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Early-life adversity and negative emotional responses are associated with hashimoto’s thyroiditis
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DOI：10.1007/s40618-026-03014-y.png)
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Abstract
En 中文
Stress and negative emotional states may contribute to immune dysregulation and pro-inflammatory pathways, increasing vulnerability to autoimmunity and adversely affecting psychological well-being. Hashimoto’s thyroiditis (HT) is frequently associated with psychological stress, although data remain limited. We enrolled 268 female subjects aged 21–70 years, including 157 patients with HT and 111 age-matched healthy controls. Participants completed validated questionnaires assessing trait emotional intelligence (TEIQue-SF), perceived stress (PSM), coping strategies (CISS), and adverse childhood experiences (ACEs). Socio-demographic and clinical data were also collected. Group differences were analyzed, and multivariable logistic regression was performed to identify factors independently associated with HT. Compared with controls, HT patients reported a greater number of ACEs (p = 0.001) and a higher perceived burden associated with these experiences (p = 0.001). A family history of autoimmune disease was more frequent among HT patients (p = 0.001), and both family history (p = 0.004) and ACEs (p = 0.015) were independently associated with HT. Patients also showed higher perceived stress (p = 0.001) and lower well-being (p = 0.020) and self-control (p = 0.007) than controls. In addition, to face stressful events, HT patients relied more on emotion-oriented coping (p = 0.004) indicating a greater reliance on maladaptive strategies, whereas controls predominantly adopted task-oriented coping strategies (p = 0.005). HT patients exhibit increased psychological vulnerability characterized by early-life adversity, reduced emotional resources, maladaptive coping, and heightened stress. These findings support a potential role of psychosocial stress as an additional vulnerability factor acting on a genetically predisposed background.
Keywords:
Adverse childhood experiences
Psychological stress
Hashimoto's thyroiditis – emotional responses – coping strategies
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