Medical College of Wisconsin
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Early-life stress, depressive symptoms, and inflammation: the role of social factors. Aging Ment Health 2022 Apr;26(4):843-851

Date

01/28/2021

Pubmed ID

33502257

Pubmed Central ID

PMC8313624

DOI

10.1080/13607863.2021.1876636

Scopus ID

2-s2.0-85099990547 (requires institutional sign-in at Scopus site)   8 Citations

Abstract

OBJECTIVE: To identify modifiable, social factors that moderate the relationship between early-life stress (ELS) and health outcomes as measured by depressive symptoms and inflammation.

METHODS: Data were from 3,416 adults (58.28% female), ages 36 - 97 (Mage = 68.41; SDage = 10.24) who participated in the 2006 wave of the Health and Retirement Study, a nationally representative sample of older adults in the United States. This study used hierarchical regression analyses to first test the main effects of ELS on depressive symptoms and inflammation (high-sensitivity C-reactive protein). Four social factors (perceived support, frequency of social contact, network size, and volunteer activity) were assessed as moderators of the ELS-depression and ELS-inflammation relationships.

RESULTS: There was a small, positive association between ELS and depressive symptoms (B = 0.17, SE = 0.05, p = .002), which was moderated by social contact and perceived support. Specifically, ELS was only associated with elevated depressive symptoms for participants with limited social contact (B = 0.24, SE = 0.07, p < .001) and low perceived support (B = 0.24, SE = 0.07, p < .001). These associations remained after accounting for potential confounds (age, body-mass index, adulthood stress, and marital status).

CONCLUSIONS: Increased social contact and perceived support may be protective for individuals at a higher risk of developing depressive symptoms as a result of ELS. Future interventions may benefit from leveraging these social factors to improve quality of life in adults with ELS.

Author List

Nakamura JS, Kim ES, Rentscher KE, Bower JE, Kuhlman KR

Author

Kelly E. Rentscher PhD Assistant Professor in the Psychiatry and Behavioral Medicine department at Medical College of Wisconsin




MESH terms used to index this publication - Major topics in bold

Adult
Aged
Aged, 80 and over
Depression
Female
Humans
Inflammation
Male
Quality of Life
Social Support