title: Childhood emotional functioning and the developmental origins of cardiovascular disease risk.
abstract: BACKGROUND
  Dysregulated emotional functioning has been linked with higher cardiovascular disease (CVD) risk among adults. Early life experiences may influence the development of adulthood CVD, but few studies have examined whether potential damaging effects of dysregulated emotional function begin earlier in life. Therefore, we examined associations of child emotional functioning and the 10-year risk of developing CVD in midlife.
  
  
  METHODS
  We studied 377 adult offspring (mean age=42.2) of Collaborative Perinatal Project participants, a US cohort of pregnant women enrolled in 1959-1966. Three measures of child emotional functioning derived from psychologist ratings of behaviour at 7 years of age were examined: distress proneness, attention and inappropriate self-regulation. Adulthood 10-year CVD risk was calculated with the validated Framingham general CVD risk algorithm. Gender-specific multiple regression models assessed associations of childhood emotion and adulthood CVD risk independent of covariates measured across the life course. Potential mediators of the associations were also examined.
  
  
  RESULTS
  Women had 31% higher CVD risk per SD increase in childhood distress proneness (p=0.03) and 8% reduced risk per SD increase in attention (p=0.09). For men, each SD increase in childhood distress proneness was associated with 17% higher CVD risk (p=0.02). Associations were partly explained by adulthood body mass index and depressive symptoms in women but not in men. Inappropriate self-regulation was not associated with CVD risk.
  
  
  CONCLUSIONS
  Several aspects of childhood emotional functioning was associated with adulthood CVD risk, particularly for women. As such, primary prevention of CVD may be associated with addressing early life emotional functioning.
authors: Department of Community and Family Medicine, Geisel School of Medicine at Dartmouth, Hanover, NH 03755, USA. Allison.A.Appleton@dartmouth.edu
authors: Allison A
authors: AA
authors: Appleton
authors: Eric B
authors: EB
authors: Loucks
authors: Stephen L
authors: SL
authors: Buka
authors: Eric
authors: E
authors: Rimm
authors: Laura D
authors: LD
authors: Kubzansky
mesh_terms: D000328:Adult; D002318:Cardiovascular Diseases / Q000453:epidemiology* / Q000209:etiology / Q000523:psychology; D002648:Child; D002652:Child Behavior / Q000523:psychology; D002657:Child Development / Q000502:physiology*; D015331:Cohort Studies; D003299:Cooperative Behavior; D004644:Emotions / Q000502:physiology*; D005260:Female; D005500:Follow-Up Studies; D006801:Humans; D016015:Logistic Models; D008297:Male; D008875:Middle Aged; D011247:Pregnancy; D012307:Risk Factors; D012648:Self Care / Q000592:standards; D017678:Sex Distribution; D012959:Socioeconomic Factors; D013315:Stress, Psychological / Q000453:epidemiology*; D014029:Tobacco Use Disorder / Q000453:epidemiology; D014481:United States / Q000453:epidemiology