Abstract
Early-life adversity affects long-term health outcomes but there is considerable interindividual variability in susceptibility to environmental influences. We proposed that positive psychological characteristics that reflect engagement with context, such as being concerned about people or performance on tasks (i.e., empathic concern), could moderate the interindividual variation in sensitivity to the quality of the early environment. We studied 526 children of various Asian nationalities in Singapore (46.6% female, 13.4% below the poverty line) with longitudinal data on perinatal and childhood experiences, maternal report on empathic concern of the child, and a comprehensive set of physiological measures reflecting pediatric allostatic load assessed at 6 y of age. The perinatal and childhood experiences included adversities and positive experiences. We found that cumulative adverse childhood experience was positively associated with allostatic load of children at 6 y of age at higher levels of empathic concern but not significantly associated at lower levels of empathic concern. This finding reveals evidence for the importance of empathic concern as a psychological characteristic that moderates the developmental impact of environmental influences, serving as a source for vulnerability to adversities in children.
Original language | English |
---|---|
Article number | e2217769120 |
Pages (from-to) | e2217769120 |
Journal | PROCEEDINGS OF THE NATIONAL ACADEMY OF SCIENCES OF THE UNITED STATES OF AMERICA |
Volume | 120 |
Issue number | 39 |
DOIs | |
Publication status | Published - 26 Sept 2023 |
Keywords
- allostasis
- caring
- diathesis-stress
- differential susceptibility
- early-life stress
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In: PROCEEDINGS OF THE NATIONAL ACADEMY OF SCIENCES OF THE UNITED STATES OF AMERICA, Vol. 120, No. 39, e2217769120, 26.09.2023, p. e2217769120.
Research output: Contribution to journal › Article › Academic › peer-review
TY - JOUR
T1 - Allostatic load in children
T2 - The cost of empathic concern
AU - Phua, Desiree Y.
AU - Chen, Helen
AU - Yap, Fabian
AU - Chong, Yap Seng
AU - Gluckman, Peter D.
AU - Broekman, Birit F.P.
AU - Eriksson, Johan G.
AU - Meaney, Michael J.
N1 - Funding Information: ACKNOWLEDGMENTS.The study is supported by the National Research Foundation (NRF) under the Open Fund-Large Collaborative Grant (OF-LCG; MOH-000504) administered by the Singapore Ministry of Health’s National Medical Research Council and the Agency for Science,Technology and Research.In RIE2025,Growing Funding Information: Up in Singapore Towards healthy Outcomes (GUSTO) is supported by funding from the NRF’s Human Health and Potential Domain, under the Human Potential Programme.The funders had no role in the conceptualization,design,data collection, analysis,decision to publish,or preparation of the manuscript.We thank the National University Hospital Department of Laboratory Medicine Projects Team for their hard work performing the measurements.We also thank Dr.Gernalia Satianegar’s biobank team and the clinical research coordinators for processing and collecting the blood samples respectively. The GUSTO study group includes Airu Chia, Allan Sheppard, Amutha Chinnadurai, Anna Magdalena Fogel, Anne Eng Neo Goh, Anne Hin Yee Chu, Anne Rifkin-Graboi, Anqi Qiu, Arijit Biswas, Bee Wah Lee, Birit Froukje Philipp Broekman, Bobby Kyungbeom Cheon, Boon Long Quah, Candida Vaz, Chai Kiat Chng, Cheryl Shufen Ngo, Choon Looi Bong, Christiani Jeyakumar Henry, Ciaran Gerard Forde, Claudia Chi, Daniel Yam Thiam Goh, Dawn Xin Ping Koh, Desiree Y. Phua, Doris Ngiuk Lan Loh, E. Shyong Tai, Elaine Kwang Hsia