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Childhood Trauma Affects Stress-Related Interoceptive Accuracy
Violetta K Schaan1, André Schulz1, Julian A Rubel2
1Institute for Health and Behaviour, Research Unit INSIDE, University of Luxembourg, Luxembourg, Luxembourg.
Frontiers in Psychiatry
|November 5, 2019
Summary
Early life adversity, or childhood trauma, can impair brain-body communication, affecting interoceptive accuracy in young adults. This study found trauma negatively impacted interoceptive accuracy following stress.
Area of Science:
- Neuroscience
- Psychology
- Psychophysiology
Background:
- Early life adversity (ELA) can lead to lasting disruptions in brain-body signaling.
- These disruptions are linked to adult physical symptoms and emotional dysregulation.
Purpose of the Study:
- To investigate how childhood trauma affects young adults' interoceptive accuracy.
- To examine interoceptive accuracy as a measure of brain-body communication potentially disrupted by ELA.
Main Methods:
- Sixty-six participants completed questionnaires and a laboratory stress test (socially evaluated cold pressor test).
- Physiological measures included ECG, salivary cortisol, and interoceptive accuracy (IAc).
- Childhood trauma was assessed via questionnaire.
Main Results:
- Childhood trauma was negatively associated with interoceptive accuracy post-stress.
- Heart rate and cortisol levels were not related to interoceptive accuracy.
- Baseline unpleasantness predicted lower post-stress IAc, while increased unpleasantness correlated with higher IAc.
Conclusions:
- Childhood trauma may dysregulate brain-body signaling, impacting interoceptive accuracy.
- Baseline unpleasantness mediates the relationship between childhood trauma and post-stress interoceptive accuracy.
- Interoceptive accuracy is a sensitive indicator of ELA's long-term effects on physiological regulation.
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