Neurobiology of Stress Response After Early Life Trauma (1 CE)

This course is for:  Clinical Psychologists, Counselors, and Nurses

Course By: Tim Grigsby, PhD

Content By: Agorastos, A., Pervanidou, P., Chrousos, G. P., & Baker, D. G. (2019). Developmental trajectories of early life stress and trauma: A narrative review on neurobiological aspects beyond stress system dysregulation. Frontiers in Psychiatry, 10, e118.

Course Description:

Traumatic experiences in childhood have long-lasting effects on physical, behavioral, and mental health that can extend well into adulthood. Recent evidence has suggested that numerous brain pathways are implicated in stress dysregulation following traumatic experiences. Researchers discuss the state of evidence on hypo- and hyperactivation of various neurobiological systems implicated in the stress response in populations with a history of early life stress and trauma. Current findings suggest various processes are disrupted by traumatic experiences and more research is needed to understand the temporal sequence of trauma and dysfunctional stress response. Identifying risk and resilience factors following childhood trauma exposure is critical to health interventions to offset long-term adverse outcomes.

Learning Objectives:

1. Compare and contrast early life stress from childhood trauma
2. List two neurobiological systems implicated in stress dysregulation following exposure to childhood trauma
3. Describe an explanatory model that explains the life course trajectory of stress response following exposure to childhood trauma

Course Outline:

• Read and understand Developmental trajectories of early life stress and trauma: A narrative review on neurobiological aspects beyond stress system dysregulation
• Review the Course Description and Learning Objectives
• Reflect on the neurobiological systems that promote stress response and how they may be altered by experience to early life stress and childhood trauma
• Work through the post-test questions; keep in mind that answer selections should be derived from the respective article
• Return to the referenced article for any missed questions and/or to better understand how early life stress and childhood trauma are related to dysfunctional stress response throughout the life span

Implicit biases incorporate an association that occurs outside of conscious awareness that may

resultantly lead to a negative patient evaluation derived from irrelevant characteristics; i.e.

gender and/or race. A systematic review of the literature was conducted. Thirty-five studies

identified the existence of implicit bias in healthcare professionals; all correlational studies

evidenced a significant positive relationship between implicit bias levels and lower quality of

care (FitzGerald & Hurst, 2017). Continued research in health care settings, combined with

greater method homogeneity, should be employed to examine the occurrence and prevalence

of implicit biases in healthcare settings as a strategic approach for mitigating related disparities

(FitzGerald & Hurst, 2017).

Approvals: