Episode 3: The Role Social Relationships Play in Transforming Stress

"Nothing about these experiences of adversity and trauma is inevitable in terms of the development of the child."-Dr. Gerry Giesbrecht

The adverse childhood experiences study has taught us that 1/3 individuals has experienced some form of childhood adversity between the age of 0-17 years, and that this adversity can have long term negative effects on the individual. But how might this adversity impact a mom and her baby? According to my latest conversation with Dr. Giesbrecht,  approximately one quarter to one-third of all pregnant women experience some form of psychological stress during pregnancy. Although some forms of mild stress may actually be beneficial, exposure to high levels or persistent stress during gestation significantly increases the risk for the emergence of emotional, behavioural, and cognitive disorders in children. 

On this episode of the Rise Resilient Podcast, I chat with Dr. Gerry Giesbrecht about his research into the science of stress and resilience with a focus on how social supportive relationships (and simple kindness) have the ability to not only transform stressful experiences into positive development outcomes but also has the potential to disrupt the intergeneration transmission of stress from mom to baby.

Gerry also talks about his current research on how nutrition and gut microbiota might be able to interrupt the effects of stress and be used as a psychological resiliency resource.

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About Dr. Gerry Giesbrecht

Dr. Gerry Giesbrecht is a registered Clinical Psychologist in the province of Alberta and Associate Professor in the Departments of Paediatrics and Community Health Sciences at the University of Calgary. His research program focuses on the psychobiology of stress, and especially on the effects of stress during pregnancy on child development. I am currently studying the effects of risk and resilience factors, such as adverse childhood experiences, nutrition, temperament, and the gut microbiota on children’s neurodevelopment and mental health outcomes.The overall objectives of his research program are: to identify the mechanisms by which early life exposure to stress becomes biologically embedded in children’s development, to identify risk and resilience factors that modify the effects of early life stress exposure on children’s development, and to develop effective intervention and prevention strategies to prevent or reduce the effects of early life stress exposure on children’s development.