 22 publications

(23 citation statements)

References 35 publications

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“…In contrast to previous research on the link between childhood adversity and ANS reactivity (e.g., Bernstein et al, 2013; Ginty et al, 2017; Winzeler et al, 2017), the current study used a cardiac measure (PEP) for reactivity in the sympathetic nervous system. Cardiac measures reflect different response subsystems than other markers, such as skin conductance or systolic blood pressure (Cacioppo et al, 1994).…”

Section: Discussionmentioning

confidence: 99%

The impact of childhood trauma and psychophysiological reactivity on at-risk women's adjustment to parenthood

et al. 2018

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Adverse childhood experiences (ACEs) have an impact on women's adaptation to parenthood, but mechanisms are poorly understood. Autonomic nervous system reactivity was tested as a potential mediating mechanism in a sample of 193 at-risk primiparous women. ACEs were measured retrospectively during pregnancy. A baby cry-response task was administered during pregnancy while indicators of sympathetic reactivity (pre-ejection period; PEP) and parasympathetic reactivity (respiratory sinus arrhythmia; RSA) were recorded. Parenting self-efficacy, anxiety, and depressive symptoms were measured during pregnancy and 1 year after giving birth. Harsh discipline was measured 2 years after giving birth. Structural equation modeling was employed to test whether baseline PEP and RSA and reactivity mediated links between ACEs and postnatal outcomes, adjusted for prenatal variables. High ACEs predicted less RSA reactivity (p = .02), which subsequently predicted increases in depressive symptoms (p = .03). The indirect effect was not significant (p = .06). There was no indirect link between high ACEs and harsh parenting through PEP nor RSA (n = 98). The parasympathetic nervous system may be involved in negative affective responses in the transition to parenthood among women exposed to childhood trauma.

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Section: Discussionmentioning

confidence: 99%

The impact of childhood trauma and psychophysiological reactivity on at-risk women's adjustment to parenthood

et al. 2018

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“…Studies that focused on the association between childhood maltreatment and ANS reactivity to psychosocial stressors mainly reveal physiological hyper‐ reactivity in response to stressors (i.e., overarousal) following childhood maltreatment (e.g., Heim et al, ; Dale et al, ), but hypo‐ reactivity (i.e., underarousal) has also been found (e.g., Ginty, Masters, Nelson, Kaye, & Conklin, ). In addition, three studies examined the impact of (stress inducing) infant emotional signals on parental ANS reactivity (Buisman et al, ; Casanova et al, ; Reijman et al, ).…”

Section: Introductionmentioning

confidence: 99%

Parents’ experiences of childhood abuse and neglect are differentially associated with behavioral and autonomic responses to their offspring

Buisman

Bakermans‐Kranenburg

Pittner

et al. 2019

Developmental Psychobiology

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Although childhood maltreatment has been shown to compromise adaptive parental behavior, little is known what happens in terms of physiological regulation when parents with a history of childhood maltreatment interact with their offspring. Using a sample of 229 parents (131 women), the present study examined whether childhood maltreatment experiences are associated with parents’ behavioral and autonomic responses while resolving conflict with their offspring. Self‐reported experienced child maltreatment was measured using a questionnaire assessing abuse and neglect. Parents (Mage = 52.7 years, rangeage = 26.6–88.4 years) and their offspring (Mage = 24.6 years, rangeage = 7.5–65.6 years) participated in a videotaped parent–offspring conflict interaction task. Parental warmth, negativity, and emotional support were coded. In addition, their pre‐ejection period and respiratory sinus arrhythmia were measured as indicators of underlying sympathetic and parasympathetic nervous system reactivity, respectively. Findings demonstrated that experiences of abuse and neglect were associated with behavioral and physiological responses in different ways. Separating these two types of maltreatment in research and in clinical practice might be important.

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“…Studies that focused on the association between ANS reactivity to psychosocial stressors and childhood maltreatment mainly point to physiological hyper-reactivity in response to stressors (i.e., overarousal) after childhood maltreatment (e.g., Heim et al, 2000;Dale et al, 2009), but hypo-reactivity (i.e., underarousal) has also been documented (e.g., Ginty, Masters, Nelson, Kaye, & Conklin, 2016). To our knowledge only two studies have associated maltreatment experiences with ANS reactivity specifically to child emotional signals (Casanova et al, 1994;Reijman et al, 2014).…”

Section: Introductionmentioning

confidence: 99%

The past is present: The role of maltreatment history in perceptual, behavioral and autonomic responses to infant emotional signals

Buisman

Pittner

Block

et al. 2018

Child Abuse & Neglect

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In the current study associations between parents' experiences of childhood maltreatment and their perceptual, behavioral and autonomic responses to infant emotional signals were examined in a sample of 160 parents. Experienced maltreatment (both physical and emotional abuse and neglect) was reported by the participants and, in approximately half of the cases, also by their parents. During a standardized infant vocalization paradigm, participants were asked to squeeze a handgrip dynamometer at maximal and at half strength while listening to infant crying and laughter sounds and to rate their perception of the sounds. In addition, their heart rate (HR), pre-ejection period (PEP), and vagal tone (RSA) were measured as indicators of underlying sympathetic and parasympathetic reactivity. Results indicated that participants did not differ in their perceptions of the infant vocalizations signals according to their maltreatment experiences. However, maltreatment experiences were associated with the modulation of behavioral responses. Experiences of neglect during childhood were related to more handgrip force during infant crying and to less handgrip force during infant laughter. Moreover, a history of neglect was associated with a higher HR and a shorter PEP during the entire infant vocalization paradigm, which may indicate chronic cardiovascular arousal. The findings imply that a history of childhood neglect negatively influences parents' capacities to regulate their emotions and behavior, which would be problematic when reacting to children's emotional expressions.

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Cardiovascular reactions to psychological stress and abuse history: the role of occurrence, frequency, and type of abuse

Abstract: These findings accord with previous work suggesting a relationship between traumatic life experience and hypoarousal in physiological reactivity and extend previous findings by suggesting the relationship may be driven by sexual abuse.

Cited by 22 publications

References 35 publications

The impact of childhood trauma and psychophysiological reactivity on at-risk women's adjustment to parenthood

The impact of childhood trauma and psychophysiological reactivity on at-risk women's adjustment to parenthood

Parents’ experiences of childhood abuse and neglect are differentially associated with behavioral and autonomic responses to their offspring

The past is present: The role of maltreatment history in perceptual, behavioral and autonomic responses to infant emotional signals

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