I recently have written about the toxic effects of stress in childhood in several posts (Toxic Stress in Childhood, April 2, 2019; Chronic and Severe Stress in Childhood, February 6, 2019). In an article from WebMD (Tara Haelle, Childhood trauma may boost heart disease risk for a lifetime), the author noted that there continues to be growing evidence that experiencing high levels of mental/emotional stress whether in childhood or adolescence may raise the risk for the development of heart disease later in life and diabetes even earlier. This can occur even if the stressors do not persist into adulthood. A team from the Harvard T.H. Chan School of Public Health (Dr. Ashley Winning, lead author, published in the Journal of the American College of Cardiology, online, 9/28/15) tracked 6700 people from age 7 through age 42 years and measured levels of psychological stress at six times. These ratings included symptoms of depression, restlessness, misbehavior, hostility, anxiety, rated at ages 7, 11, and 16 years of age. Participants rated their own mental health at ages 23, 33, and 42. At age 45, participants also were tested for cholesterol levels, heart rate, blood pressure, and other measures related to their immune system and metabolic health. Basically, risks for heart disease and metabolic disorders (e.g. diabetes) were highest for those who experienced stress throughout their lives. However, those who had psychological distress only as children/adolescents or only as adults had a higher risk than those who did not go through periods of emotional turmoil.
It should be made clear that experiencing stress during childhood/adolescence does not guarantee adverse health outcomes. That is, the relationships are correlational and do not prove that stress caused later health outcomes. However, these findings are consistent with some earlier findings that severe psychological stress may be a risk factor for Type I diabetes (insulin-dependent). The thinking is that stressful events serve as a promoting factor, turning a pre-diabetic state into overt Type I diabetes. The beta cells, which produce insulin in the pancreas, could become stressed due to increased insulin resistance as well as increased insulin demand driven by the physiological stress response, such as elevated levels of the stress hormone cortisol.
So what can you do about any of this? In the study cited, lead author Dr. Winning noted that greater attention must be paid to psychological distress in childhood. I agree. I contend that we need to help children and adolescents learn to regulate their emotions better from a disease prevention direction. It may well be useful to enhance stress self-management skills in the young. Some have argued that cognitive behavioral strategies in childhood and adolescence can lead to better emotional and physical health outcomes. That can involve helping the young develop resilience over time, as noted by Alison Holman, doctoral nurse researcher at UC Irvine. She observed that the young can benefit from having supportive adults in their life who foster a sense of control in life, encourage a sense of mastery in areas of life, and and provide support which assists the young in times of difficulty and/or trauma.
There are other ways in which we can assist the young to manage their stressors more effectively. These include encouraging them to develop healthy habits such as eating properly, getting proper rest, including exercise in their lives, and even using relaxation/meditative/mindfulness approaches. It is never too early to begin the process of helping the young develop more effective stress management strategies. If you want more detail about how stress effects heart health and influences diabetes, please acquire our book on stress management (I Can’t Take It Anymore: How to Manage Stress so It Doesn’t Manage You; Paul G. Longobardi, Ph.D., and Janice B. Longobardi, R.N., B.S.N., P.H.N.), available on Amazon at https://www.amazon.com/dp/1542458056. For more information on the book, authors, and stress, please visit our website at www.manageyourhealthandstress.com.
Good luck on your journey.
Dr. Paul Longobardi
For information on these and related topics, please visit my website at www.successandmindset.com