Childhood stress leads to adult ill health, studies say
_http://www.bbc.co.uk/news/health-10965862_
(http://www.bbc.co.uk/news/health-10965862)
Stress in childhood has long-term effects say psychologists 14 August
2010 Adversity and stress early in life leads to long-term ill health and
early death, a group of psychologists warn. A series of studies suggest that
childhood stress caused by poverty or abuse can lead to heart disease,
inflammation, and speed up cell ageing. The American Psychological Association
meeting heard that early experiences "cast a long shadow" on
health....Another study presented at the conference showed that childhood
events such as
the death of a parent or abuse can make people more vulnerable to the effects
of stress in later life and even shorten lifespan. Researchers at Ohio
State University looked at a group of older adults - some of whom were carers
for people with dementia. They measured several markers of inflammation in
the blood which can be signs of stress, as well as the length of telomeres
- protective caps on the ends of chromosomes which have been linked to
age-related diseases. The 132 participants also answered a questionnaire on
depression and past child abuse and neglect. A third study reported some sort
of physical, emotional or sexual abuse during childhood. Those who did face
adversity as children had shorter telomeres and increased levels of
inflammation even after controlling for age, care-giving status, gender, body
mass index, exercise and sleep. Study leader Professor Janice Kiecolt-Glaser,
said: "Our latest research shows that childhood adversity casts a long
shadow on one's health and can lead to inflammation and cell ageing much
earlier than for those who haven't experienced these events. "Those reporting
multiple adversities could shorten their lifespan by seven to 15 years," she
added. Dr Andrea Danese, a clinical lecturer at the Institute of Psychiatry
in London, said such studies had to be interpreted carefully because there
is a chance that people do not recall their childhoods accurately and you
can only show an association not prove causality. "But that doesn't mean I
don't believe these results. "The evidence is quite consistent. "It's already
been established that childhood stress has an effect on mental health and
it now seems like it has an enduring effect on physical health." He said
that stress causes an increase in inflammatory proteins which could underpin
the physical consequences suggested by the research.
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