Emotional and instrumental support during childhood and biological dysregulation in midlife

Abstract

Objective To determine whether greater emotional and instrumental support during childhood is associated with less dysregulation across multiple physiological systems in midlife. Methods Data are from participants in the second wave of the Midlife in the United States study (2004–2005) who participated in a clinic-based assessment of health status. Emotional and instrumental support was measured using a seven-item scale (α=0.89) based on participant retrospective self-report. Biological dysregulation was assessed using an allostatic load (AL) score constructed from 24 measures across seven physiological systems (N=1,236, aged 34–84 years). Results Emotional and instrumental support in childhood was associated with lower AL in a monotonic fashion: compared to individuals in the lowest quartile of support, respondents in the second, third, and fourth quartiles had −0.08 (standard deviation (SD)=0.08), −0.13 (SD=0.08) and −0.21 (SD=0.08) units lower AL, adjusting for age, sex, and race. This pattern was maintained after adjustment for reporting bias, childhood socioeconomic disadvantage, past-year depression, and physician-diagnosed cardiovascular disease or diabetes (p<.01). The inflammation and metabolic-lipid subscales showed the strongest associations. Conclusions Greater emotional and instrumental support in childhood was associated with less biological dysregulation in mid-life, even after accounting for socioeconomic disadvantage in childhood and other potential confounders.

Positive Childhood Experiences and Adult Mental and Relational Health in a Statewide Sample

“…However, PCEs maintained an association with D/PMH independent from ARSES. Findings are both consistent with prior research showing that relational experiences in childhood are associated with adult social and relational skills and health 3,15,56,68 and also point to enduring effects of PCEs on D/PMH separate from their influence on adult ARSES. While PCEs associations with D/PMH were substantial and similar for adults reporting ACEs, associations were not statistically significant for those reporting no ACEs.…”

“…9,10 On the other hand, children with adverse childhood experiences (ACEs) are at risk for observable changes in brain anatomy, 11 gene expression, 12,13 and delays in social, emotional, physical, and cognitive development lasting into adulthood. [3][4][5][14][15][16][17] According to standardized measures, an estimated 61.5% of adults 18 and 48% of children 19 in the United States have been exposed to ACEs, with more than one-third of these having multiple exposures. 18,19 The wide-ranging negative associations between exposure to multiple ACEs and diminished adult and child health are well documented.…”

Measuring lifetime stress exposure and protective factors in life course research on racial inequality and birth outcomes

“…Russek & Schwartz, 1997). Similarly, a recent study found that perceptions of being loved and cared for as a child is associated with reduced allostatic load among adults (Slopen, Chen, Priest, Albert, & Williams, 2016). And yet, to our knowledge, no studies have examined how lifetime social support or other protective psychosocial factors influence birth outcomes.…”

“…The Midlife in the United States study offers one example of how existing measures can be adapted. This study utilized a subset of the Childhood Trauma Questionnaire (Bernstein & Fink, 1998) to assess childhood support by asking seven questions about feeling loved and having an adult to provide care (Slopen et al, 2016). This measure does not capture strength of the support, variation in support over the life course, or the wide range of sources of support, but it does provide a foundation from which expanded measures can be created.…”

Positive childhood experiences and ideal cardiovascular health in midlife: Associations and mediators

“…Traditionally, research on the influence of childhood experiences on chronic disease risk has focused on how disadvantage during childhood (Doom et al, 2016; Lehman et al, 2005; Pollitt et al, 2007, 2008; Pollitt et al, 2005) confers elevated risk for poor outcomes, including cardiovascular diseases (Galobardes et al, 2006; Johnson et al, 2013; Loucks et al, 2011; Miller et al, 2011; Shonkoff et al, 2009). To date, limited research has considered the influences of positive experiences during childhood for cardiovascular wellbeing in later life (Appleton et al, 2013; Laitinen et al, 2013; Pulkki-Råback et al, 2015; Sood and Gidding, 2016; Lehman et al, 2005; Russek and Schwartz, 1997; Slopen et al, 2016; Sood and Gidding, 2016; Westerlund et al, 2013), in contrast to disease as the outcome (Lehman et al, 2005; Russek and Schwartz, 1997; Slopen et al, 2016; Westerlund et al, 2013). In this study, we examined the relationship between positive childhood experience and an ideal cardiovascular health in a large sample of adults in mid-life, and evaluated the extent to which education, depression, and social support in midlife mediate this association.…”