Venn Rachel, Sigrist Christine, Rudzki Stephan, D'Cunha Nathan M, Buchhorn Reiner, Koenig Julian, Northey Joseph M, Naumovski Nenad, McKune Andrew J
School of Rehabilitation and Exercise Sciences, Faculty of Health, University of Canberra, Canberra, ACT 617, Australia; Research Institute of Sport and Exercise, University of Canberra, Canberra, ACT 2617, Australia.
Department of General Psychiatry, Centre for Psychosocial Medicine, Medical Faculty, Heidelberg University, Heidelberg 69115, Germany; University Hospital of Child and Adolescent Psychiatry and Psychotherapy, University of Bern, Bern, Switzerland.
Psychoneuroendocrinology. 2025 Sep;179:107505. doi: 10.1016/j.psyneuen.2025.107505. Epub 2025 Jun 6.
Early life stress affects children worldwide, influencing behavioural, social, emotional, cognitive, and physical development. It is strongly associated with an increased risk of mental illness across the lifespan, with symptoms often emerging during childhood or adolescence. Parents experiencing acute and chronic stress may inadvertently contribute to adverse health outcomes in their children, as cumulative exposure to stress within the family unit can negatively impact both mental and physical well-being. Children exposed to parental stress and its associated emotional and physiological responses may be at a heightened risk for autonomic nervous system (ANS) developmental disruptions. Disruptions in the ANS regulation are linked to metabolic risk, cardiovascular disease, type 2 diabetes mellitus, and early mortality, as well as mental illness. Autonomic imbalance, characterised by sympathetic overactivity and/or parasympathetic (vagal) underactivity, has been proposed as a key mechanism connecting early life stress to increased vulnerability to mental health disorders later in life. However, the strength of this association may depend on moderating factors such as the type of early adversity, presence of psychopathology, and age. Heart rate variability (HRV), particularly the root mean square of successive differences (rMSSD) and high frequency HRV, provides a non-invasive, cost-effective and accessible method for assessing vagal activity and ANS function. The steep increase in vagal activity observed during infancy and puberty represents critical periods in ANS development, making these phases particularly susceptible to early life stress. This review suggests that HRV-based assessments of vagal activity could serve as an early marker of ANS dysregulation, helping to identify children at risk of mental health conditions. Moreover, childhood presents a crucial window for targeted lifestyle interventions, such as exercise, to enhance vagal activity, potentially mitigating the long-term consequences of early life stress.
早年生活压力影响着全球儿童，对其行为、社交、情感、认知和身体发育产生影响。它与一生中患精神疾病的风险增加密切相关，症状通常在童年或青少年时期出现。经历急性和慢性压力的父母可能会无意中导致孩子出现不良健康后果，因为家庭单位内累积的压力暴露会对心理和身体健康产生负面影响。暴露于父母压力及其相关的情绪和生理反应的儿童，其自主神经系统（ANS）发育中断的风险可能会增加。ANS调节紊乱与代谢风险、心血管疾病、2型糖尿病和过早死亡以及精神疾病有关。以交感神经过度活跃和/或副交感神经（迷走神经）活动不足为特征的自主神经失衡，已被提出作为将早年生活压力与晚年患精神健康障碍易感性增加联系起来的关键机制。然而，这种关联的强度可能取决于调节因素，如早年逆境的类型、精神病理学的存在和年龄。心率变异性（HRV），特别是逐次差值的均方根（rMSSD）和高频HRV，提供了一种非侵入性、经济高效且易于获取的方法来评估迷走神经活动和ANS功能。在婴儿期和青春期观察到的迷走神经活动的急剧增加代表了ANS发育的关键时期，使这些阶段特别容易受到早年生活压力的影响。这篇综述表明，基于HRV的迷走神经活动评估可以作为ANS调节紊乱的早期标志物，有助于识别有心理健康问题风险的儿童。此外，童年是进行有针对性的生活方式干预（如运动）以增强迷走神经活动的关键窗口，这可能会减轻早年生活压力的长期后果。
