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. 2024 Mar 20;17(3):1-16.
doi: 10.1007/s40653-024-00621-w. eCollection 2024 Sep.

Electrocortical Correlates of Emotion Processing and Resilience in Individuals with Adverse Childhood Experiences

Stephanie D Clarke  1   2 , Diana K Riser  1 , Mark S Schmidt  1
Affiliations

Electrocortical Correlates of Emotion Processing and Resilience in Individuals with Adverse Childhood Experiences

Stephanie D Clarke et al. J Child Adolesc Trauma. .

Abstract

Childhood trauma is associated with poor health outcomes in adulthood, largely due to the impact of chronic stress on the body. Fortunately, there are certain protective characteristics, such as constraint (i.e., impulse control, inhibition, and avoidance of unconventional behavior and risk) and cognitive reappraisal (i.e., reframing circumstances in a more positive light). In the present study, we investigated the interaction between childhood trauma, resilience, and neural correlates of emotion processing. Participants responded to survey questions regarding childhood trauma and resilient characteristics. They were later invited to passively view neutral, unpleasant, and pleasant images while their brain activity was recorded via electroencephalography (EEG). We analyzed two event-related potential (ERP) components of interest: the Early Posterior Negativity (EPN) and Late Positive Potential (LPP). We found that childhood trauma was associated with decreased constraint and reduced sensitivity to unpleasant images (i.e., decreased LPP amplitude differences between neutral and unpleasant images as compared to controls). Further, constraint predicted increased sensitivity to pleasant images. In a hierarchical linear regression analysis, we found that constraint moderated the relation between childhood trauma and emotion processing, such that it predicted increased sensitivity to unpleasant images for adults with childhood trauma in particular. Childhood trauma and cognitive reappraisal independently predicted decreased sensitivity to unpleasant images, (i.e., decreased LPP amplitude differences between neutral and unpleasant images). Our findings suggest that childhood trauma and resilient characteristics independently and interactively influence emotion processing.

Keywords: Childhood trauma; Emotion; Evoked potentials; Resilience.

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Conflict of interest statement

Conflict of interestOn behalf of all authors, the corresponding author states that there are no conflicts of interest.We have no known conflict of interest to disclose. This research was funded in part by the Student Research and Creative Endeavors grant from Columbus State University. We would like to thank the undergraduate researchers who have volunteered their time to assist in the completion of this research, including Kristy Gash, Zachary Davenport, Scottie DeClue, Lindi Taylor, Hannah Henderson, Morgan Wilson, Jessie Moore, Ivey Milam, and Elise Rhinebolt. We would also like to thank Drs. Katherine White, Cindy Ticknor, Mariama Sandifer, and Aisha Adams for providing valuable feedback on this research that contributed to its final, polished form.

Figures

Fig. 1
Fig. 1
Top panel shows grand average waveforms (N = 58) for neutral, pleasant, and unpleasant images. Bottom panel shows grand average difference waveforms (N = 58) for pleasant and unpleasant images
See this image and copyright information in PMC

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