How Adverse Childhood Experiences Shape Stress Responses in Healthy Adults

What is it about?

Childhood experiences, especially challenging ones, can influence how our bodies respond to stress later in life. Our study explored how young, healthy adults with or without a history of moderate childhood adversity handle stress. Participants were exposed to a laboratory- induced stress while we measured their stress hormone levels, heart activity, and skin responses. We found that those with a history of adversity generally showed a weaker stress hormone response. However, the pattern was reversed when focusing on women—they showed stronger stress responses. Interestingly, both groups showed similar heart activity and skin responses to stress, suggesting that other factors, such as personal resilience, might play a role. Our findings highlight that moderate childhood adversity does not always result in harm. Understanding these connections better could help improve mental health support and stress management strategies.

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Photo by George Pagan III on Unsplash

Photo by George Pagan III on Unsplash

Why is it important?

Our study uniquely examines how moderate childhood adversity impacts stress responses in healthy young adults, highlighting gender differences and resilience. Focusing on a middle-income country and healthy individuals, the study offers timely insights into the effects of adversity on stress systems and promotes an understanding of resilience pathways.

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