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Cited by 585Child Abuse and TraumaStress Responses and CortisolChild and Adolescent Psychosocial and Emotional Development

The stress acceleration hypothesis: effects of early-life adversity on emotion circuits and behavior

Open access
Callaghan, Bridget L, Tottenham, Nim·2016·Current Opinion in Behavioral Sciences
DOI 10.1016/j.cobeha.2015.11.018PMC PMC5890821
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Abstract

The importance of early experiences for mental health across the lifespan is well recognized. In particular, there is a strong association between adverse caregiving experiences and mental illness. However, relative to studies assessing outcomes in adults, there are far fewer studies assessing the earlier emerging manifestations of caregiving adversity during development. This lack of developmental research limits an understanding of the mechanisms that link adversity with mental illness. Adoption of a developmental approach to research in this field will yield greater insights into the factors that tie adversity to poor emotion function across a lifespan. In this review, we focus on recent findings that have used a developmental approach in the examination of mental health and early adversity. These studies are notable in that, across numerous species, they converge on the idea that early adversity leads to accelerated maturation of emotion circuits in the brain and in the behaviors supported by these regions. We propose that these 'stress acceleration' effects are evidence of early system adaptation.

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Crossref · 10.1016/j.cobeha.2015.11.018

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  • In the absence of caregiver support, development of emotional circuitry is forced to accelerate.

    “In the absence of this support, development of emotional circuitry is forced to accelerate.”

    From Childhood Trauma, the HPA Axis and Psychiatric Illnesses: A Targeted Literature Synthesis (2022) · cites this paper as [25]

    The Stress Acceleration Hypothesis section links absent or inconsistent parental care with earlier maturation of emotion systems. The paper proposes this as a response to early caregiving stress, but its qualified language does not establish that development is invariably “forced” to accelerate whenever caregiver support is absent. (LLM, conf=0.83)

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  • The stress acceleration model argues that experiences of toxic stress or trauma may lead to faster (or accelerated) maturation of the neural circuits responsible for emotional processing and is therefore evidence of early system adaptation.

    “A further conceptual model known as the “stress acceleration model” argues that experiences of toxic stress or trauma may lead to faster (or accelerated) maturation of the neural circuits responsible for emotional processing and is therefore evidence of early system adaptation (25).”

    From Childhood Trauma, the HPA Axis and Psychiatric Illnesses: A Targeted Literature Synthesis (2022) · cites this paper as [25]

  • Early environmental factors, such as early caregiving or the lack thereof, modulate the timing and course of emotional development.

    “A comprehensive set of literature reviews (9, 32, 78, 83–86) details the hypothesis that early environmental factors, e.g., early caregiving or the lack thereof, modulate the timing and course of emotional development.”

    From The Stress Acceleration Hypothesis of Nightmares (2017) · cites this paper as [78]

  • The SAH-MI stipulates that susceptibility to mental illness is increased by adverse experiences occurring during an early, developmentally sensitive window.

    “The SAH-MI in its simplest form stipulates that susceptibility to mental illness is increased by adverse experiences that occur during an early, developmentally sensitive window.”

    From The Stress Acceleration Hypothesis of Nightmares (2017) · cites this paper as [78]

  • The SAH-MI is grounded in evolutionary theories of development and supported by substantial behavioral and neurocognitive research with both human and non-human subjects.

    “The SAH-MI is grounded in evolutionary theories of development and is supported by substantial behavioral and neurocognitive research with both human and non-human subjects (9, 78).”

    From The Stress Acceleration Hypothesis of Nightmares (2017) · cites this paper as [78]

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Research works printed but not linked: 1

  1. [40]Callaghan BL Richardson R Early emergence of adult-like fear renewal in the developing rat after chronic corticosterone treatment of the dam or the pups Behavioral Neuroscience 2014 128 5 594 25150542

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Authors
Callaghan, B. L., & Tottenham, N.
Affiliations
Columbia University (US)
Corresponding author
Callaghan, Bridget L
ORCID
Venue
Current Opinion in Behavioral Sciences
Publisher
Elsevier BV
Published
2016-02
Volume
7
Pages
76-81
ISSN
2352-1546 (ISSN-L)
DOI
10.1016/j.cobeha.2015.11.018
PMC
PMC5890821
OpenAlex
W2192167474
Cited by
585
References
48
Citations by year
2026: 59 · 2025: 78 · 2024: 93 · 2023: 80 · 2022: 63 · 2021: 62 · 2020: 81 · 2019: 39 · 2018: 15 · 2017: 12 · 2016: 3
FWCI
1.42
Type
journal article
Language
en
Open access
Licence
www.elsevier.com/tdm/userlicense/1.0/ (tdm)
Locations
  • Current Opinion in Behavioral Sciences (publishedVersion)
  • PubMed (publishedVersion)
  • Europe PMC (PubMed Central) (acceptedVersion)
  • PubMed Central (acceptedVersion)
Funders
  • National Institute of Mental Health (R01MH091864)
  • Dana Foundation
  • National Health and Medical Research Council Early Career Fellowship
Topics
  • Social Sciences › Psychology › Clinical Psychology › Child Abuse and Trauma
  • Life Sciences › Neuroscience › Behavioral Neuroscience › Stress Responses and Cortisol
  • Social Sciences › Psychology › Clinical Psychology › Child and Adolescent Psychosocial and Emotional Development
Keywords
childhood adversity, brain maturation, functions of emotions

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