Tham, Elaine Phaik Ling Quah, Elizabeth Huiwen Tham, Evelyn Chung Ning Law, Evelyn Xiu Ling Loo, Fabian Kok Peng Yap, Faidon Magkos, Falk Müller-Riemenschneider, George Seow Heong Yeo, Hannah Ee Juen Yong, Helen Yu Chen, Heng Hao Tan, Hong Pan, Hugo PSvan Bever,HuiMinTan,Iliana Magiati,Inez Bik YunWong,Ives Yubin Lim,Ivy Yee-Man Lau, Izzuddin Bin Mohd Aris, Jeannie Tay, Jeevesh Kapur, Jenny L. Richmond, Jerry Kok Yen Chan, Jia Xu, Joanna Dawn Holbrook, Joanne Su-Yin Yoong, Joao Nuno Andrade Requicha Ferreira,Johan Gunnar Eriksson,Jonathan Tze Liang Choo, Jonathan Y. Bernard, Jonathan Yinhao Huang, Joshua J. Gooley, Jun Shi Lai, Karen Mei Ling Tan, Keith M. Godfrey, Kenneth Yung Chiang Kwek, Keri McCrickerd, Kok Hian Tan, Kothandaraman Narasimhan, Krishnamoorthy Naiduvaje, Kuan Jin Lee, Leher Singh, Li Chen, Lieng Hsi Ling, Lin Lin Su, Ling-Wei Chen, Lourdes Mary Daniel, Lynette Pei-Chi Shek, Marielle V. Fortier, Mark Hanson, Mary Foong-Fong Chong, Mary Rauff, Mei Chien Chua, Melvin Khee-Shing Leow, Michael J. Meaney, Michelle Zhi Ling Kee, Min Gong, Mya Thway Tint, Navin Michael, Neerja Karnani, Funding Information: ACKNOWLEDGMENTS.ThestudyissupportedbytheNationalResearchFoundation (NRF) under the Open Fund-Large Collaborative Grant (OF-LCG; MOH-000504) administered by the Singapore Ministry of Health’s National Medical Research CouncilandtheAgencyforScience,TechnologyandResearch.InRIE2025,Growing Up in Singapore Towards healthy Outcomes (GUSTO) is supported by funding from the NRF’s Human Health and Potential Domain, under the Human Potential Programme.The funders had no role in the conceptualization, design, data collection, analysis, decision to publish, or preparation of the manuscript. We thank the National University Hospital Department of Laboratory Medicine Projects Team for their hard work performing the measurements.We also thank Dr. Gernalia Satianegar’s biobank team and the clinical research coordinators for processing and collecting the blood samples respectively. The GUSTO study group includes Airu Chia, Allan Sheppard, Amutha Chinnadurai, Anna Magdalena Fogel, Anne Eng Neo Goh, Anne Hin Yee Chu, Anne Rifkin-Graboi, Anqi Qiu, Arijit Biswas, Bee Wah Lee, Birit Froukje Philipp Broekman, Bobby Kyungbeom Cheon, Boon Long Quah, Candida Vaz, Chai Kiat Chng, Cheryl Shufen Ngo, Choon Looi Bong, Christiani Jeyakumar Henry, Ciaran Gerard Forde, Claudia Chi, Daniel Yam Thiam Goh, Dawn Xin Ping Koh, Desiree Y. Phua, Doris Ngiuk Lan Loh, E. Shyong Tai, Elaine Kwang Hsia Tham, Elaine Phaik Ling Quah, Elizabeth Huiwen Tham, Evelyn Chung Ning Law, Evelyn Xiu Ling Loo, Fabian Kok Peng Yap, Faidon Magkos, Falk Müller-Riemenschneider, George Seow Heong Yeo, Hannah Ee Juen Yong, Helen Yu Chen, Heng Hao Tan, Hong Pan, Hugo PS van Bever, Hui Min Tan, Iliana Magiati, Inez Bik Yun Wong, Ives Yubin Lim, Ivy Yee-Man Lau, Izzuddin Bin Mohd Aris, Jeannie Tay, Jeevesh Kapur, Jenny L. Richmond, Jerry Kok Yen Chan, Jia Xu, Joanna Dawn Holbrook, Joanne Su-Yin Yoong, Joao Nuno Andrade Requicha Ferreira, Johan Gunnar Eriksson, Jonathan Tze Liang Choo, Jonathan Y. Bernard, Jonathan Yinhao Huang, Joshua J. Gooley, Jun Shi Lai, Karen Mei Ling Tan, Keith M. Godfrey, Kenneth Yung Chiang Kwek, Keri McCrickerd, Kok Hian Tan, Kothandaraman Narasimhan, Krishnamoorthy Naiduvaje, Kuan Jin Lee, Leher Singh, Li Chen, Lieng Hsi Ling, Lin Lin Su, Ling-Wei Chen, Lourdes Mary Daniel, Lynette Pei-Chi Shek, Marielle V. Fortier, Mark Hanson, Mary Foong-Fong Chong, Mary Rauff, Mei Chien Chua, Melvin Khee-Shing Leow, Michael J. Meaney, Michelle Zhi Ling Kee, Min Gong, Mya Thway Tint, Navin Michael, Neerja Karnani, Publisher Copyright: Copyright © 2023 the Author(s).
