This book examines the influence of early stressful experiences over the life course.

Stress researchers have become increasing aware of the ways in which structural and psychosocial variations in the life course shape exposure and vulnerability to social stress. This volume of Advances in Life Course Research explores, theoretically and empirically, stress processes both within and across specific life stages. Chapters within this volume incorporate several areas of research, including:•How physical and mental health trajectories are shaped by life course variations in stressors and resources•Stress associated with social role transitions and the significance of different role trajectories for stress exposure and outcomes •Life course variations in the quality and content of institutional contexts (such as school, work and family) and their significance for stress processes•Differences in types, levels, and effects of different stress-moderating resources within and across life course stages•Ways in which race, gender, and social class influence or condition stress processes over the life course•The relevance of "linked lives within families and across generations for stress exposure and vulnerability•Historical variations in stress-related conditions and cohort differences in stress experiences•Methodological and theoretical advances in studying stress processes across the life course

This book is open access under a CC BY 4.0 license. ​This handbook synthesizes and analyzes the growing knowledge base on life course health development (LCHD) from the prenatal period through emerging adulthood, with implications for clinical practice and public health. It presents LCHD as an innovative field with a sound theoretical framework for understanding wellness and disease from a lifespan perspective, replacing previous medical, biopsychosocial, and early genomic models of health. Interdisciplinary chapters discuss major health concerns (diabetes, obesity), important less-studied conditions (hearing, kidney health), and large-scale issues (nutrition, adversity) from a lifespan viewpoint. In addition, chapters address methodological approaches and challenges by analyzing existing measures, studies, and surveys. The book concludes with the editors’ research agenda that proposes priorities for future LCHD research and its application to health care practice and health policy. Topics featured in the Handbook include: The prenatal period and its effect on child obesity and metabolic outcomes. Pregnancy complications and their effect on women’s cardiovascular health. A multi-level approach for obesity prevention in children. Application of the LCHD framework to autism spectrum disorder. Socioeconomic disadvantage and its influence on health development across the lifespan. The importance of nutrition to optimal health development across the lifespan. The Handbook of Life Course Health Development is a must-have resource for researchers, clinicians/professionals, and graduate students in developmental psychology/science; maternal and child health; social work; health economics; educational policy and politics; and medical law as well as many interrelated subdisciplines in psychology, medicine, public health, mental health, education, social welfare, economics, sociology, and law.

Epigenetics of Aging and Longevity provides an in-depth analysis of the epigenetic nature of aging and the role of epigenetic factors in mediating the link between early-life experiences and life-course health and aging. Chapters from leading international contributors explore the effect of adverse conditions in early-life that may result in disrupted epigenetic pathways, as well as the potential to correct these disrupted pathways via targeted therapeutic interventions. Intergenerational epigenetic inheritance, epigenetic drug discovery, and the role of epigenetic mechanisms in regulating specific age-associated illnesses—including cancer and cardiovascular, metabolic, and neurodegenerative diseases—are explored in detail. This book will help researchers in genomic medicine, epigenetics, and biogerontology better understand the epigenetic determinants of aging and longevity, and ultimately aid in developing therapeutics to extend the human life-span and treat age-related disease. - Offers a comprehensive overview of the epigenetic nature of aging, as well as the impact of epigenetic factors on longevity and regulating age-related disease - Provides readers with clinical and epidemiological evidence for the role of epigenetic mechanisms in mediating the link between early-life experiences, life-course health and aging trajectory - Applies current knowledge of epigenetic regulatory pathways towards developing therapeutic interventions for age-related diseases and extending the human lifespan

Stress Resilience: Molecular and Behavioral Aspects presents the first reference available on the full-breadth of cutting-edge research being carried out in this field. It includes a wide range of basic molecular knowledge on the potential associations between resilience phenomenon and biochemical balance, but also focuses on the molecular and cellular mechanisms underlying stress resilience. World-renowned experts provide chapters that cover everything from the neural circuits of resilience, the effects of early-life adversity, and the transgenerational inheritance of resilience. This unique and timely book will be a go-to resource for neuroscientists and biological psychiatrists who want to improve their understanding of the consequences of stress and on how some people are able to avoid it.

Building on the success of the 2003 Handbook of the Life Course, this second volume identifies future directions for life course research and policy. The introductory essay and the chapters that make up the five sections of this book, show consensus on strategic “next steps” in life course studies. These next steps are explored in detail in each section: Section I, on life course theory, provides fresh perspectives on well-established topics, including cohorts, life stages, and legal and regulatory contexts. It challenges life course scholars to move beyond common individualistic paradigms. Section II highlights changes in major institutional and organizational contexts of the life course. It draws on conceptual advances and recent empirical findings to identify promising avenues for research that illuminate the interplay between structure and agency. It examines trends in family, school, and workplace, as well as contexts that deserve heightened attention, including the military, the criminal justice system, and natural and man-made disaster. The remaining three sections consider advances and suggest strategic opportunities in the study of health and development throughout the life course. They explore methodological innovations, including qualitative and three-generational longitudinal research designs, causal analysis, growth curves, and the study of place. Finally, they show ways to build bridges between life course research and public policy.

As the population of older Americans grows, it is becoming more racially and ethnically diverse. Differences in health by racial and ethnic status could be increasingly consequential for health policy and programs. Such differences are not simply a matter of education or ability to pay for health care. For instance, Asian Americans and Hispanics appear to be in better health, on a number of indicators, than White Americans, despite, on average, lower socioeconomic status. The reasons are complex, including possible roles for such factors as selective migration, risk behaviors, exposure to various stressors, patient attitudes, and geographic variation in health care. This volume, produced by a multidisciplinary panel, considers such possible explanations for racial and ethnic health differentials within an integrated framework. It provides a concise summary of available research and lays out a research agenda to address the many uncertainties in current knowledge. It recommends, for instance, looking at health differentials across the life course and deciphering the links between factors presumably producing differentials and biopsychosocial mechanisms that lead to impaired health.