How Early Stressful Life Experiences Combine With Adolescents’ Conjoint Health Risk Trajectories to Influence Cardiometabolic Disease Risk in Young Adulthood

Citation

Lee, Tae Kyoung; Wickrama, Kandauda A. S.; & O’Neal, Catherine Walker (2021). How Early Stressful Life Experiences Combine With Adolescents’ Conjoint Health Risk Trajectories to Influence Cardiometabolic Disease Risk in Young Adulthood. Journal of Youth and Adolescence. vol. 50 (6) pp. 1234-1253

Abstract

Research has primarily focused on additive (unique) associations between early stressful life experiences (specifically, socioeconomic adversity and maltreatment) and young adults’ cardiometabolic disease risk without considering multiplicative (synergistic) influences. Furthermore, research has not fully considered the varying patterns of health risk trajectories (e.g., substance use, obesogenic-related behaviors, depressive symptoms) across adolescence and the transition to young adulthood that may link earlier stressful experiences and later cardiometabolic disease risk. This study examined heterogeneity in conjoint health risk trajectories from adolescence to the transition to young adulthood and their additive and multiplicative (synergistic) influences with early stressful life experiences on cardiometabolic disease risk in young adulthood using data from the National Longitudinal Study of Adolescent to Adult Health (n = 9,421; 55.6% female) over a period of 13 years. Four distinct conjoint health risk trajectories were identified considering trajectories of substance use behaviors, obesogenic-related behaviors, and depressive symptoms: (a) overall high-risk, (b) behavioral risks, (c) psycho-obesogenic risks, and (d) overall low-risk. Socioeconomic adversity and maltreatment were additively and multiplicatively associated with cardiometabolic disease risk in young adulthood. Individuals with overall high-risk conjoint trajectories averaged higher cardiometabolic disease risk in young adulthood when they were exposed to early socioeconomic adversity. Implications for personalized interventions for individuals who have experienced multiple forms of health risks are discussed.

URL

https://doi.org/10.1007/s10964-021-01440-0

Keyword(s)

Early stressful experiences

Reference Type

Journal Article

Journal Title

Journal of Youth and Adolescence

Author(s)

Lee, Tae Kyoung
Wickrama, Kandauda A. S.
O’Neal, Catherine Walker

Year Published

2021

Volume Number

50

Issue Number

6

Pages

1234-1253

ISSN/ISBN

1573-6601

DOI

10.1007/s10964-021-01440-0

Reference ID

5807