2015 Sin Almeida Affective Reactivity Elevates Inflammation

Jun 09, 2015 09:05 PM

2015 article  (not open access;  bob: see my neuropsych files)

abstract below;

Nancy Sin  1st author;

PI  David Almeida  (Penn  State)

Objective:Inflammation increases the risk of chronic diseases,

but the links between emotional responses

to daily events and inflammation are unknown.

We examined individual differences in affective reactivity to daily stressors

 (i.e., changes in positive and negative affect in response to stressors) as

predictors of inflammatory markers interleukin-6 (IL-6) and C-reactive protein (CRP).Methods:

A cross-sectional sample of 872 adults from the National Study of Daily Experiences

(substudy of Midlife in the United States II) reported daily stressors

and affect during telephone interviews for 8 days.

 Blood samples were obtained at a separate clinic visit and assayed for inflammatory markers.

Multilevel modelsestimated trait affective reactivity slopes for each participant, which were inputted into regression modelsto predict inflammation.

Results:People who experienced greater decreases in positive affect on days

when stressors occurred (i.e., positive affect reactivity) had elevated log IL-6, independent of demographic, physical, psychological, and behavioral factors (B1.12,SE0.45,p.01).

 Heightened negative affect reactivity was associated with higher log CRP among women (p.03) but not men (p

.57); health behaviors accounted for this association in women.

Conclusions:Adults who fail to maintain

positive affect when faced with minor stressors in everyday life appear to have elevated levels of IL-6, a marker of inflammation.

Women who experience increased negative affect when faced with minor

stressors may be at particular risk of elevated inflammation. These findings add to growing evidence

regarding the health implications of affective reactivity to daily stressors

2015 Sin Almeida Affective Reactivity Elevates Inflammation

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