Extreme forms of stress derived from displacement, poverty, and armed conflict may confer lasting changes to the neuroendocrine system, impacting the pace of development for children and adolescents. Evolutionary theorists suggest that early life stressors may accelerate or suppress pubertal development due to high psychosocial stress, nutritional disadvantage, and shortened life expectancies. Suppression or acceleration may occur through relationships between the hypothalamic-pituitary-adrenal (HPA) and gonadal (HPG) axes, which may suppress one another in adulthood but upregulate simultaneously during puberty. ‘Hormonal coupling’ describes the associations between hormones over time, specifically the co-upregulatory associations between cortisol (HPA) and testosterone (HPG). We predicted cortisol and testosterone would not couple at pre-pubertal ages, positively couple at pubertal ages, and de-couple post-puberty. While testosterone reliably increases during puberty, past research on age-related cortisol changes is inconsistent. In U.S. teens, the cortisol-testosterone connection weakens with early life stress. However, it's unclear how stress signals from trauma and insecurity affect hormone coupling in teens affected by displacement and poverty. Using data from Jordanian non-refugees and Syrian refugees (ages 10-19, n = 769) in Jordan, I examined the effects of extreme stressors on cortisol-testosterone coupling at baseline (n=769) and 12 months later (n=225). Blood spots were analyzed for cortisol and testosterone using multiple reaction monitoring mass spectrometry. I found evidence of positive hormonal coupling and no evidence for de-coupling, with variations by refugee status. Hormonal coupling and de-coupling are likely context-dependent rather than universal patterns. Further, I discuss reflections from community dissemination in Jordan and community-engaged biocultural research.

Background- The objective of this study was to use a metabolomic approach to identify biochemical changes that are potentially associated with mental stress. Methods- In this cross-sectional study we recruited Jordan-based Syrian refugee women and local Jordanian women settled in an urban area in northern Jordan. In this sample of women, we performed psychometric assessment using validated measures of stress and conducted a global quantitative metabolomic analysis in saliva samples collected from the same subjects. This was conducted utilizing the state-of-the-art high-resolution mass spectrometer TIMS-TOF which enables the identification and quantification of differences across most metabolites in saliva samples. Results- Syrian refugee women reported high perceived stress as compared to Jordanian women (mean score ± SD: Syrian refugees = 30.72 ± 9.2, Jordanian women = 27.19 ± 7.7; p = 0.040). Both Jordanian and Syrian women exhibited high scores in Self Reporting questionnaire (SRQ) (mean score ± SD: Syrian refugees = 11.59 ± 4.5, Jordanian women = 10.60 ± 4.7; p = 0.285). Metabolomic analysis revealed higher levels of metabolites which are components of stress, oxidative stress and inflammatory cascades in saliva samples collected from Syrian refugee women as compared to Jordanian women. Conclusion- Mental stress is associated with elevated oxido-inflammatory metabolomic indicators of stress. Further studies focusing on a comprehensive understanding of the stress response system is warranted, which will shed critical insights into the mental stress level of vulnerable communities such as the refugee groups.

The different environments that humans experience profoundly influence physiology, stress responses, and disease susceptibility. The Amazighs, also known as the Berber people, lead distinct ways of life and occupy diverse geographic habitats across Morocco. This variation in living circumstances provides an opportunity to study how lifestyle differences impact physiology at the molecular level. To explore these impacts, we examined functional genomics datasets derived from peripheral blood samples of two distinct groups of Amazighs: one living in traditional rural settings and the other in urban environments. These groups were compared with a focus on immune function and stress biomarkers, which are critical indicators of health and resilience. Our analysis revealed that as much as one third of the transcriptome was significantly associated with the contrasting lifestyles of rural and urban Amazigh groups. Pathway analysis implicated notable divergences in core immune competence between the two groups, which could contribute to varying susceptibilities to disease and stress-related disorders. The urban lifestyle, in particular, was associated with an increased burden of stress, both psychological and immune-related. This is consistent with broader research suggesting that urban environments, characterized by higher levels of pollution, noise, social stressors, and lifestyle changes, can significantly alter physiological responses and increase susceptibility to complex diseases.

In this study, we focused on local narratives and the understanding of complex concepts such as sense of agency and life satisfaction to determine the pathways of influence resulting from community-based interventions on these constructs and the dimensions where the impact is most tangible. The study showcases We Love Reading, a program that trains local volunteers to read aloud to children, ultimately aiming to change mindsets and nurture changemakers both locally and globally.

A mixed-methods approach was used, combining quantitative measures of agency, self-efficacy, and life satisfaction with semi-quantitative focus group discussions utilizing fuzzy cognitive mapping (FCM). FCM was used to discover, through visual representations of cause-and-effect connections, how participants perceive complex concepts like agency and life satisfaction, and to simulate scenarios of change. This approach also assessed the impact of community-based interventions on these systems. Participants included Jordanian and Syrian women from urban communities in Amman, Jordan.

The findings from this study hold significant implications for understanding how community-based interventions, such as We Love Reading, can foster a sense of agency and improve life satisfaction among marginalized populations and host communities. Utilizing participatory approaches like fuzzy cognitive mapping (FCM) and engaging locals to systematically navigate pathways for personal and communal transformation is crucial for sustainable human development that aligns with cultural relevance.

Persistent and profound stress and trauma, such as that experienced during war and displacement, often result in increased risk of mental and physical health difficulties. One possible mechanism of these increased risks may be through the acceleration of biological aging during crucial developmental periods, such as adolescence, which has been associated with poor health and increased long-term health risks in adults. However, interventions which address traumatic stress, as well as building skills and social networks to prevent further stress, may mitigate or ameliorate these effects. Using data from the Advancing Adolescence randomized control trial (RCT) for at risk non-displaced Jordanian and displaced Syrian adolescents living in Jordan, we will present data on our investigation of whether participation in an 8-week intervention aimed at stress reduction, vocational competency and community involvement is linked with changes in epigenetic age relative to chronological age. Buccal swabs were taken from participants at three different time points—baseline, post-intervention, and follow-up—to examine both the immediate, short-term effects and long-term effects of such an intervention on biology. The study looks at individual and group-level patterns of EAA and evaluates the interaction of psychological and physiologic changes in response to the intervention. This research aims to increase our knowledge of how such interventions might modify the biological embedding of stress throughout adolescence, to add to the burgeoning literature on the junction of resilience, stress physiology, and epigenetics, with implications for reducing health inequalities among vulnerable groups.

Prediabetes is a transitional stage in Type 2 Diabetes where cardiovascular (CV) complications begin. Our previous work in non-obese prediabetic male rats linked early CV and metabolic impairments to inflammation and hypoxia in thoracic perivascular adipose tissue (PVAT). Given the lack of pharmacological interventions targeting PVAT hypoxia and unclear sex differences, we hypothesized that therapeutic fasting (TF) could alleviate PVAT dysfunction and CV stress in a sex-dependent manner.

Sprague-Dawley rats (4–5 weeks old) were divided into control diet (C), mild hyper-caloric (MHC) diet, and MHC with TF. After 12 weeks of ad libitum feeding, the TF group fasted daily from 7:00 PM to 7:00 AM for 12 weeks while maintaining MHC intake. Metabolic, cardiovascular, and autonomic parameters were assessed, and invasive hemodynamic, vascular reactivity, and molecular analyses were conducted. To evaluate the role of female sex hormones, three additional female groups underwent ovariectomy (OVX) at week 12 before following the same dietary regimen.

MHC feeding induced non-obese prediabetes, CV dysfunction, and PVAT impairment in males, while intact females resisted these effects. OVX females developed an obese prediabetic phenotype with CV and metabolic impairments. MHC feeding led to macrophage infiltration, oxidative stress, and fibrosis in cardiac, aortic, and brainstem tissues. Strikingly, TF mitigated these pathologies in males and OVX females, alleviating PVAT hypoxia and restoring CV function. Our findings highlight TF as a potential non-pharmacological strategy to counteract prediabetes-related CV insults in a sex-dependent manner.