Adverse childhood experiences (ACEs) are associated with poor future mental and physical health. Altered biological reactivity to mental stress may be a possible mechanism linking ACEs to poor health. However, it is not clear if ACEs relate to blunted or exaggerated stress reactivity. This meta-analysis aimed to determine whether exposure to ACEs is associated with cardiovascular and cortisol stress reactivity. A systematic review yielded 37 sources. Random-effects modelling tested the aggregate effects of 83 studies of the association between ACEs and stress reactivity. Exposure to ACEs was associated with relatively blunted cardiovascular and cortisol stress reactivity. Effect sizes did not vary as a function of sample sex or reactivity measure (e.g., heart rate, blood pressure, or cortisol). Meta-regression revealed preliminary evidence of greater blunting in samples of a younger age and samples reporting greater ACE exposure. Subgroup analyses for stress task, ACE measurement instrument, and sample race were not conducted because of a lack of between-study variability. Exposure to ACEs is associated with dysregulation of multiple components of the human stress response system.
Keywords: ACEs; Adverse childhood experiences; Cardiovascular Reactivity; Cortisol Reactivity; Meta-analysis; Stress.
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