Jan 28 2009
Childhood Stress Has Long-Lasting Impact on Health
New research indicates early stressful childhood environments have long-lasting effects on one’s immune system and health.
Seth Pollak, a professor of psychology and pediatrics at the University of Wisconsin-Madison and Chris Cole, who is an expert on the links between stress and immunity, conducted the study. They looked at adolescents who had been in typical or unusually stressful childhood environments to examine the relationship between stress and the immune system.
In order to determine the strength of the adolescents’ immune systems, the researchers measured the levels of antibodies against the herpes simplex virus type 1, a common virus in the human body that usually remains dormant. The herpes simplex virus type 1 causes fever blisters and cold sores. The virus rarely, if ever causes symptoms in individuals with healthy immune systems. It typically only causes symptoms when the immune system is taxed with illness or stress. Approximately two-thirds of the American population carries the virus.
High levels of antibodies against the virus suggests a compromised immune system.
A group of adolescents who had documented incidents of physical abuse and those who had stressful home environments had higher levels of antibodies against the herpes simplex virus type 1 than those who had typical childhood homes, suggesting those adolescents who experienced early stress had compromised immune systems.
The researchers also discovered adolescents who had spent time in Russian, Chinese, or Romanian orphanages before being adopted by families in the United States also showed high levels of antibodies, suggesting their immune systems were also compromised. Pollak said:
“These children began their lives in a stressful einvironment, but they’re now adolescents, and for a decade, they’ve been living in stable, affluent, loving environments. And yet, their immune systems are compromised as well. In fact, they look just like the physically abused kids.”
The results of this study suggests early stress can have a long-lasting impact on one’s immune system and overall health.
Source:
University of Wisconsin-Madison: Early Childhood Stress Has Lingering Effects on Health