PY - 2023/9/26
Y1 - 2023/9/26
N2 - Early-life adversity affects long-term health outcomes but there is considerable interindividual variability in susceptibility to environmental influences. We proposed that positive psychological characteristics that reflect engagement with context, such as being concerned about people or performance on tasks (i.e., empathic concern), could moderate the interindividual variation in sensitivity to the quality of the early environment. We studied 526 children of various Asian nationalities in Singapore (46.6% female, 13.4% below the poverty line) with longitudinal data on perinatal and childhood experiences, maternal report on empathic concern of the child, and a comprehensive set of physiological measures reflecting pediatric allostatic load assessed at 6 y of age. The perinatal and childhood experiences included adversities and positive experiences. We found that cumulative adverse childhood experience was positively associated with allostatic load of children at 6 y of age at higher levels of empathic concern but not significantly associated at lower levels of empathic concern. This finding reveals evidence for the importance of empathic concern as a psychological characteristic that moderates the developmental impact of environmental influences, serving as a source for vulnerability to adversities in children.
AB - Early-life adversity affects long-term health outcomes but there is considerable interindividual variability in susceptibility to environmental influences. We proposed that positive psychological characteristics that reflect engagement with context, such as being concerned about people or performance on tasks (i.e., empathic concern), could moderate the interindividual variation in sensitivity to the quality of the early environment. We studied 526 children of various Asian nationalities in Singapore (46.6% female, 13.4% below the poverty line) with longitudinal data on perinatal and childhood experiences, maternal report on empathic concern of the child, and a comprehensive set of physiological measures reflecting pediatric allostatic load assessed at 6 y of age. The perinatal and childhood experiences included adversities and positive experiences. We found that cumulative adverse childhood experience was positively associated with allostatic load of children at 6 y of age at higher levels of empathic concern but not significantly associated at lower levels of empathic concern. This finding reveals evidence for the importance of empathic concern as a psychological characteristic that moderates the developmental impact of environmental influences, serving as a source for vulnerability to adversities in children.
KW - allostasis
KW - caring
KW - diathesis-stress
KW - differential susceptibility
KW - early-life stress
UR - http://www.scopus.com/inward/record.url?scp=85171901730&partnerID=8YFLogxK
U2 - https://doi.org/10.1073/pnas.2217769120
DO - https://doi.org/10.1073/pnas.2217769120
M3 - Article
C2 - 37725642
SN - 0027-8424
VL - 120
SP - e2217769120
JO - PROCEEDINGS OF THE NATIONAL ACADEMY OF SCIENCES OF THE UNITED STATES OF AMERICA
JF - PROCEEDINGS OF THE NATIONAL ACADEMY OF SCIENCES OF THE UNITED STATES OF AMERICA
IS - 39
M1 - e2217769120
ER -