Background: Reduced central serotonergic neurotransmission has been demonstrated in individuals with excessive alcohol consumption and/or alcohol dependence. Childhood maltreatment has also been found to have a negative impact on central serotonergic neurotransmission. The aim of this study was to evaluate the impact of childhood maltreatment on central serotonergic dysfunction in alcohol-dependent individuals.
Methods: Adult men with a diagnosis of alcohol dependence (n = 18) were recruited from outpatient treatment units for alcoholism. Central serotonergic neurotransmission was assessed by a neuroendocrine method, that is, the prolactin (PRL) response to the selective 5-HT reuptake inhibitor citalopram. Childhood maltreatment was assessed retrospectively by the Childhood Trauma Questionnaire.
Results: Alcohol-dependent individuals with childhood experience of emotional abuse had significantly lower PRL response compared with those without such abuse (3 ± 5 and 64 ± 24 mU/l, respectively; t = 6.51, p < 0.001). Among those who reported childhood emotional abuse, 4 of 7 individuals had flat PRL responses in comparison with none in those with no report of such abuse (p < 0.01).
Conclusions: This is the first study to show that self-reported childhood maltreatment, in particular emotional abuse, in male alcohol-dependent individuals is associated with a quite dramatic (more than 90%) reduction in central serotonergic neurotransmission. It should, however, be noted that the number of individuals is relatively small, and the results should therefore be considered as preliminary.
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http://dx.doi.org/10.1111/acer.12023 | DOI Listing |
Child Maltreat
January 2025
Mt. Hope Family Center, University of Rochester, Rochester, NY, USA.
Identifying proximal and multigenerational distal risk mechanisms through which adversity exposure may shape neuroendocrine dysregulation among children is critical to advancing effective preventive interventions for adversity-exposed individuals. Utilizing longitudinal data ( = 247), the current study examined maternal and offspring history of childhood maltreatment (CM) as predictors of offspring cortisol/DHEA ratios, and, in exploratory analyses, extended this longitudinally to offspring depressive symptoms in young adulthood. Youth (ages 8-13 years) initially attended a research camp, then were followed up approximately eight years later (ages 18-22 years).
View Article and Find Full Text PDFImportance: Childhood maltreatment (CM) is associated with the early onset of psychiatric and medical disorders and accelerated biological aging.
Objective: To identify types of maltreatment and developmental sensitive periods that are associated with accelerated adult brain aging.
Design: Participants were mothers of infants recruited from the community into a study assessing the effects of CM on maternal behavior, infant attachment, and maternal and infant neurobiology.
Child Abuse Negl
January 2025
Centre of Methods and Policy Applications in the Social Sciences (COMPASS), The School of Social Sciences, University of Auckland, 1010, New Zealand.
Background: Child abuse and neglect is recorded at higher rates in families with low incomes, and in contexts with lower public spending on families. However, it is not clear whether modest cash transfers could reduce rates.
Objective: To estimate the effects of unconditional cash transfers to mothers with children under 3 years of age on child abuse and neglect.
Child Abuse Negl
January 2025
Département de psychologie, Université de Sherbrooke, Canada. Electronic address:
Background: Childhood Interpersonal Trauma (CIT) is a major public health issue that increases the risk of perpetrating and sustaining intimate partner violence (IPV) in adulthood, perpetuating intergenerational cycles of violence. Yet, the explanatory mechanisms behind the intergenerational transmission of trauma warrant further exploration.
Objective: This study explored identity diffusion as an explanatory mechanism linking cumulative and individual CIT (sexual, physical and psychological abuse, physical and psychological neglect, witnessing parental physical or psychological IPV, bullying) to IPV (sexual, physical, psychological, coercive control) and to the next generation's exposure to family violence.
Children (Basel)
December 2024
Department of Behavioral Sciences, Ariel University, Ariel 40700, Israel.
Background/objectives: Medical procedures can be a traumatic event for both children and their parents. Children who have experienced maltreatment or early traumatic experiences are at a higher risk for various emotional, behavioral, and health issues, including declining mental health. This may include experiencing heightened distress following medical procedures.
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