Dataset Information

Social support modulates the association between PTSD diagnosis and medial frontal volume in Chinese adults who lost their only child.

ABSTRACT: Losing an only child is a devastating life event that a parent can experience and may lead to post-traumatic stress disorder (PTSD). Social support could buffer against the negative influence of this trauma, but the neural mechanism underlying this alleviation effect remains poorly understood. In this study, voxel-based morphometry was conducted on brain MRI of 220 Han Chinese adults who had lost their only child. We performed multiple regression analysis to investigate the associations between social support scores - along with PTSD diagnosis, age, sex, body mass index (BMI) - and brain grey matter (GM) volumes in these bereaved parents. For all trauma-exposed adults, social support-by-diagnosis interaction was significantly associated with medial prefrontal volume (multiple comparisons corrected P ? 0.05), where positive correlation was found in adults with PTSD but not in those without PTSD. Besides, PTSD diagnosis was associated with decreased GM volume in medial and middle frontal gyri (P ? 0.001, uncorrected); older age was associated with widespread GM volume deficits; male sex was associated with lower GM volume in rolandic operculum, insular, postcentral gyrus (corrected P ? 0.05), and lower GM in thalamus but greater GM in parahippocampus (P ? 0.001, uncorrected); higher BMI was associated with GM deficits in occipital gyrus (corrected P ? 0.05) and precuneus (P ? 0.001, uncorrected). In conclusions, social support modulates the association between PTSD diagnosis and medial frontal volume, which may play an important role in the emotional disturbance in PTSD development in adults who lost their only child.

SUBMITTER: Qi R

PROVIDER: S-EPMC7256056 | biostudies-literature | 2020 Nov

REPOSITORIES: biostudies-literature

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Social support modulates the association between PTSD diagnosis and medial frontal volume in Chinese adults who lost their only child.

Qi Rongfeng R Luo Yifeng Y Zhang Li L Weng Yifei Y Surento Wesley W Jahanshad Neda N Xu Qiang Q Yin Yan Y Li Lingjiang L Cao Zhihong Z Thompson Paul M PM Lu Guang Ming GM

Neurobiology of stress 20200511

Losing an only child is a devastating life event that a parent can experience and may lead to post-traumatic stress disorder (PTSD). Social support could buffer against the negative influence of this trauma, but the neural mechanism underlying this alleviation effect remains poorly understood. In this study, voxel-based morphometry was conducted on brain MRI of 220 Han Chinese adults who had lost their only child. We performed multiple regression analysis to investigate the associations between ...[more]

PMID: 32490056

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Project description:ImportanceCognitive resilience refers to the general capacity of cognitive processes to be less susceptible to differences in brain structure from age- and disease-related changes. Studies suggest that supportive social networks reduce Alzheimer disease and related disorder (ADRD) risk by enhancing cognitive resilience, but data on specific social support mechanisms are sparse.ObjectiveTo examine the association of individual forms of social support with a global neuroanatomical measure of early ADRD vulnerability and cognition.Design, setting, and participantsThis retrospective cross-sectional analysis used prospectively collected data from Framingham Study participants without dementia, stroke, or other neurological conditions who underwent brain magnetic resonance imaging and neuropsychological testing at the same visit. Data from this large, population-based, longitudinal cohort were collected from June 6, 1997, to December 13, 1999 (original cohort), and from September 11, 1998, to October 26, 2001 (offspring cohort). Data were analyzed from May 22, 2017, to June 1, 2021.ExposuresTotal cerebral volume and, as a modifying exposure variable, self-reported availability of 5 types of social support measured by the Berkman-Syme Social Network Index.Main outcomes and measuresThe primary outcome was a global measure of cognitive function. Cognitive resilience was defined as the modification of total cerebral volume's association with cognition, such that smaller β estimates (presented in SD units) indicate greater cognitive resilience (ie, better cognitive performance than estimated by lower total cerebral volume).ResultsThe study included 2171 adults (164 in the original cohort and 2007 in the offspring cohort; mean [SD] age, 63 [10] years; 1183 [54%] female). High listener availability was associated with greater cognitive resilience (β = 0.08, P < .001) compared with low listener availability (β = 0.20, P = .002). Overall findings persisted after adjustment for potential confounders. Other forms of social support were not significant modifiers (advice: β = -0.04; P = .40 for interaction; love-affection: β = -0.07, P = .28 for interaction; emotional support: β = -0.02, P = .73 for interaction; and sufficient contact: β = -0.08; P = .11 for interaction).Conclusions and relevanceThe results of this cross-sectional cohort study suggest that social support in the form of supportive listening is associated with greater cognitive resilience, independently modifying the association between lower total cerebral volume and poorer cognitive function that would otherwise indicate increased ADRD vulnerability at the preclinical stage. A refined understanding of social support mechanisms has the potential to inform strategies to reduce ADRD risk and enhance cognitive resilience.

Project description:PurposeSupportive social networks are important to the post-traumatic response process. However, the effects of social network structure may be distinct from the perceived function of those networks. The present study examined the relative importance of role diversity and perceived strength of social support in mitigating post-traumatic stress disorder (PTSD).MethodsData were drawn from respondents who report lifetime potentially traumatic events in the National Epidemiologic Survey on Alcohol and Related Conditions (N = 31,650). The Social Network Index (SNI) was used to measure the diversity of social connections. The Interpersonal Support Evaluation List (ISEL-12) was used to measure the perceived availability of social support within the network. Odds of current PTSD were compared among individuals representing four dichotomous types of social support: high diversity/high perceived strength, high diversity/low perceived strength, low diversity/high perceived strength, and low diversity/low perceived strength to examine which type of support is more protective against PTSD.ResultsUnadjusted odds of PTSD were 1.59 (95 % CI 1.39-1.82) for those with low versus high perceived support strength, and 1.10 (0.94-1.28) among those with non-diverse versus diverse social networks. Compared to the reference group (high diversity/high perceived strength), the adjusted odds of current PTSD were higher for two groups: low diversity/low perceived strength (OR = 1.62; 1.33-1.99), and low diversity/high perceived strength (OR = 1.57; 1.3-1.91). The high diversity/low perceived strength group had no greater odds of PTSD (OR = 1.02; 0.81-1.28).ConclusionThe diversity of a social network is potentially more protective against PTSD than the perception of strong social support. This suggests that programs, which engage individuals in social groups and activities may effectively attenuate the risk of PTSD. A better understanding of how these networks operate with respect to PTSD prevention and mitigation holds promise for improving psychiatric health.

Dataset Information

Social support modulates the association between PTSD diagnosis and medial frontal volume in Chinese adults who lost their only child.

Publications

Social support modulates the association between PTSD diagnosis and medial frontal volume in Chinese adults who lost their only child.

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