Lower Cardiovascular Reactivity Is Associated With More Childhood Adversity and Poorer Midlife Health: Replicated Findings From the Dunedin and MIDUS Cohorts

Abstract

Cardiovascular reactivity has been proposed as a biomarker linking childhood adversity and poorer health. In the current study, we examined the association of childhood adversity, cardiovascular reactivity, and health in the Dunedin Multidisciplinary Health and Development Study ( n = 922) and Midlife in the United States (MIDUS) studies ( n = 1,015). In both studies, participants who experienced more childhood adversity had lower cardiovascular reactivity. In addition, people with lower cardiovascular reactivity had poorer self-reported health and greater inflammation. Dunedin participants with lower cardiovascular reactivity were aging biologically faster, and MIDUS participants with lower heart rate reactivity had increased risk of early mortality. Cardiovascular reactivity was not associated with hypertension in either study. Results were partially accounted for by greater reactivity among more conscientious, less depressed, and higher functioning participants. These results suggest that people who experienced childhood adversity have a blunted physiological response, which is associated with poorer health. The findings highlight the importance of accounting for individual differences when assessing cardiovascular reactivity using cognitive stressor tasks.

Cardiovascular reactivity, stress, and personal emotional salience: Choose your tasks carefully

“…The existing literature examining stressful life events, early childhood adversity, and trauma highlights the importance of investigating how study participants' characteristics and experiences might interact with different tasks to explain reactivity in the laboratory. Early life adversity and trauma are associated with lower levels of physiological reactivity across of a number of studies (Bourassa, Moffitt, et al, 2021;Ginty et al, 2017;McLaughlin et al, 2014McLaughlin et al, , 2015Murali & Chen, 2005;Voellmin et al, 2015). Experiencing early life adversity is theorized to result in a "freezing response" to general stress that could explain such findings (McLaughlin et al, 2015).…”

“…One possible explanation for reconciling these differences is the need to better account for the types of tasks used to assess cardiovascular reactivity in the context of trauma or adversity. Many studies have found that early child adversity is associated with lower reactivity to cognitive and/or performative stressors (Bourassa, Moffitt, et al, 2021;Ginty et al, 2017;McLaughlin et al, 2014McLaughlin et al, , 2015Murali & Chen, 2005;Voellmin et al, 2015). Studies of trauma and PTSD in adults, in contrast, often use trauma-recall tasks to elicit reactivity (Bourassa et al, 2016;Bourassa, Moffitt, et al, 2021;Park et al, 2017;Pole, 2007).…”

“…Many studies have found that early child adversity is associated with lower reactivity to cognitive and/or performative stressors (Bourassa, Moffitt, et al, 2021;Ginty et al, 2017;McLaughlin et al, 2014McLaughlin et al, , 2015Murali & Chen, 2005;Voellmin et al, 2015). Studies of trauma and PTSD in adults, in contrast, often use trauma-recall tasks to elicit reactivity (Bourassa et al, 2016;Bourassa, Moffitt, et al, 2021;Park et al, 2017;Pole, 2007). Notably, prior research finding childhood socioeconomic disadvantage is associated with increased cardiovascular reactivity used emotional recall tasks to elicit reactivity, rather than a cognitive or a performative stressor (Williams et al, 2008).…”

“…However, an alternative explanation is that differences in study design may shape patterns of cardiovascular reactivity and explain seemingly contradictory findings. For example, a recent study drawing on two longitudinal cohorts measured over several decades found consistent associations between blunted cardiovascular reactivity to cognitive stressors (as assessed by blood pressure and heart rate) and poorer health (Bourassa, Moffitt, et al, 2021). These associations were attenuated when accounting for individual differences in characteristics that might influence how people engage with a cognitive stressor, including cognitive ability, depressive symptoms, and conscientiousness.…”

“…Recent studies have sought to determine whether the traditional cardiovascular reactivity and blunting models are competing or complementary (Bourassa, Moffitt, et al, 2021; Hase et al, 2020). For example, it is plausible either extreme of response style––that is, very low or very high reactivity––could be associated with poorer health.…”