CHILDHOOD MALNUTRITION EFFECTS ON STRESS RESPONSE

儿童营养不良对应激反应的影响

• 批准号: 2660086
• 负责人: LIA C. H. FERNALD
• 金额: $ 0.3万
• 依托单位: UNIVERSITY OF LONDON INST OF CHILD HLTH
• 依托单位国家: 美国
• 财政年份: 1997
• 资助国家: 美国
• 起止时间: 1997-09-17 至
• 项目状态: 未结题
• 来源: https://reporter.nih.gov/project-details/2660086
• 关键词: anxiety; behavior test; behavioral /social science research tag; behavioral medicine; child psychology; clinical research; developmental nutrition; environmental adaptation; frustration; human subject; malnutrition; middle childhood (6-11); physiologic stressor; psychological stressor; stress

Childhood malnutrition is a public health problem of global proportions. Stunted children have numerous developmental difficulties, including deficits in cognitive functioning and poor school performance. Research with animals has demonstrated a link between early malnutrition and heightened emotional reactivity, leading to the hypothesis that stress could interfere with cognitive functioning. However, there has been almost no research with humans exploring this possibility. In my proposed doctoral research, I will investigate the role of impaired stress response as a potential mediating variable contributing to negative developmental outcomes in malnourished children. I will test the hypothesis that children who have suffered a history of malnutrition are less able to adapt to novel environments, and become frustrated and anxious more easily than adequately nourished children. To address this important question, stunted and non-stunted Jamaican children will be presented with psychological stressors (e.g. interview, mental arithmetic, frustrating tasks) and physical stressors (e.g. isometric handgrip). The stress response of the malnourished and adequately nourished children will be compared using behavioral measures in combination with physiological measures of the cardiovascular, adrenocortical, and autonomic nervous systems. The findings of this research will increase our understanding of how heightened susceptibility to stress may contribute to the poor cognitive and social development of malnourished children.

儿童营养不良是全球比例的公共卫生问题。 发育不良的孩子有许多发育困难，包括 认知功能和学校表现不佳的缺陷。研究 用动物证明了早期营养不良和 情绪反应提高，导致了压力的假设 可能会干扰认知功能。但是，几乎有 没有与人类的研究探索这种可能性。在我的建议中 博士研究，我将调查压力反应受损的作用 作为潜在的中介变量，导致负面发展 营养不良的孩子的结果。我将检验以下假设 遭受营养不良史的孩子的能力较低 适应新颖的环境，并更轻松地变得沮丧和焦虑 比充分滋养的孩子。为了解决这个重要问题， 牙买加儿童发育不良和不受欢迎的儿童 心理压力源（例如访谈，精神算术，令人沮丧 任务）和物理压力源（例如等距手夹）。压力 营养不良和充分营养的孩子的反应将是 比较使用行为度量与生理学结合 心血管，肾上腺皮质和自主神经的度量 系统。这项研究的发现将增加我们对 对压力的敏感性增强可能有助于穷人 营养不良儿童的认知和社会发展。