Lecture 8 - Lifespan perspective (stress) Flashcards
(38 cards)
How is the lifespan separated into age groups? (There are 5 groups)
0-16 - Childhood into early adolescence
17-40 = Early adulthood
40-60 = Middle aged
60+ = Elderly
Has been argued 17-24 can be considered an additional category known as extended adolescence
How does development across lifespan vary?
Change in a range of dimensions (cognitive, language, understanding of illness & participation in health behaviours)
With age comes changes in preventative needs and goals
E.g. parents are responsible for child’s health, adults are responsible for own, elderly adults responsibility falls on children.
What developmental changes occur during biological maturation?
Includes the development of:
- the immune system
- the stress response system
- cognitive understanding
- language development
Define the Biopsychosocial approach to health
The characteristics of a person are considered with the respect to their prior development, current level and likeness for development in future.
This declines with age -
The type of illness a person is likely to contract changes with age and tends to worsen in severity due to physical limitations and longer time to recover.
E.g. children tend to suffer with colds and bugs (not life threatening) while the elderly suffer with strokes and heart attacks (risk of death)
Biopsychosocial approach - Biological changes
Changes in the physical growth (size and strength) of bodily systems from childhood to adulthood.
Declining in old age with the slowing down, reduction in stamina, longer recovery from injury.
This can be explained through the heart and lungs being less efficient and weakened muscles.
Biopsychosocial approach - Psychological changes
Cognitive process increase across childhood especially later childhood (GCSE level)
Again these cognitive capacities decline in older life
Biopsychosocial approach - Social changes
Education, career, retirement
Parenting to grandparenting
Responsibility for health changes; from parent/caregiver to parents and teachers, peers, individual, autonomy
We mark events across the life course by the occurrence of ‘social milestones’ which work as markers in life. For example the optimum time to get married or start a family.
How is the stress response set?
Early life adversity (stress exposure prenatal through to childhood)
Transactions between person and their environment
Conditioning of the endocrine & immune system
Development of coping responses & resilience
Define the lifecycle of stress
The degree the stress has an effect depends on which stage of the brain in developing at that time. If stress occurs at a particular time of development this can have a range of effects.
What are outcomes of post natal stress?
Maternal separation result in an increase in glucocoorticoids (natural steroids in the body)
Severe trauma post natal result in decreased level of glucocorticoids.
How can stress in the elderly effect the brain?
Stress in the elderly can have a worst effect the on amygdala, frontal cortex and hippocampus as there areas of the brain are declining with age.
What are the 3 types of responses the stress in children?
- Positive stress response - brief experience of stress that slightly increase the heart rate and may result in mild upset. For example a babysitter.
- Tolerable stress response - more serious however sill temporary experience of stress. The stress is buffered by having supportive relationships. For example, a parent goes to hospital but left in care of other family members.
- Toxic stress response - prolonged activation of the stress response system in the absence of secure and protective relationships.
A study investigating a naturalistic child stress experience
Dettling et al 2000
Investigated mild stressors in terms of childcare. Compared a large daycare centre to children who experience family based care at home.
Method - cortisol levels were taken and compared in the morning and again in the afternoon (healthy expectation is to decline over day)
Found - The greatest decline was observed in high quality care received at home.
Cortisol increased through the day: unusual
- for the children in a daycare centre
- for children with poor quality care at home
If the stress was to continue there may be a mild impact however due to being a naturalistic investigation the impact is likely to be reversible with healthy homelife and future positive schooling.
A study investigating children receiving high or low sensitive child care.
Vermeer et al 2012
Directly compared high and low quality of care
- large care centre
- small childminding service
Method - measured cortisol in saliva (high levels was a healthy expectation) because if low then the children was suppressing stress which could result in becoming unwell.
Found - it was not the size of the care that had an impact however again the quality of the care received.
Another naturalistic investigation into school transitioning
Turner-cobb 2008
Since starting school is not an extreme stressor however there would be an expectation in children showing a slight response to stress (new situation & challenges)
Method - the awakening sample of cortisol was taken
Pre - 4 months before starting school (was particular high possibly due to anticipation)
During - school still new but have settled (mounted a stress response)
Post - 6 months later found to be much lower therefore suggesting adaptation.
Natural way of looking at child stress - all stress levels were within a safe range.
How can tolerable stress turn to toxic?
Elevated or depressed cortisol levels observed in environmental conditions such as unstable difficult living conditions, family conflict and traumatic life events.
Evidence is found in disruptions in circadian cortisol (24 hour cortisol) was detected in children who had clinically depressed mothers, children who were physically abused or children in orphanages.
Example of toxic stress in children in orphanages
Gunnar & Vazquez, 2001
Children in orphanages with poor quality care when compared with a child in a family environment found very flat cortisol profile (indicating no change through the day)
Extreme continuations can reduce the length of life.
Long lasting effects of childhood deprivation
Allostatic load = accumulated lifetime stress
Measured via physiological systems e.g. cardiovascular, immune, neuroendocrine.
This is the ‘wear and tear’ on body’s physiological systems
Certain factors can predict the level of allostatic load in the future.
For example - amount of time spent in poverty in childhood and cumulative risk exposure which include housing, noise, violence and family situation.
Relationship between early life adversity & adult biological risk profiles
Friedman 2015
Wanted to determine who is most at risk for poorer adult health.
1180 participants completed questionnaires
Found - early life adversity can have lasting imprint on psychological regulation midlife.
A person with 3 toxic childhood experiences would show a biological risk profile of a person aged 9 years older.
They hold a heavy allostatic load which will have consequences for overall lifespan and biomarkers creating potential for immune system to deregulate allowing for illness to develop.
What is early life adversity?
Early life adversity (ELA) - which includes forms of child maltreatment such as physical abuse, sexual abuse, psychological and emotional abuse, and childhood neglect.
However, can also include factors like education and poverty.
What are the effects of prenatal stress on the foetus?
Not a focus on the mother but the effects the mothers stress may have on the infant growing.
Effecting the foetus during pregnancy, on birth and the delivery outcome, on child’s later development into adolescent and adulthood.
Evidence for pregnancy & environment transaction
“Neighbours” theme tune learned in the womb when pregnant mothers watched the show regularly during pregnancy.
Found - the music continued to sooth the baby after birth
Explanation -
External - Possible vibrations entering womb environment
Internal - Mother is in relaxed state = switched off stress responses system.
What is ‘normal’ maternal endocrine environment in pregnancy?
Progressive increase in hormones of HPA axis including cortisol, ACTH and CRH.
There is also an increase in B endorphin which is a natural pain relief.
During pregnancy , cortisol is overproduction (opposite effect to PTSD)
Pregnancy is a transient period of relative Hypercortisolism - cortisol over-production resulting in increased adrenocortical secretion & reactivity
It is a prolonged response in terms of allostatic load
Positive HPA-placental axis feedback
What is ‘normal’ maternal endocrine response to pregnancy?
Increase in hormones of HPA axis which allows for the development of the HPA placental axis with a positive feedback loop.
Cortisol inhabits CRH expression in the hypothalamus but stimulates expression of placental CRH gene
