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Cited by 116Stress Responses and CortisolGrief, Bereavement, and Mental HealthCancer, Stress, Anesthesia, and Immune Response

Long-term immune-endocrine effects of bereavement: Relationships with anxiety levels and mood

Gerra, Gilberto, Monti, Daniela, Panerai, Alberto E., Sacerdote, Paola, Anderlini, Roberta, Avanzini, Paola, Zaimovic, Amir, Brambilla, Francesca +1 more·2003·Psychiatry Research
DOI 10.1016/s0165-1781(03)00255-5
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Abstract

Psychological, endocrine and immune parameters were measured over a 6-month period in 14 healthy subjects who underwent an unpredictable acute emotional stress (e.g. sudden death of a loved one) compared with 14 controls who did not. Probands were profoundly stressed as assessed 10 days after bereavement by their scores on the Hamilton Rating Scales of Anxiety and Depression, adrenocorticotropin and cortisol plasma concentrations, and non-suppression in response to dexamethasone. Functional alterations of immune parameters, such as responsiveness of peripheral blood lymphocytes to mitogens, were found 40 days after bereavement. Despite a normal number of circulating lymphocyte subsets, the functional activity of natural killer (NK) cells was markedly reduced at day 40. Changes in the intracellular concentration of beta-endorphin in peripheral blood mononuclear cells correlated with anxiety and depression scores. Controls showed no changes in psychometric, endocrine and immune measures during the 6-month study. Cluster analysis revealed two groups of bereaved subjects with different patterns of immune and endocrine changes: (1) Five subjects, characterized by harm-avoidant temperament and long-lasting dysphoric mood, showed reduced responsiveness of peripheral blood lymphocytes to mitogens, decreased NK cell activity and non-suppression in response to dexamethasone that persisted for 6 months. (2) Nine subjects showed significant changes only during the early phase after bereavement. Our data suggest that the immunological consequences of stress do not simply overlap with psychological and endocrine alterations, and are particularly severe and long-lasting in a subgroup of subjects, indicating the importance of individual variability in the capacity to cope with stress.

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  • Within 30 days of bereavement, there is an elevated risk for heart attack and stroke, along with alterations to immune function that are linked to the severity of anxiety and depressive symptoms.

    “Within 30 days of bereavement, there is an elevated risk for heart attack and stroke, along with alterations to immune function that are linked to the severity of anxiety and depressive symptoms [172,173] (Figure 2f).”

    From The Neurobiology of Love and Pair Bonding from Human and Animal Perspectives (2023) · cites this paper as [173]

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Authors
Gerra, G., Monti, D., Panerai, A. E., Sacerdote, P., Anderlini, R., Avanzini, P., Zaimovic, A., Brambilla, F., & Franceschi, C.
Affiliations
  • University of Modena and Reggio Emilia (IT)
  • University of Milan (IT)
Corresponding author
Gerra, Gilberto
ORCID
Venue
Psychiatry Research
Publisher
Elsevier BV
Published
2003-12
Volume
121
Issue
2
Pages
145-158
ISSN
0165-1781 (ISSN-L)
DOI
10.1016/s0165-1781(03)00255-5
OpenAlex
W2043352014
Cited by
116
References
47
Citations by year
2026: 3 · 2025: 3 · 2024: 2 · 2023: 2 · 2022: 5 · 2021: 5 · 2020: 6 · 2019: 6 · 2018: 4 · 2017: 6 · 2016: 6 · 2015: 3 · 2014: 6 · 2013: 6 · 2012: 8
FWCI
1.51
Type
journal article
Language
en
Open access
closed
Licence
www.elsevier.com/tdm/userlicense/1.0/ (tdm)
Locations
  • Psychiatry Research (publishedVersion)
  • PubMed (publishedVersion)
  • Florence Research (University of Florence) (submittedVersion)
Topics
  • Life Sciences › Neuroscience › Behavioral Neuroscience › Stress Responses and Cortisol
  • Social Sciences › Psychology › Clinical Psychology › Grief, Bereavement, and Mental Health
  • Health Sciences › Medicine › Psychiatry and Mental health › Cancer, Stress, Anesthesia, and Immune Response
Keywords
bereavement, grief, acute emotional stress, anxiety, depression, natural killer cells, lymphocyte mitogen responsiveness, cortisol, ACTH, beta-endorphin, stress coping, immune function, endocrine stress response
MeSH terms
Adaptation, Psychological, Adolescent, Adult, Aged, Anxiety, Bereavement, beta-Endorphin, Major Depressive Disorder, Dexamethasone, Female, Glucocorticoids, Humans, Hydrocortisone, Killer Cells, Natural, Lymphocytes, Male, Middle Aged, Mitogens, Surveys and Questionnaires, Time Factors, Cluster Analysis

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