Sex-Specific Associations Between Trauma Exposure, Pubertal Timing, and Anxiety in Black Children

• Type of Material: Article
• Authors: Anaïs F Stenson, Wayne State University; Vasiliki Michopoulos, Emory University; Abigail Powers, Emory University; Jennifer Stevens, Emory University; Tanja Jovanovic, Emory University
• Language: English
• Date: 2021-06-22
• Publisher: FRONTIERS MEDIA SA
• Publication Version: Final Published Version
• Copyright Statement: © 2021 Stenson, Michopoulos, Stevens, Powers and Jovanovic.
• License: Creative Commons Attribution 4.0 International
• Final Published Version (URL): http://dx.doi.org/10.3389/fnhum.2021.636199
• Title of Journal or Parent Work: FRONTIERS IN HUMAN NEUROSCIENCE
• Volume: 15
• Start Page: 636199
• End Page: 636199
• Grant/Funding Information: This work was supported by funding from the NIH (MH100122; MH111682) and Brain and Behavior Research Foundation.
• Keywords: RISK; trauma; AGE; Black Americans; Neurosciences & Neurology; sex differences; TEMPO; POSTTRAUMATIC-STRESS; MENARCHE; mental health; Neurosciences; anxiety; development; Science & Technology; Psychology; CHILDHOOD; Social Sciences; puberty; BOYS; Life Sciences & Biomedicine; DEPRESSIVE SYMPTOMS; EARLY-LIFE STRESS; US GIRLS
• Research Categories: Health Sciences, Mental Health

Abstract

Recent research has linked early life stress (ELS), such as trauma exposure, with early puberty. Early puberty has also been identified as a risk factor for poor mental health outcomes. However, these two paths have primarily been examined independently. In addition, more studies have examined these associations in girls than boys, and findings for boys remain mixed. We hypothesized that early puberty (relative to peers) would be positively associated with both prior trauma exposure and concurrent anxiety symptoms. We anticipated that these associations might differ by sex. We tested these hypotheses within a cross-sectional sample of 133 8- to 13-year-old Black girls and boys with trauma exposure. The association between trauma and accelerated pubertal timing was sex-specific: it was positive for girls and negative for boys. We stratified subsequent analyses by sex. Regression analyses indicated that early puberty relative to peers predicted more anxiety symptoms for girls but not boys, after accounting for trauma exposure. A statistical mediation analysis indicated that, for girls, the positive association between trauma exposure and anxiety was partially mediated by pubertal timing. These results indicate that trauma exposure may have sex-specific effects on pubertal timing and anxiety risk in Black children. We also found that, for girls, trauma may increase risk for adverse outcomes by prompting earlier puberty, which is linked to higher anxiety. These findings are consistent with cascading effects of trauma across development, and highlight the need for further study of sex-specific mechanisms.