Karen A Matthews1, Yue-Fang Chang2, Rebecca C Thurston3, Joyce T Bromberger4. 1. Department of Psychiatry, University of Pittsburgh, USA; Department of Psychology, University of Pittsburgh, USA; Department of Epidemiology, University of Pittsburgh, USA. Electronic address: matthewska@upmc.edu. 2. Department of Neurological Surgery, University of Pittsburgh, USA. 3. Department of Psychiatry, University of Pittsburgh, USA; Department of Psychology, University of Pittsburgh, USA; Department of Epidemiology, University of Pittsburgh, USA. 4. Department of Psychiatry, University of Pittsburgh, USA; Department of Epidemiology, University of Pittsburgh, USA.
Abstract
OBJECTIVE: Elevated inflammation biomarkers are associated with incident cardiovascular disease. Several studies suggest that childhood abuse may be associated with inflammation later in life. This study examined whether childhood abuse predicted elevated levels of C-reactive protein (CRP) and whether the association was due to body size. METHODS: Participants were 326 (104 Black, 222 White) women from the Pittsburgh site of the Study of Women's Health Across the Nation (SWAN). SWAN included a baseline assessment of pre-menopausal or early peri-menopausal women in mid-life (mean age=45.7), and CRP, depressive symptoms, body mass index (BMI), and other covariates were measured over 7 annual follow-up visits. The Childhood Trauma Questionnaire, a standardized measure that retrospectively assesses abuse and neglect in childhood and adolescence, was administered at year 8 or 9 of follow-up. RESULTS: Approximately 37% of the participants reported a history of abuse or neglect. Generalized estimating equations showed that sexual and emotional abuse, emotional and physical neglect, and the total number of types of abuse were associated with higher CRP levels over 7 years, adjusting for race, age, education, smoking status, use of hormone therapy, depressive symptoms, occurrence of heart attack or stroke, and medications for hypertension. The coefficients for indirect effects for emotional and sexual abuse, physical neglect, and total number of types of abuse on CRP levels through BMI were significant. A history of emotional abuse and neglect was related to percent change in CRP over the 7 years but not through percent change in BMI over the 7 years. CONCLUSION: A history of childhood abuse and neglect retrospectively reported is related to overall elevated inflammation in mid-life women, perhaps through obesity. A history of some types of abuse and neglect (emotional) may be related to change in inflammation, independent of simultaneously measured change in BMI.
OBJECTIVE: Elevated inflammation biomarkers are associated with incident cardiovascular disease. Several studies suggest that childhood abuse may be associated with inflammation later in life. This study examined whether childhood abuse predicted elevated levels of C-reactive protein (CRP) and whether the association was due to body size. METHODS:Participants were 326 (104 Black, 222 White) women from the Pittsburgh site of the Study of Women's Health Across the Nation (SWAN). SWAN included a baseline assessment of pre-menopausal or early peri-menopausal women in mid-life (mean age=45.7), and CRP, depressive symptoms, body mass index (BMI), and other covariates were measured over 7 annual follow-up visits. The Childhood Trauma Questionnaire, a standardized measure that retrospectively assesses abuse and neglect in childhood and adolescence, was administered at year 8 or 9 of follow-up. RESULTS: Approximately 37% of the participants reported a history of abuse or neglect. Generalized estimating equations showed that sexual and emotional abuse, emotional and physical neglect, and the total number of types of abuse were associated with higher CRP levels over 7 years, adjusting for race, age, education, smoking status, use of hormone therapy, depressive symptoms, occurrence of heart attack or stroke, and medications for hypertension. The coefficients for indirect effects for emotional and sexual abuse, physical neglect, and total number of types of abuse on CRP levels through BMI were significant. A history of emotional abuse and neglect was related to percent change in CRP over the 7 years but not through percent change in BMI over the 7 years. CONCLUSION: A history of childhood abuse and neglect retrospectively reported is related to overall elevated inflammation in mid-life women, perhaps through obesity. A history of some types of abuse and neglect (emotional) may be related to change in inflammation, independent of simultaneously measured change in BMI.
Authors: Thomas A Pearson; George A Mensah; R Wayne Alexander; Jeffrey L Anderson; Richard O Cannon; Michael Criqui; Yazid Y Fadl; Stephen P Fortmann; Yuling Hong; Gary L Myers; Nader Rifai; Sidney C Smith; Kathryn Taubert; Russell P Tracy; Frank Vinicor Journal: Circulation Date: 2003-01-28 Impact factor: 29.690
Authors: David P Bernstein; Judith A Stein; Michael D Newcomb; Edward Walker; David Pogge; Taruna Ahluvalia; John Stokes; Leonard Handelsman; Martha Medrano; David Desmond; William Zule Journal: Child Abuse Negl Date: 2003-02
Authors: D P Bernstein; L Fink; L Handelsman; J Foote; M Lovejoy; K Wenzel; E Sapareto; J Ruggiero Journal: Am J Psychiatry Date: 1994-08 Impact factor: 18.112
Authors: Kelly J Brunst; Maria José Rosa; Calvin Jara; Lianna R Lipton; Alison Lee; Brent A Coull; Rosalind J Wright Journal: Psychosom Med Date: 2017-01 Impact factor: 4.312
Authors: Katie A Ports; Dawn M Holman; Angie S Guinn; Sanjana Pampati; Karen E Dyer; Melissa T Merrick; Natasha Buchanan Lunsford; Marilyn Metzler Journal: J Pediatr Nurs Date: 2018-11-07 Impact factor: 2.145
Authors: Alison L Cammack; Carol J Hogue; Carolyn D Drews-Botsch; Michael R Kramer; Bradley D Pearce; Bettina T Knight; Zachary N Stowe; D Jeffrey Newport Journal: Arch Womens Ment Health Date: 2015-05-14 Impact factor: 3.633