title: HPA-Axis Activation as a Key Moderator of Childhood Trauma Exposure and Adolescent Mental Health.
abstract: Individual differences in a child's sensitivity to stress may influence whether youth exposed to trauma develop symptoms of psychopathology. We examined the interaction between HPA-axis reactivity to an acute stressor and exposure to different types of childhood trauma as predictors of mental health symptoms in a sample of youth. Youth (n = 121, ages 9-16; 47% female) completed a standardized stress task, including 5 post-stress salivary cortisol samples. Parents also completed the Child Behavior Checklist as a measure of child internalizing and externalizing symptoms in the past month, and completed the Early Trauma Inventory (ETI) as a measure of their child's trauma exposure. More emotional abuse and non-intentional trauma were associated with greater internalizing symptoms. Youth exposed to physical abuse who demonstrated slower HPA-axis reactivity had elevated internalizing and externalizing symptoms. Youth exposed to emotional abuse or non-intentional traumatic events who demonstrated faster HPA-axis reactivity had elevated internalizing and externalizing symptoms. Profiles of exaggerated or attenuated HPA-axis reactivity to acute stress may be risk factors for psychopathology in children facing different stressful social environments.
authors.affiliation: Department of Psychology, University of California Los Angeles, Los Angeles, CA, 90095, USA. krkuhlman@ucla.edu.
authors.forename: Kate R
authors.initials: KR
authors.lastname: Kuhlman
authors.affiliation: Department of Social Science, Olivet College, Olivet, MI, USA.
authors.forename: Elisa G
authors.initials: EG
authors.lastname: Geiss
authors.affiliation: Perelman School of Medicine, University of Pennsylvania, Philadelphia, PA, USA.
authors.forename: Ivan
authors.initials: I
authors.lastname: Vargas
authors.affiliation: Department of Psychology, University of Michigan, Ann Arbor, MI, USA.
authors.forename: Nestor
authors.initials: N
authors.lastname: Lopez-Duran
mesh_terms: D000293:Adolescent; D000294:Adolescent Behavior / Q000502:physiology*; D000374:Aggression / Q000502:physiology; D001007:Anxiety / Q000503:physiopathology; D001526:Behavioral Symptoms / Q000503:physiopathology*; D002648:Child; D002649:Child Abuse; D002652:Child Behavior / Q000502:physiology*; D003863:Depression / Q000503:physiopathology; D005260:Female; D006801:Humans; D006854:Hydrocortisone / Q000032:analysis; D007030:Hypothalamo-Hypophyseal System / Q000503:physiopathology*; D008297:Male; D010913:Pituitary-Adrenal System / Q000503:physiopathology*; D000067073:Psychological Trauma / Q000503:physiopathology*; D012463:Saliva / Q000737:chemistry; D013315:Stress, Psychological / Q000378:metabolism / Q000503:physiopathology*
chemical_list: D006854:Hydrocortisone
keywords: Childhood trauma; Emotional abuse; Externalizing; HPA-axis; Internalizing; Physical abuse; Stress