Childhood Trauma and Stress

Childhood trauma may affect biochemical markers of stress.
USA Today (8/16, Jayson) reports that, according to research presented at a psychologists' meeting, "childhood trauma can cut your life short." After "using a community sample of 58 caregivers for a spouse or parent with Alzheimer's disease or dementia and a control group of 74 demographically similar people who had no caregiving responsibilities, researchers analyzed participants' depression levels and occurrence of childhood trauma to see how negative emotions and stressful experiences affect known biochemical markers of stress." They found that "childhood adversity was associated with shorter telomeres and increased levels of inflammation even after controlling for age, caregiving status, gender, body mass index, exercise and sleep."
Troubled childhoods may lead to heart disease later. USA Today (8/16, Jayson) reports that, according to a study presented at a psychologists' meeting, "troubled childhoods can lead to a host of health problems in adulthood, with heart disease as a prime possibility." In a study of 212 adolescents who "were examined over three years to see whether poverty was linked to more sensitivity to stress and early signs of heart disease," researchers found that "children from poor economic households had stiffer arteries years later and had higher blood pressure as well as more thickening of their carotid artery walls."
HealthDay (8/14, Preidt) quoted the study's lead author, who stated that adolescents may be "more vulnerable to cardiovascular risks if they are exposed to various stressors because of their hormonal changes and their sensitivity to peer rejection, acceptance and how they interpret others' attitudes towards themselves." She went on to point out that a "New Zealand study...found that children who were socially isolated -- regardless of family income -- were also at increased risk for cardiovascular disease," while "another study she conducted found that living in an impoverished family can affect a child's reactions to negative situations and, over time, increase the risk of heart disease."