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Family Influences / Publications — No Comments
13
Jul 22

Associations between adverse childhood family environments and blood pressure vary by gender

Background: It is unclear how adverse childhood family environments differentially impact adult health outcomes among men and women. This brief communication reports on the independent and joint effects of adverse childhood family environments and sex on indicators of health in adulthood.

Methods & results: 213 18-55-year olds reported on their childhood family environment (Risky Families Questionnaire (RFQ); Family Environment Scale (FEStotal)) and their current perceived stress and depressive and anxious affect. Resting systolic (SBP) and diastolic blood pressure (DBP), and heart rate (HR) were taken during a laboratory visit, and total cortisol output was measured in saliva samples collected at home. Exposure to childhood adversity did not vary by sex. Women had lower SBP, DBP, and total cortisol output, but higher HR, than men (ps < .05). Sex moderated the association between childhood family environment and SBP (RFQ: B = -.316; SE = .120; p = .009; FEStotal: B = -.274; SE = .117; p = .021) and DBP (FEStotal: B = -.193; SE = .094; p = .041), such that exposure to greater childhood adversity was linked to lower BP in women only. Results were largely unchanged after adjusting for concurrent perceived stress and depressive and anxious affect. Separate effects of individual FES subscales are also discussed.

Conclusions: Contrary to expectations, exposure to adverse childhood family environments was associated with lower resting BP among women, perhaps indicative of basal cardiovascular hypoactivation, whereas early adversity was not linked to BP among men.

CITATION: Schreier, H. M. C., Jones, E. J., Nayman, S., & Smyth, J. M. (2019). Associations between adverse childhood family environments and blood pressure vary by gender. PlosONE, 14(12), e0225544.

Adolescents / Family Influences / Publications — No Comments
03
Oct 18

Chronic Family Stress and Adolescent Health: The Moderating Role of Emotion Regulation

Objective: The aim of the study was to assess whether the association between chronic family stress and physiological measures is moderated by emotion regulation strategies in an adolescent sample.

Methods: Chronic family stress was assessed via a semistructured interview and emotion regulation strategies (cognitive reappraisal and suppression) via questionnaire among 261 adolescents (14.57 (1.07) years). Several metabolic (waist-hip ratio, systolic and diastolic blood pressure) and inflammatory markers (basal and stimulated proinflammatory cytokine production in response to bacterial challenge) as well as glucocorticoid sensitivity were assessed.

Results: There were no main effects of chronic family stress, cognitive reappraisal, or suppression on physiological measures (all p’s > .10). Emotion regulation moderated the association between chronic family stress and physiological measures. As chronic family stress increased, adolescents higher in cognitive reappraisal had smaller waist-hip ratios (B = −.003, SE = .001, p = .015) and lower systolic blood pressure (B = −.303, SE = .143, p = .035), although no moderation was found with respect to inflammatory markers and glucocor- ticoid sensitivity (all p’s > .30). In addition, as chronic family stress increased, adolescents higher in suppression showed evidence of higher stimulated proinflammatory cytokine production (B = .046, SE = .020, p = .021) and lower glucocorticoid sensitivity (B = .051, SE = .021, p = .015), although basal inflammation and metabolic measures were not moderated by suppression (all p’s > .50).

Conclusions: This study suggests that the types of emotion regulation strategies used by adolescents may affect the extent to which chronic family stress affects important metabolic and immune processes.

CITATION: Jones, E. J., Lam, P.H., Hoffer, L.C., Chen, E., & Schreier, H.M.C. (2018). Chronic stress and adolescent health: the moderating role of emotion regulation. Psychosomatic Medicine, 80(8), 764-773.

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