Biological alterations affecting risk of adult psychopathology following childhood trauma: A review of sex differences

Clin Psychol Rev. 2018 Dec:66:69-79. doi: 10.1016/j.cpr.2018.01.006. Epub 2018 Feb 2.

Abstract

Childhood trauma exposure is a significant public health problem. While adult mental health consequences of such experiences are well documented, sex differences in both prevalence and severity are less understood. Sex-based differences in biological circuitry and physiological trauma responses are proposed to potentiate the differential risk for pathogenesis of mental health disorders among adults. This paper will provide a contextualized summary of neuroendocrine, neuroimaging, and behavioral epigenetic studies on biological sex differences contributing to internalizing psychopathology, specifically posttraumatic stress disorder and depression, among adults with a history of childhood abuse. This review concludes with a discussion of implications for trauma interventions and sex-based biopsychological research in violence prevention.

Keywords: Childhood trauma; Corticolimbic system; Epigenetics; HPA axis; Internalizing disorders; Sex.

Publication types

  • Research Support, Non-U.S. Gov't
  • Review

MeSH terms

  • Adult
  • Adult Survivors of Child Adverse Events*
  • Brain* / metabolism
  • Brain* / pathology
  • Brain* / physiopathology
  • Female
  • Humans
  • Hypothalamo-Hypophyseal System* / metabolism
  • Hypothalamo-Hypophyseal System* / physiopathology
  • Male
  • Mental Disorders* / metabolism
  • Mental Disorders* / pathology
  • Mental Disorders* / physiopathology
  • Pituitary-Adrenal System* / metabolism
  • Pituitary-Adrenal System* / physiopathology
  • Sex Characteristics*

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