UCLA study links childhood trauma to sexual health risks later in life

A new study led by UCLA Health found that a person’s sexuality and their unique experiences of childhood trauma can have direct consequences for their biological health and risk of developing major diseases. a 20 later in life.

Although much research has shown that childhood stress can have long-lasting effects on a person’s biology and health, there has been little research looking at how different types of stress affect careers. certain biological and health hazards.

New research, published in the journal Brain, Behavior and Immunity on Sept. 17, not only revealed that these early stressors can cause certain health consequences, but that these consequences are also systematically different for men and women. The findings are believed to represent one of the most comprehensive analyzes of the biological and clinical effects of adverse childhood experiences, said the study’s senior author, Dr. George Slavich, director of the Stress Testing and Research Laboratory at UCLA.

Many people who have experienced major depression or early life trauma have never been diagnosed. These findings highlight the critical importance of assessing stress in clinical settings. They also move us beyond a one-size-fits-all approach and toward an optimal medication regimen based on the patient’s gender and specific stress level.”

Dr. George Slavich, Director, Stress Testing and Research Laboratory at UCLA

To examine how early exposure to adversity affects health later in life, Slavich and colleagues used a large dataset that includes measures of early life adversity, disease biology, and mental and physical health. The data comes from more than 2,100 participants in the “Midlife United States: A National Longitudinal Study of Health and Well-Being” sponsored by the National Institute on Aging.

Participants reported on the types and severity of adverse childhood experiences they had, including financial problems, abuse, neglect, how often they moved, whether they lived away from parents their natural, and whether they lived a healthy life. In addition, participants provided biological samples for the reading of biomarkers for 25 diseases and indicated whether they had been diagnosed with twenty other health conditions.

Slavich and his team conducted a hidden analysis of the data to find groups of adults who had more childhood problems. The researchers tested how these groups and independent stressors relate to 25 biomarkers of inflammation, metabolism, and stress, as well as 20 major health conditions.

The result was two groups of stress for men (Stress High and Low Stress) and three for women (Stress High, Moderate Stress, and Low Stress.) In general, the groups with less stress went they show fewer health problems, and the participants’ risk increases as their stress level increases.

Men and women at high levels of stress had the worst metabolic health and the most inflammation. However, there were differences between the sexes. The effects of adverse childhood experiences on biomarkers of metabolic health were greater in women than in men. Emotional abuse and neglect also have greater effects on men than women for several biomarkers and health conditions such as blood problems, mental health issues and behavior , and thyroid problems.

Slavich said the findings highlight the need to include biological assessments of stress and exposure in medical care, and to ensure that patient risk reports take into account sex and exposure to specific stressors.

“Stress is involved in 9 of the 10 leading causes of death in the United States today,” Slavich said. “It’s time we take those statistics seriously and start screening for depression in all pediatric and adult clinics across the country.”