Author ORCID Identifier

https://orcid.org/0000-0002-7893-4335

Date Available

8-5-2025

Year of Publication

2025

Document Type

Doctoral Dissertation

Degree Name

Doctor of Philosophy (PhD)

College

Medicine

Department/School/Program

Clinical and Translational Science

Faculty

Craig R. Rush

Abstract

Childhood trauma and early adversity are associated with a variety of negative health outcomes, some of which may be mediated by changes to impulsivity as described by the cumulative risk model. The purpose of this project is to provide insight into the effects of cumulative adverse childhood experience on impulsivity in various populations. Three studies examine the effects of early adversity on impulsivity in normal volunteers, parents caring for a child with medical needs, and in patients with diabetes or pre-diabetes with data collected through crowdsourcing. The strongest effects for early adversity on impulsivity were seen in the patients with diabetes, which was also reflected in changes in health-related behaviors and adherence. These findings indicate adverse childhood experiences can affect impulsivity and health-related decision-making in certain populations. Future studies can identify potential interventions for those exposed to childhood trauma to improve health outcomes.

Digital Object Identifier (DOI)

https://doi.org/10.13023/etd.2025.305

Funding Information

Funding was provided to the author from the University of Kentucky College of Medicine Clinician-Scientist Scholar Program and the University of Kentucky Department of Pysychiatry Young Investigator Program.

Support was provided by the National Institutes of Health National Center for Advancing Translational Sciences through grant number UL1TR001998. The content is solely the responsibility of the authors and does not necessarily represent the official views of the NIH.

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