Baylor Public Health Researcher Investigates Stress System Functioning as Potential Mechanism for Addiction Vulnerability

Stress physiology—the way our body reacts to stressors—is designed to maximize survival. Activated by perceived threats, our “flight-or-flight” reaction, as it is commonly called, triggers a cascade of responses across the nervous and endocrine systems to mobilize our energy so that we can effectively deal with stressful situations.

However, according to Elizabeth Kwon, PhD, Assistant Professor for Baylor University’s Department of Public Health, if an individual is exposed to adverse childhood experiences or prolonged and severe forms of stress, stress systems get dysregulated. Exposure to harsh or chaotic environments during these periods triggers changes in stress regulatory processes that are associated with heightened vulnerability to addiction and other negative outcomes later in life.

“Harsh or chaotic environments during key developmental periods can alter how our stress response systems function,” she explained. “Those changes can have downstream effects on behavior and health outcomes, including addiction.”

Kwon was recently awarded a five-year $952,264 NIH K01 Career Development Award to dive deeper into the relationship among stress system functioning, pubertal development, and vulnerability to addiction. In particular, she is interested in how environmental factors during puberty are associated with stress system functioning, which in turn affects addiction vulnerability. 

These environmental factors might include family, peer, school, and neighborhood environments. Kwon hypothesizes that the impact of these factors during puberty, the “second window of development,” might have a particular impact on stress system regulation. 

One of the unique aspects of Kwon’s NIH grant is that, as a K01 Career Development Award, she receives training from expert mentors throughout the project, which serves both to bolster her research as well as her overall skills as a researcher. Kwon is excited to bring in and learn from her two Baylor mentors—Jason R. Carter, PhD, Professor and Dean of Robbins College of Health and Human Sciences, and Annie T. Ginty, PhD, Associate Professor of Psychology and Neuroscience. Carter’s physiological expertise and Ginty’s psychophysiological expertise will offer valuable insights to Kwon and her research.

In addition to interdisciplinary mentorship, Kwon’s personal passion and commitment to her field are also pivotal to her research. Several years ago, in between completing her master’s degree and pursuing her PhD, Kwon had the opportunity to work at a high-risk high school in Bloomington, Indiana. Nearly every student in the school was facing a challenge, including overdose, teen pregnancy, and incarceration. 

“It was a really eye-opening experience in my life,” she shared. “It motivated me to work for this population and try to do something for them. I’m hoping that by moving in this direction—looking into physiology, biology, and psychology—I can maybe develop something that can help.”

Ultimately, Kwon hopes that this preliminary project will lead to additional, broader studies that might eventually produce an intervention to help adolescents who have experienced trauma or adverse childhood experiences.

“It’s a million-dollar question—why do some people who experience these things actually go on to thrive, while others collapse into risky sexual behavior, substance use, and mental health issues? How one’s body reacts to stress might be a key factor, which means it could be a focus of the intervention.”

ABOUT ROBBINS COLLEGE OF HEALTH AND HUMAN SCIENCES AT BAYLOR UNIVERSITY

Established in 2014, Robbins College of Health and Human Sciences seeks to enhance health, quality of life, and human flourishing for all individuals and communities through education, research, and innovation. It includes six academic departments—Communication Sciences and Disorders; Health, Human Performance, and Recreation; Human Sciences and Design; Occupational Therapy; Physical Therapy; and Public Health—along with the Division of Health Professions, which houses the Master of Physician Assistant Studies program. Robbins College offers 13 bachelor’s degrees, eight master’s degrees, and six doctoral degrees, as well as nine graduate programs in partnership with the U.S. Army. Graduate programs in Robbins College are offered in a variety of modalities, including on campus, online, and hybrid.