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Longitudinal Stress Exposure

Meaning

Longitudinal Stress Exposure is a clinical descriptor for the cumulative burden of psychological, physical, or environmental stressors experienced by an individual over an extended period, often years or decades. This prolonged exposure leads to allostatic overload, a state where the body’s chronic efforts to adapt to stress result in wear and tear on the physiological systems, particularly the neuroendocrine and immune systems. It provides a temporal context for understanding the development of chronic health conditions. This cumulative effect significantly diminishes hormonal and metabolic resilience.