Exposure to environmental stress during childhood is associated with increased risk for a broad range of psychopathology, including mood, anxiety, and substance use disorders (Green et al. 2010). However, while ELS is reported for nearly 40% of individuals worldwide (Kessler et al. 2010), a relatively small number of exposed individuals experience subsequent mental health problems. Identifying biological markers of individual differences in relative vulnerability or resiliency promises to uniquely inform the etiology of stress-related psychopathology and contribute to the development of more efficacious strategies for prevention and treatment.
