Part I. The evidence base

The psychobiological outcome. In this paper, we provide an overview of links between low childhood socioeconomic status (SES) and inflammatory and health outcomes, primarily in childhood. Children from low SES backgrounds are more likely to experience juvenile violence, including childhood maltreatment and neighborhood violence (Crouch et al., 2000; Herrenkohl & Herrenkohl, 2007). Thus low SES provides a broad umbrella framework for understanding the effects of juvenile violence exposures on health. The psychobiological oucome and physical health. We discuss links to both childhood health outcomes, as well as to physiological pathways linked to disease risk according to stress models of disease. Activation of the hypothalamic pituitary adrenal axis and the sympathetic nervous system with stress leads to the release of hormones such as cortisol, epinephrine, and norepinephrine, which over time with repeated exposures, accumulate to contribute to the pathogenic processes that drive cardiovascular diseases (CVD), including systemic inflammation, high blood pressure, obesity, and insulin resistance (Brotman et al., 2007; Everson-Rose & Lewis, 2005