Increased alpha-amylase response to an acute psychosocial stress challenge in healthy adults with childhood adversity
Open accessAbstract
Childhood adversity is highly prevalent and linked to lasting psychological and physiological consequences. A potential mechanism for negative health outcomes is altered stress reactivity. While previous research has addressed associations of childhood adversity with stress system reactivity, sympathetic nervous system (SNS) stress reactivity is understudied. We therefore set out here to examining salivary alpha‐amylase (sAA) reactivity in relation with childhood adversity. Forty‐one healthy adult subjects (n = 24 male; n = 17 female) aged 18–34 years underwent the Trier Social Stress Test (TSST) and completed the Childhood Trauma Questionnaire (CTQ). Saliva for measurement of sAA was collected at three time points; before the TSST, immediately after, and 10 min post‐TSST. We found that those with childhood trauma had a higher overall sAA response to the TSST, as seen in a repeated measures ANOVA (CTQ by time interaction: F(1.8,71.5) = 6.46, p = .01) and an independent samples t‐test indicating higher sAA baseline to peak response (t = 3.22, p = .003). There was also a positive correlation between sAA reactivity and the CTQ subscales of childhood physical abuse (r = .46, p = .005) and emotional abuse (r = .37, p = .024). Healthy adults with low‐to‐moderate childhood adversity had a heightened sAA response immediately following the stressor. Higher SNS reactivity could be a link to negative health outcomes in adults with early adversity. Future research should address whether altered sAA reactivity is predictive of negative health outcomes in those with childhood adversity.
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Childhood stress has been linked with differential stress responsivity during adulthood stressors.
“However, childhood stress has also been linked with differential stress responsivity (e.g., Kuras et al., 2017) during stressful exposures in adulthood.”
From Childhood stress and birth timing among African American women: cortisol as biological mediator (2017) · cites this paper as Kuras et al., 2017
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Childhood stress and birth timing among African American women: cortisol as biological mediator
Gillespie, S. L., Christian, L. M., Alston, A. D., & Salsberry, P. J. (2017) · Psychoneuroendocrinology · doi:10.1016/j.psyneuen.2017.06.009 · Cited by 38 · see citing works
- Authors
- Kuras, Y. I., McInnis, C. M., Thoma, M. V., Chen, X., Hanlin, L., Gianferante, D., & Rohleder, N.
- Affiliations
- Brandeis University (US)
- Friedrich-Alexander-Universität Erlangen-Nürnberg (DE)
- Corresponding author
- Rohleder, Nicolas
- Venue
- Developmental Psychobiology
- Publisher
- Wiley
- Published
- 2016-08-30
- Volume
- 59
- Issue
- 1
- Pages
- 91-98
- ISSN
- 0012-1630 (ISSN-L)
- 1098-2302
- PMC
- PMC5651411
- OpenAlex
- W2509130976
- Cited by
- 46
- References
- 47
- Citations by year
- 2026: 2 · 2025: 3 · 2024: 7 · 2023: 6 · 2022: 3 · 2021: 3 · 2020: 4 · 2019: 9 · 2018: 6 · 2017: 2
- FWCI
- 3.62
- Type
- journal article
- Language
- en
- Open access
- green
- www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov
- Locations
- Developmental Psychobiology (publishedVersion)
- PubMed (publishedVersion)
- PubMed Central (acceptedVersion)
- Zurich Open Repository and Archive (University of Zurich) (submittedVersion)
- Funders
- National Institutes of Health (T32 MH 019929, T32‐084907)
- Topics
- Life Sciences › Neuroscience › Behavioral Neuroscience › Stress Responses and Cortisol
- Social Sciences › Psychology › Clinical Psychology › Child Abuse and Trauma
- Social Sciences › Psychology › Clinical Psychology › Posttraumatic Stress Disorder Research
- Keywords
- childhood adversity, salivary amylase, sympathetic nervous system reactivity, psychosocial stress, Trier Social Stress Test, child physical abuse, childhood emotional abuse, stress reactivity, early trauma, health outcomes
- MeSH terms
- Adult Survivors of Child Adverse Events, Adolescent, Adult, Female, Humans, Male, Stress, Psychological, Salivary alpha-Amylases, Young Adult
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