Ask Dr. Nick
On today’s episode, Dr. Nick talks about how early childhood adversity can lead to current and future anxiety during adolescence. Childhood anxiety is on the rise, maybe from hectic lifestyles, trauma, or other environmental factors like diet. Many times, conditions like autism and ADHD also come with anxiety for these children. When specifically looking at early childhood adversity like foster care or traumatic experiences, these children have more anxiety than their counterparts. At the same time, these children have more gastrointestinal distress and alterations in their microbiome. In the article discussed, there was a clear connection between early adversity and anxiety via the brain-gut-microbiome axis. This connection was not only at the time of interviewing but also 5 years later! This is important when applying strategies for treatment of childhood and adolescent anxiety. Check out the video for more in depth information on how early childhood adversity affects the gut leading to increased adolescent anxiety!
Callaghan BL, Fields A, Gee DG, Gabard-Durnam L, Caldera C, Humphreys KL, Goff B, Flannery J, Telzer EH, Shapiro M, Tottenham N. Mind and gut: Associations between mood and gastrointestinal distress in children exposed to adversity. Dev Psychopathol. 2020 Feb;32(1):309-328.
