J Korean Med Sci.  2015 Nov;30(11):1667-1674. 10.3346/jkms.2015.30.11.1667.

The Protective Role of Resilience in Attenuating Emotional Distress and Aggression Associated with Early-life Stress in Young Enlisted Military Service Candidates

• Kim J
• Seok JH
• Choi K
• Jon DI
• Hong HJ
• Hong N
• Lee E

• KMID: 2351119
• DOI: http://doi.org/10.3346/jkms.2015.30.11.1667

Abstract

Early life stress (ELS) may induce long-lasting psychological complications in adulthood. The protective role of resilience against the development of psychopathology is also important. The purpose of this study was to investigate the relationships among ELS, resilience, depression, anxiety, and aggression in young adults. Four hundred sixty-one army inductees gave written informed consent and participated in this study. We assessed psychopathology using the Korea Military Personality Test, ELS using the Childhood Abuse Experience Scale, and resilience with the resilience scale. Analyses of variance, correlation analyses, and hierarchical multiple linear regression analyses were conducted for statistical analyses. The regression model explained 35.8%, 41.0%, and 23.3% of the total variance in the depression, anxiety, and aggression indices, respectively. We can find that even though ELS experience is positively associated with depression, anxiety, and aggression, resilience may have significant attenuating effect against the ELS effect on severity of these psychopathologies. Emotion regulation showed the most beneficial effect among resilience factors on reducing severity of psychopathologies. To improve mental health for young adults, ELS assessment and resilience enhancement program should be considered.

Keyword

Depression; Anxiety; Aggression; Early-life Stress; Interparental Violence; Resilience; Emotion Regulation; Optimism

MeSH Terms

Adaptation, Psychological
Adolescent
Age Distribution
Aggression/*psychology
Anxiety/epidemiology/psychology
Comorbidity
Humans
Male
Military Personnel/*psychology/*statistics & numerical data
Prevalence
Republic of Korea/epidemiology
*Resilience, Psychological
Risk Factors
Stress, Psychological/*epidemiology/*psychology
Young Adult

Reference

1. Giedd JN, Lalonde FM, Celano MJ, White SL, Wallace GL, Lee NR, Lenroot RK. Anatomical brain magnetic resonance imaging of typically developing children and adolescents. J Am Acad Child Adolesc Psychiatry. 2009; 48:465–470.

2. Brown DW, Anda RF, Tiemeier H, Felitti VJ, Edwards VJ, Croft JB, Giles WH. Adverse childhood experiences and the risk of premature mortality. Am J Prev Med. 2009; 37:389–396.

3. Pechtel P, Pizzagalli DA. Effects of early life stress on cognitive and affective function: an integrated review of human literature. Psychopharmacology (Berl). 2011; 214:55–70.

4. Duggan C, Sham P, Minne C, Lee A, Murray R. Quality of parenting and vulnerability to depression: results from a family study. Psychol Med. 1998; 28:185–191.

5. Evans SE, Davies C, DiLillo D. Exposure to domestic violence: A meta-analysis of child and adolescent outcomes. Aggress Violent Behav. 2008; 13:131–140.

6. Roberts AL, Gilman SE, Fitzmaurice G, Decker MR, Koenen KC. Witness of intimate partner violence in childhood and perpetration of intimate partner violence in adulthood. Epidemiology. 2010; 21:809–818.

7. Kitzmann KM, Gaylord NK, Holt AR, Kenny ED. Child witnesses to domestic violence: a meta-analytic review. J Consult Clin Psychol. 2003; 71:339–352.

8. Seok JH, Lee KU, Kim W, Lee SH, Kang EH, Ham BJ, Yang JC, Chae JH. Impact of early-life stress and resilience on patients with major depressive disorder. Yonsei Med J. 2012; 53:1093–1098.

9. Sunday S, Kline M, Labruna V, Pelcovitz D, Salzinger S, Kaplan S. The role of adolescent physical abuse in adult intimate partner violence. J Interpers Violence. 2011; 26:3773–3789.

10. Rodriguez CM. Parent-child aggression: association with child abuse potential and parenting styles. Violence Vict. 2010; 25:728–741.

11. Hildyard KL, Wolfe DA. Child neglect: developmental issues and outcomes. Child Abuse Negl. 2002; 26:679–695.

12. Luthar SS, Brown PJ. Maximizing resilience through diverse levels of inquiry: Prevailing paradigms, possibilities, and priorities for the future. Dev Psychopathol. 2007; 19:931–955.

13. Werner EE. Vulnerable but invincible: high risk children from birth to adulthood. Eur Child Adolesc Psychiatry. 1996; 5:47–51.

14. Reivich K, Shatte A. The resilience factor: Seven essential skills for overcoming life's inevitable obstacles. New York: Broadway Books;2002.

15. Won HT, Han DW, Shin ES, Park KB, Lee YH, Yook SP. The final report on the development of Korea Military Personality Test. Seoul: Ministry of National Defense;1998.

16. Park DE, Yook SP. A study for screening effect and availability of the military personality test. J Korean Milit Med Assoc. 2004; 35:157–169.

17. Oh HJ. Effects of childhood abuse and exposure to parental violence on problem drinking in later life. Seoul, Korea: Yonsei University;2004. Dissertation.

18. Straus MA. Measuring intrafamily conflict and violence : the Conflict Tactics (CT) Scales. J Marriage Fam. 1979; 41:75–88.

19. Jang HJ. The development of a child abuse assessment scale. Seoul, Korea: Sookmyung Women's University;1998. Dissertation.

20. Kim JH. Resilience: pleasant secrets changing advesity into fortune. Koyang: Wisdomhouse;2011.

21. Perry BD. The neurodevelopmental impact of violence in childhood. In : Schetky D, Benedek EP, editors. Textbook of child and adolescent forensic psychiatry. Washington, DC: American Psychiatric Press;2001. p. 221–238.

22. Veenema AH. Early life stress, the development of aggression and neuroendocrine and neurobiological correlates: what can we learn from animal models? Front Neuroendocrinol. 2009; 30:497–518.

23. Straus MA, Savage SA. Neglectful behavior by parents in the life history of university students in 17 countries and its relation to violence against dating partners. Child Maltreat. 2005; 10:124–135.

24. Wolfe DA, Crooks CV, Lee V, McIntyre-Smith A, Jaffe PG. The effects of children's exposure to domestic violence: a meta-analysis and critique. Clin Child Fam Psychol Rev. 2003; 6:171–187.

25. Charney DS. Psychobiological mechanisms of resilience and vulnerability: implications for successful adaptation to extreme stress. Am J Psychiatry. 2004; 161:195–216.

26. Eisenberg N, Sulik MJ. Emotion-related self-regulation in children. Teach Psychol. 2012; 39:77–83.

27. Curtis WJ, Cicchetti D. Emotion and resilience: a multilevel investigation of hemispheric electroencephalogram asymmetry and emotion regulation in maltreated and nonmaltreated children. Dev Psychopathol. 2007; 19:811–840.

28. Maughan A, Cicchetti D. Impact of child maltreatment and interadult violence on children's emotion regulation abilities and socioemotional adjustment. Child Dev. 2002; 73:1525–1542.

29. Southwick SM, Vythilingam M, Charney DS. The psychobiology of depression and resilience to stress: implications for prevention and treatment. Annu Rev Clin Psychol. 2005; 1:255–291.

30. Yehuda R, Flory JD, Southwick S, Charney DS. Developing an agenda for translational studies of resilience and vulnerability following trauma exposure. Ann N Y Acad Sci. 2006; 1071:379–396.

31. Wagner B, Knaevelsrud C, Maercker A. Post-traumatic growth and optimism as outcomes of an internet-based intervention for complicated grief. Cogn Behav Ther. 2007; 36:156–161.

32. Wille N, Bettge S, Ravens-Sieberer U. BELLA study group. Risk and protective factors for children's and adolescents' mental health: results of the BELLA study. Eur Child Adolesc Psychiatry. 2008; 17:133–147.

33. Gillham JE, Reivich KJ, Freres DR, Chaplin TM, Shatté AJ, Samuels B, Elkon AG, Litzinger S, Lascher M, Gallop R, et al. School-based prevention of depressive symptoms: A randomized controlled study of the effectiveness and specificity of the Penn Resiliency Program. J Consult Clin Psychol. 2007; 75:9–19.

34. Scott KM, Smith DR, Ellis PM. Prospectively ascertained child maltreatment and its association with DSM-IV mental disorders in young adults. Arch Gen Psychiatry. 2010; 67:712–719.

35. Scott KM, McLaughlin KA, Smith DA, Ellis PM. Childhood maltreatment and DSM-IV adult mental disorders: comparison of prospective and retrospective findings. Br J Psychiatry. 2012; 200:469–475.