Primary Submission Category: Life-course/developmental
The Impact of Violence Exposure on Allostatic Load: Applying SLCMA to Examine Violence Timing and the Protective Role of Adolescent Social Support
Authors: Ariana Burga, Shanting Chen,
Presenting Author: Ariana Burga*
With nearly 60% of U.S. youth exposed to violence, understanding how exposure timing affects physiological health outcomes is critical for designing effective interventions. This study uniquely applies the Structured Life Course Modeling Approach (SLCMA), a novel method that allows simultaneous comparison of competing temporal hypotheses—sensitivity periods (specific developmental stages as critical windows), accumulation (cumulative burden over time), and recency (proximal exposure having stronger effects)—on allostatic load without inflating family-wise Type I error. Using Add Health data Waves 1-5, this study tracks violence exposure (witnessing and direct) across Adolescence (13-18) through Established Adulthood (30-45),and measures allostatic load via 12 biomarkers at Wave 5, spanning cardiovascular, metabolic, inflammatory, and neuroendocrine systems. Additionally, this research examines adolescent social support as a moderator, innovatively analyzing both overall support and its components (peer, school, and social connections) to determine which types most effectively buffer the physiological impacts of violence. It is hypothesized that 1. the accumulation model will best explain allostatic load, with adolescence as a particularly vulnerable period; and 2. higher adolescent social support will buffer cumulative exposure’s effects, with specific types of support offering distinct protective benefits. Data analysis is currently underway, with preliminary results expected by the conference date. By systematically comparing temporal patterns of violence exposure and exploring multidimensional social support as a buffer, this study identifies when violence most deeply embeds biologically and highlights adolescence as a pivotal period for school-based interventions. These findings aim to inform targeted public health strategies leveraging existing institutional frameworks to mitigate lifelong physiological dysregulation linked to youth violence.