Early Adversity and the Prospective Prediction of Depressive and Anxiety Disorders in Adolescents

The current study was a prospective exploration of the specificity of early childhood adversities as predictors of anxiety and depressive disorders in adolescents. Participants were 816 adolescents (414~males, 402 females) with diagnostic information collected at age 15; information on early adversities had been collected from the mothers during pregnancy, at birth, age 6 months, and age 5~years for a related study. Adolescents with pure anxiety disorders were compared with adolescents with pure depressive disorders (major depressive disorder, dysthymia), and these groups were compared to never-ill controls. Analyses controlled for gender and maternal depression and anxiety disorders. Results indicated that adolescents with anxiety disorders were more likely than depressed youth to have been exposed to various early stressors, such as maternal prenatal stress, multiple maternal partner changes, and more total adversities, whereas few early childhood variables predicted depressive disorders. Even when current family stressors at age 15 were controlled, early adversity variables again significantly predicted anxiety disorders. Results suggest that anxiety disorders may be more strongly related to early stress exposure, while depressive disorders may be related to more proximal stressors or to early stressors not assessed in the current study.     

早期应激对情绪调节的影响及其神经机制

在个体生命早期遭遇的长期或重大的应激经历会显著增加个体罹患抑郁、焦虑等心理疾患的风险, 而情绪调节能力的损伤是引发这些心理疾患的重要因素之一。以人类为对象的行为实验和调查研究表明, 早期应激不仅会影响日常生活中情绪调节策略的使用, 还会对情绪调节能力造成影响, 其影响方向可能与早期应激的严重程度有关。目前, 大部分研究表明严重的早期应激会损伤情绪调节能力, 但中度的早期应激也可能提高情绪调节能力。更为整合性的研究表明情绪调节能力中介了早期应激和各类疾患之间的关系。进一步, 我们从神经层面上阐述了早期应激对情绪调节相关脑区和神经环路的影响。未来研究应当注意控制无关变量, 进一步探究不同早期应激对于情绪调节的影响。     

Stress Generation in Adolescent Depression: The Moderating Role of Child Abuse and Neglect

The present study examined the role of childhood abuse and neglect and depression recurrence in moderating the generation of stressful life events in adolescent depression. Maltreatment history and stressful life events were assessed using two rigorous contextual interviews and rating systems. In a sample of 59 community depressed adolescents we found significantly higher rates of interpersonal events in the 3-month period immediately following depression episode onset versus the 3-month period immediately preceding onset in adolescents with a history of childhood maltreatment. By contrast, rates of events remained constant over a matched period in a control group of non-maltreated adolescents. Furthermore, the generation of interpersonal events only held among those on a first onset of depression. These results suggest that a history of childhood abuse and neglect exacerbates the psychosocial dysfunction associated with the onset of depression, particularly in the very first episode.     

The relationship between early life stress and working memory in adulthood: A systematic review and meta-analysis

ABSTRACT

Exposure to early life stress has been linked to impairment in cognitive functioning in adulthood. The aim of this study was to systematically review the literature on the relationship between early life stress and working memory, a central component of cognitive functioning. Database searches yielded 358 abstracts matching the search terms. Abstract screening followed by full-text review resulted in 26 publications suitable for inclusion, of which 23 were included in the meta-analysis. Results of the meta-analysis suggested exposure to early life stress was associated with poorer working memory. Even though there were a wide variety of working memory tasks used, this effect was significant for both phonological and visuospatial working memory tasks, and both visual and aural task presentation modalities. The effect was also found in samples with and without clinical psychopathology. This review provides recommendations for future research and implications for clinical practice.     

Autobiographical narratives of spiritual experiences: Solitude,tragedy, and the absence of materialism

Two studies examined the interaction between subjective well-being (SWB) and meaning in life (MIL) vis-à-vis self-perceptions of actual or potential threats to one's physical and mental integrity, hereby defined as the hostile-world scenario (HWS). Study 1 (N?=?608) showed that the relationship between SWB and MIL strengthened as the HWS increased. Study 2 (Survey of Health, Ageing, and Retirement in Europe; SHARE-Israel; N?=?1665) similarly showed that SWB and MIL were strongly linked as lifetime cumulative adversity, the ultimate realization of the HWS, increased. Study 2 further showed that when one construct (whether SWB or MIL) was low, the other construct acted as a moderator of the effect of cumulative adversity on functioning. In conclusion, although SWB and MIL are more strongly linked under adverse circumstances, they are likely to compensate for each other, perhaps due to their unique operations.     

不良生活经历对大学生冷酷无情特质的影响：有调节的中介效应

为考察不良生活经历对大学生冷酷无情特质的影响机制,采用问卷法调查了湖南省4所学校1872名大学生。结果发现：（1）心理弹性在不良生活经历与大学生冷酷无情特质之间具有部分中介效应,不良生活经历既对冷酷无情特质产生直接影响,也能通过心理弹性对冷酷无情特质产生间接影响;（2）社会支持利用度对心理弹性的中介作用具有调节效应,它调节了中介过程的前半路径和后半路径。因此,不良生活经历对大学生冷酷无情特质的影响具有调节的中介效应。     

催产素调控心理韧性:基于对海马的作用机制

心理韧性指个体面对逆境、挫折或重大威胁等应激情境下的有效且灵活适应的能力, 促进机体恢复正常的生理和心理功能。研究表明海马是调控心理韧性的重要脑区, 且催产素可能通过作用于海马增强心理韧性。海马内部环路内嗅皮层-齿状回-CA3可能调节恐惧记忆的泛化和消退以增强心理韧性; 海马外部环路齿状回-杏仁核-伏隔核及海马-伏隔核环路调节情绪, 可能分别通过促进奖赏和带来厌恶进而增强或降低心理韧性。催产素作用于海马增强心理韧性的可能途径有:催产素促进海马神经发生, 降低海马腹侧成熟神经元对应激的敏感性, 提高海马“模式分离”功能, 降低应激记忆泛化; 催产素恢复海马谢弗侧枝-CA1突触长时程增强, 促进机体适应应激; 催产素降低海马糖皮质激素受体水平, 重新建立机体稳态。