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Allostasis and the development of internalizing and externalizing problems: changing relations with physiological
Paul D Hastings1, Elizabeth A Shirtcliff, Bonnie Klimes-Dougan
1University of California, Davis, Davis, CA 95618, USA. pdhastings@ucdavis.edu
Development and Psychopathology
|October 25, 2011
Summary
This study shows how autonomic nervous system (ANS) and hypothalamic-pituitary-adrenal (HPA) axis reactivity in adolescents predicts emotional and behavioral problems over time. Joint physiological reactivity is linked to developing psychopathology.
Area of Science:
- Psychoneuroendocrinology
- Developmental Psychology
- Adolescent Health
Background:
- Allostasis describes maintaining stability through physiological adjustments to stressors.
- Bauer et al. proposed detecting allostasis via joint autonomic nervous system (ANS) and hypothalamic-pituitary-adrenal (HPA) axis reactivity.
- Understanding these physiological systems is crucial for adolescent psychopathology.
Purpose of the Study:
- To examine the association between ANS and HPA reactivity and adolescent externalizing/internalizing problems over two years.
- To investigate the longitudinal predictive power of joint physiological reactivity on emotional and behavioral development.
Main Methods:
- Longitudinal study of 215 adolescents over a 2-year period.
- Measured autonomic nervous system (ANS) reactivity (heart rate, blood pressure) and hypothalamic-pituitary-adrenal (HPA) axis reactivity.
- Assessed development of externalizing and internalizing problems.
Main Results:
- Joint ANS and HPA reactivity were contemporaneously associated with and longitudinally predictive of emotional and behavioral problems.
- Symmetrical high reactivity initially correlated with more internalizing and fewer externalizing problems.
- Both symmetrical and asymmetrical reactivity predicted increased internalizing problems in girls over time, varying by ANS measure.
Conclusions:
- Allostasis, reflected in joint ANS-HPA reactivity, is dynamically related to adolescent psychopathology.
- Specific patterns of physiological reactivity can predict the trajectory of internalizing problems, particularly in adolescent girls.
- Findings highlight the importance of considering multiple physiological regulatory systems in understanding adolescent mental health.
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