title: Associations between childhood trauma and emotion-modulated psychophysiological responses to startling sounds: a study of police cadets.
abstract: Childhood trauma may confer risk for adult psychopathology by altering emotional and physiological responses to subsequent stressors. Few studies have distinguished effects of childhood trauma from effects of current Axis I psychopathology on adult psychophysiological reactivity. The authors exposed 90 psychiatrically healthy police cadets to startling sounds under increasing threat of shock while assessing their eyeblink electromyogram (EMG), skin conductance (SC), and heart rate responses. When compared with those who did not endorse early trauma (n = 65), cadets reporting childhood trauma (n = 25) reported less positive emotion and showed greater SC responses across all threat levels. They also showed threat-dependent elevations in reported negative emotions and EMG responses. Results suggest that childhood trauma may lead to long-lasting alterations in emotional and psychophysiological reactivity even in the absence of current Axis I psychopathology.
authors.affiliation: Department of Psychology, University of Michigan, Ann Arbor, MI 48109-1043, USA. nnamdi@umich.edu
authors.forename: Nnamdi
authors.initials: N
authors.lastname: Pole
authors.forename: Thomas C
authors.initials: TC
authors.lastname: Neylan
authors.forename: Christian
authors.initials: C
authors.lastname: Otte
authors.forename: Thomas J
authors.initials: TJ
authors.lastname: Metzler
authors.forename: Suzanne R
authors.initials: SR
authors.lastname: Best
authors.forename: Clare
authors.initials: C
authors.lastname: Henn-Haase
authors.forename: Charles R
authors.initials: CR
authors.lastname: Marmar
mesh_terms: D000161:Acoustic Stimulation; D000328:Adult; D000342:Affective Symptoms / Q000175:diagnosis / Q000503:physiopathology / Q000523:psychology; D001143:Arousal / Q000502:physiology*; D001341:Autonomic Nervous System / Q000503:physiopathology; D001767:Blinking / Q000502:physiology*; D002648:Child; D003865:Major Depressive Disorder / Q000175:diagnosis / Q000503:physiopathology / Q000523:psychology; D004576:Electromyography; D004644:Emotions / Q000502:physiology*; D005239:Fear / Q000502:physiology; D005260:Female; D005712:Galvanic Skin Response / Q000502:physiology; D006339:Heart Rate / Q000502:physiology; D006801:Humans; D008016:Life Change Events; D008297:Male; D016495:Police / Q000193:education*; D013216:Reflex, Startle / Q000502:physiology*; D012307:Risk Factors; D013313:Stress Disorders, Post-Traumatic / Q000175:diagnosis / Q000503:physiopathology / Q000523:psychology; D013315:Stress, Psychological / Q000150:complications