Poster #6 - Dimensions of Early Life Adversity and Metabolic Health in Black and White Women

• In Event: Poster Session 06

Abstract

Background: Early life adversity is associated with detrimental effects on health across the lifespan, yet, little is known about exposure and the mechanisms by which various types of exposure to early life adversity increase health risks. This is in part because traditionally, adversity was measured with the cumulative risk approach, which lacks sensitivity to capture the unique effects that different stressor types may have on health. Recently, dimensional models have been developed to address these gaps. However, studies examining the effects of distinct dimensions of early life adversity on metabolic health outcomes are scarce, particularly in historically underrepresented and underserved population subgroups.

Method: We recruited 624 women as part of a larger prospective cohort study (Mage = 39.5, SD = 1.28; 49.2% Black). Participants provided fasting blood samples at the clinic, which were later assayed for metabolic markers (triglycerides, HDL cholesterol, fasting glucose). Anthropometric measures (waist circumference, height, weight) and resting blood pressure were collected during in-home visits. A Metabolic Syndrome (MetS) score was computed based on the number of metabolic markers that met the following clinical cutoffs: waist circumference >= 80cm, fasting glucose >= 100mg/dL, triglycerides >= 150mg/dL, HDL cholesterol < 50mg/dL, systolic blood pressure (BP) > 130 or diastolic BP > 85, and body mass index (BMI) >= 30.

Data on early life adversity from birth to age 17 years were collected retrospectively, using the Stress and Adversity Inventory (STRAIN) and supplemental prospective measures. Experiences of threat included abuse, harsh discipline, parental fights, peer victimization, being a victim of an attack, robbery or burglary, and living in an unsafe neighborhood. The deprivation score was comprised of parent educational attainment, parental divorce, food insecurity, parental job loss, feeling isolated, living in a crowded or unstable environment, and being raised by a single parent. The scores were summed across these measures to reflect dimensional adversity experiences of threat and deprivation.
We then examined the association between threat- and deprivation-related early adversity with MetS score in the whole sample adjusting for race and lifetime smoking exposure, followed by stratified analyses by racial group.

Results: An independent samples t-test showed that Black women had significantly higher MetS scores than white women (t=-4.22, p<.001). A series of multivariate linear regression analyses revealed that experiences of childhood deprivation, but not threat were significantly associated with adult MetS scores. Specifically, women who reported greater exposure to deprivation in childhood had higher scores of metabolic syndrome in adulthood (ß=.114, p=.004). Post-hoc stratified analyses by race revealed that this association was only significant in white (but not Black) women (ß=.153, p=.006).

Conclusion: These findings point to the potential lasting effects of early life adversity on metabolic health, particularly for women experiencing deprivation during childhood. The results add to our understanding of the role of stressor-specific characteristics on stressor-health associations, which may vary by race. Given the scarcity of research with diverse samples, examining individual differences in the effects of early life adversity on health remains an important area of research.

Authors

• Meital Mashash, University of California - San Francisco
  Presenting Author

• Maria Usacheva, University of California - Davis

• Agus Surachman, Drexel University

• Elissa June Hamlat, University of California - San Francisco

• George M Slavich, University of California, Los Angeles

• Barbara Laraia, University of California, Berkeley

• Elissa Epel, University of California, San Francisco

• Stefanie E. Mayer, University of California, San Francisco