A developmental increase in allostatic load from ages 3 to 11 years is associated with increased schizotypal personality at age 23 years

Although allostatic load has been investigated in mood and anxiety disorders, no prior study has investigated developmental change in allostatic load as a precursor to schizotypal personality. This study employed a multilevel developmental framework to examine whether the development of increased al...

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Bibliographic Details
Published in:Development and psychopathology 2011-11, Vol.23 (4), p.1059-1068
Main Authors: Peskin, Melissa, Raine, Adrian, Gao, Yu, Venables, Peter H., Mednick, Sarnoff A.
Format: Article
Language:English
Subjects:
Acoustic Stimulation
Allostasis - physiology
Analysis of Variance
Child
Child development
Child Development - physiology
Child, Preschool
Female
Galvanic Skin Response - physiology
Habituation, Psychophysiologic - physiology
Humans
Male
Multivariate Analysis
Personality traits
Schizophrenia
Schizotypal Personality Disorder - etiology
Schizotypal Personality Disorder - physiopathology
Young Adult
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Summary:Although allostatic load has been investigated in mood and anxiety disorders, no prior study has investigated developmental change in allostatic load as a precursor to schizotypal personality. This study employed a multilevel developmental framework to examine whether the development of increased allostatic load, as indicated by impaired sympathetic nervous system habituation from ages 3 to 11 years, predisposes to schizotypal personality at age 23 years. Electrodermal activity to six aversive tones was recorded in 995 subjects at age 3 years and again at 11 years. Habituation slopes at both ages were used to create groups who showed a developmental increase in habituation (decreased allostatic load), and those who showed a developmental decrease in habituation (increased allostatic load). Children who showed a developmental increase in allostatic load from ages 3 to 11 years had higher levels of schizotypal personality at 23 years. A breakdown of total schizotypy scores demonstrated specificity of findings to cognitive–perceptual features of schizotypy. Findings are the first to document a developmental abnormality in allostasis in relation to adult schizotypal personality. The relative failure to develop normal habituation to repeated stressors throughout childhood is hypothesized to result in an accumulation of allostatic load and consequently increased positive symptom schizotypy in adulthood.
ISSN:0954-5794
1469-2198
DOI:10.1017/S0954579411000496