Poster No:
660
Submission Type:
Abstract Submission
Authors:
Oksana Berhe1,2, Markus Reichert1,3,4, Andreas Meyer-Lindenberg1,2, Heike Tost1,2
Institutions:
1Central Institute of Mental Health, Mannheim, Germany, 2German Centre for Mental Health (DZPG), Partner site Mannheim,, Mannheim, Germany, 3Department of Sport and Sport Science, Karlsruhe Institute of Technology,, Karlsruhe, Germany, 4Department of eHealth and Sports Analytics, Ruhr-University Bochum, Bochum, Germany
First Author:
Oksana Berhe
Central Institute of Mental Health|German Centre for Mental Health (DZPG), Partner site Mannheim,
Mannheim, Germany|Mannheim, Germany
Co-Author(s):
Markus Reichert
Central Institute of Mental Health|Department of Sport and Sport Science, Karlsruhe Institute of Technology,|Department of eHealth and Sports Analytics, Ruhr-University Bochum
Mannheim, Germany|Karlsruhe, Germany|Bochum, Germany
Andreas Meyer-Lindenberg
Central Institute of Mental Health|German Centre for Mental Health (DZPG), Partner site Mannheim,
Mannheim, Germany|Mannheim, Germany
Heike Tost
Central Institute of Mental Health|German Centre for Mental Health (DZPG), Partner site Mannheim,
Mannheim, Germany|Mannheim, Germany
Introduction:
Social stress is a critical factor influencing affective well-being, particularly among individuals with a childhood traumatic exposure (CTE, Monninger et al, 2023, Berhe et al, 2023). Structural brain alterations in stress-sensitive regions, such as the amygdala and hippocampus, may modulate these effects (Bickart et al., 2014, Schmaal et al., 2016). This study examines the relationship between real-life social stress, affective well-being, childhood trauma, and brain structure, to uncover the neurobiological mechanisms underlying social stress sensitivity.
Methods:
We employed ecological momentary assessment (EMA) to measure real-life social stress and affective well-being (Multidimensional Mood State Questionnaire; Wilhelm & Schoebi, 2007) during one week in a sample of healthy community individuals (N=361, age 25.37+/-6.77, 52% females) from the psychoepidemiological center (PEZ) study at the Central Institute of Mental Health Mannheim, Germany. When in company, participants rated their enjoyment of social interactions and preference for solitude (Collip et al., 2011). CTE was assessed using the Childhood Trauma Screener (CTS, Glaesmer et al., 2013), and brain structure was analyzed using voxel-based morphometry (VBM) to evaluate amygdala and hippocampal volumes. Multilevel models tested the relationships between real life social stress and affective well-being, while moderation analyses explored modulator role of childhood trauma. Brain structure analysis was performed in SPM and VBM results were integrated to assess the neurobiological correlates of these effects.
Results:
EMA revealed a significant negative relationship between experienced social stress and affective well-being - social affective vulnerability (ß=-0.26, p<0.00). Childhood trauma moderated this relationship, with individuals with greater trauma levels intensifying the negative association (ß=-0.16, p<0.002). VBM analyses revealed reductions in amygdala (t=3.96, pFWE=0.003) and hippocampal (t=4.56, pFWE<0.001) volumes linked to higher real life social stress. Exploratory analyses indicated that brain volume further moderated the stress-well-being relationship, with distinct effects for individuals with larger versus smaller hippocampal (t=4.56, pFWE<0.001) and amygdala (t=3.96, pFWE=0.003).
Conclusions:
These findings highlight the complex interplay between social stress, brain structure, and childhood adversities in shaping affective well-being. Structural reductions in the amygdala and hippocampus may underlie the negative psychological effects of social stress. The moderating role of brain volume underscores the importance of individual differences in neurobiological sensitivity to stress. These results emphasize the need for targeted interventions addressing stress regulation and resilience, particularly in trauma-exposed populations, to mitigate the long-term impact of social stress on mental health.
Emotion, Motivation and Social Neuroscience:
Social Cognition 2
Social Interaction 1
Novel Imaging Acquisition Methods:
Anatomical MRI
Keywords:
Social Interactions
STRUCTURAL MRI
Trauma
Other - ecological momentary assessment
1|2Indicates the priority used for review
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Please indicate below if your study was a "resting state" or "task-activation” study.
Other
Healthy subjects only or patients (note that patient studies may also involve healthy subjects):
Healthy subjects
Was this research conducted in the United States?
No
Were any human subjects research approved by the relevant Institutional Review Board or ethics panel?
NOTE: Any human subjects studies without IRB approval will be automatically rejected.
Yes
Were any animal research approved by the relevant IACUC or other animal research panel?
NOTE: Any animal studies without IACUC approval will be automatically rejected.
Not applicable
Please indicate which methods were used in your research:
Structural MRI
Other, Please specify
-
ecological momentary assessment
For human MRI, what field strength scanner do you use?
3.0T
Which processing packages did you use for your study?
SPM
Other, Please list
-
CAT
Provide references using APA citation style.
Berhe, O., Moessnang, C., Reichert, M., Ma, R., Höflich, A., Tesarz, J., ... & Tost, H. (2023). Dose-dependent changes in real-life affective well-being in healthy community-based individuals with mild to moderate childhood trauma exposure. Borderline Personality Disorder and Emotion Dysregulation, 10(1), 14.
Bickart, K. C., Dickerson, B. C., & Barrett, L. F. (2014). The amygdala as a hub in brain networks that support social life. Neuropsychologia, 63, 235-248.
Collip, D., Oorschot, M., Thewissen, V., Van Os, J., Bentall, R., & Myin-Germeys, I. (2009). SOCIAL WORLD INTERACTIONS: HOW COMPANY CONNECTS TO PARANOIA. Schizophrenia Bulletin, 35, 21-21.
Glaesmer, H., Schulz, A., Häuser, W., Freyberger, H. J., Brähler, E., & Grabe, H. J. (2013). The childhood trauma screener (CTS)-development and validation of cut-off-scores for classificatory diagnostics. Psychiatrische Praxis, 40(4), 220-226.
Monninger, M., Aggensteiner, P. M., Pollok, T. M., Kaiser, A., Reinhard, I., Hermann, A., ... & Holz, N. E. (2023). The importance of high quality real-life social interactions during the COVID-19 pandemic. Scientific Reports, 13(1), 3675.
Schmaal, L., Veltman, D. J., van Erp, T. G., Sämann, P. G., Frodl, T., Jahanshad, N., ... & Hibar, D. P. (2016). Subcortical brain alterations in major depressive disorder: findings from the ENIGMA Major Depressive Disorder working group. Molecular psychiatry, 21(6), 806-812.
Wilhelm, P., & Schoebi, D. (2007). Assessing mood in daily life. European Journal of Psychological Assessment, 23(4), 258-267.
No