In children and adolescents who have experienced child abuse, the body appears to remain in a state of alert for too long, and this situation can affect several bodily systems, such as the neuroendocrine, immune and metabolic systems. When this alert response is prolonged, it leads to cumulative wear and tear on all the biological systems that normally respond to stress, a phenomenon known as allostatic load. Furthermore, victims who have experienced a greater accumulation of different types of maltreatment also show a higher prevalence of psychiatric disorders.
But is it possible to identify children who are biologically more vulnerable to child maltreatment and to the development of mental health disorders?
Now, a study published in the Journal of Affective Disorders presents a methodology that could help identify profiles of greater biological and clinical vulnerability in children and adolescents who have been exposed to maltreatment. The study identifies a set of biomarkers that could indicate greater wear and tear on the biological systems that facilitate adaptation to the stress caused by the trauma of maltreatment.
The study is led by Lourdes Fañanás, a professor at the Faculty of Biology and a researcher at the Institute of Biomedicine (IBUB) at the University of Barcelona, and a member of the CIBER Area for Mental Health (CIBERSAM).
Other leading experts in the study include Laia Marques-Feixa and Nerea San Martín (UB, IBUB and CIBERSAM) and Soledad Romero (Hospital Clínic, IDIBAPS and CIBERSAM).
Child maltreatment: a situation of chronic stress
Child maltreatment is a form of chronic stress that is particularly significant in terms of mental health because it occurs at stages when the brain is still developing and maturing.
"These experiences usually occur within the child's familiar environment and attachment context, which can place them in a particularly ambivalent position: they need protection, care and a bond with the very same figures who may be causing them emotional, physical or relational harm," explain Laia Marques-Feixa and Lourdes Fañanás, from the UB's Department of Evolutionary Biology, Ecology and Environmental Sciences.
