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Stress in childhood, adolescence and early adulthood, and cortisol levels in older age.

ABSTRACT: The glucocorticoid hypothesis suggests that overexposure to stress may cause permanent upregulation of cortisol. Stress in youth may therefore influence cortisol levels even in older age. Using data from the 6-Day Sample, we investigated the effects of high stress in childhood, adolescence and early adulthood - as well as individual variables contributing to these measures; parental loss, social deprivation, school and home moves, illness, divorce and job instability - upon cortisol levels at age 77 years. Waking, waking +45?min (peak) and evening salivary cortisol samples were collected from 159 participants, and the 150 who were not using steroid medications were included in this study. After correcting for multiple comparisons, the only significant association was between early-adulthood job instability and later-life peak cortisol levels. After excluding participants with dementia or possible mild cognitive impairment, early-adulthood high stress showed significant associations with lower evening and mean cortisol levels, suggesting downregulation by stress, but these results did not survive correction for multiple comparisons. Overall, our results do not provide strong evidence of a relationship between stress in youth and later-life cortisol levels, but do suggest that some more long-term stressors, such as job instability, may indeed produce lasting upregulation of cortisol, persisting into the mid-to-late seventies.

SUBMITTER: Harris MA

PROVIDER: S-EPMC5399806 | biostudies-literature | 2017 Mar

REPOSITORIES: biostudies-literature

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Stress in childhood, adolescence and early adulthood, and cortisol levels in older age.

Harris Mathew A MA Cox Simon R SR Brett Caroline E CE Deary Ian J IJ MacLullich Alasdair M J AM

Stress (Amsterdam, Netherlands) 20170221 2

The glucocorticoid hypothesis suggests that overexposure to stress may cause permanent upregulation of cortisol. Stress in youth may therefore influence cortisol levels even in older age. Using data from the 6-Day Sample, we investigated the effects of high stress in childhood, adolescence and early adulthood - as well as individual variables contributing to these measures; parental loss, social deprivation, school and home moves, illness, divorce and job instability - upon cortisol levels at ag ...[more]

PMID: 28140738

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Project description:ImportanceCross-sectional and longitudinal studies have consistently reported associations between childhood trauma and psychotic experiences and disorders. However, few studies have examined whether the age of exposure or specific trauma types are differently associated with the risk of developing psychotic experiences.ObjectiveTo examine whether exposure to trauma, assessed at multiple age periods between 0 and 17 years of age, is associated with an increased risk of psychotic experiences by age 18 years and whether this association varies according to trauma type as well as age and frequency of exposure.Design, setting, and participantsThis study used data from the Avon Longitudinal Study of Parents and Children, a large population-based birth cohort in the United Kingdom that recruited women who resided in the Avon Health Authority area and had an expected delivery date between April 1, 1991, and December 31, 1992. Data on psychotic experiences were included in the study, along with trauma variables derived from assessments completed by the parents or self-reported by the participants. The variables represent exposure to any trauma type between ages 0 and 17 years; any trauma type within a distinct age period: early childhood (0-4.9 years), middle childhood (5-10.9 years), or adolescence (11-17 years); specific trauma types between ages 0 and 17 years; and specific trauma types within early childhood, middle childhood, or adolescence. Data were analyzed from January 9, 2017, to November 30, 2017.Main outcomes and measuresSuspected or definite psychotic experiences were assessed using the psychosis-like symptoms semistructured interview at age 12 years and then at age 18 years.ResultsThe sample of 4433 participants included 2504 (56.5%) females, with a mean (SD) age of 17.8 (0.38) years. Exposure to any trauma up to age 17 years was associated with increased odds of psychotic experiences at age 18 years (adjusted odds ratio, 2.91; 95% CI, 2.15-3.93). All trauma types from age 0 to 17 years were associated with an increased odds of psychotic experiences. The population-attributable fraction for childhood and adolescent trauma on psychotic experiences at age 18 years was 45% (95% CI, 25%-60%). Effect sizes for most trauma types were greater for exposure that was more proximal to the outcome, although CIs overlapped with those for more distal trauma. Evidence supported dose-response associations for exposure to multiple trauma types and at multiple age periods. In an analysis aimed at minimizing reverse causality, adolescent trauma was also associated with past-year incident psychotic experiences at age 18 years.Conclusions and relevanceThese findings are consistent with the thesis that trauma could have a causal association with psychotic experiences; if so, identification of modifiable mediators is required to inform prevention strategies.

Dataset Information

Stress in childhood, adolescence and early adulthood, and cortisol levels in older age.

Publications

Stress in childhood, adolescence and early adulthood, and cortisol levels in older age.

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