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C‐reactive protein, early life stress, and wellbeing in healthy adults

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Carpenter, L. L., Gawuga, C. E., Tyrka, A. R., Price, L. H.·2012·Acta Psychiatrica Scandinavica
DOI 10.1111/j.1600-0447.2012.01892.xPMC PMC3580169
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Abstract

Carpenter LL, Gawuga CE, Tyrka AR, Price LH. C‐reactive protein, early life stress, and wellbeing in healthy adults. Objective: To determine whether C‐reactive protein (CRP) can serve as a marker for alterations in immune function prior to the manifestation of significant psychiatric and medical disorders. Method: Ninety‐two healthy adults were recruited from the community and determined to be free of psychiatric or medical disorders. The concentration of plasma CRP from a single resting sample was examined in relation to current mental and physical health as well as to self‐reported history of early life adversity. Results: C‐reactive protein showed a significant positive correlation with body mass index (BMI; r = 0.477, P < 0.001). Non‐specific pain, fatigue, and lower overall quality of physical health were all associated with higher CRP concentrations (all P < 0.05 or P < 0.01), after controlling for effect of BMI and other relevant covariates. Subthreshold depression symptoms and other indices of mental/emotional wellbeing were not associated with CRP, nor was CRP significantly linked to any measures of early life adversity. Conclusion: Lower‐quality physical health and wellbeing, but not the presence of mood/anxiety symptoms or early life stress (ELS), were significantly related to plasma CRP. Elevated CRP does not appear to be a fundamental consequence of ELS among healthy adults.

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  • A socially tumultuous early environment predicts higher levels of IL-6 and TNFα in a community sample of older adults.

    “higher levels of IL-6 and TNFα in a community sample of older adults”

    From From stress to inflammation and major depressive disorder: A social signal transduction theory of depression. (2014) · cites this paper as cf. Carpenter, Gawuga, Tyrka, & Price, 2012

    The Discussion (page not provided) reports no significant association between adverse early environment and CRP in the healthy adults studied. Searches for IL-6, TNFα, and older community samples found no passage reporting the claimed association; the CRP finding does not establish what happened for those other markers or that population. (LLM, conf=0.77)

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Cited by

Sorted by citations

Authors
Carpenter, L. L., Gawuga, C. E., Tyrka, A. R., & Price, L. H.
Affiliations
Brown University (US)
Corresponding author
Carpenter, L. L.
ORCID
Venue
Acta Psychiatrica Scandinavica
Publisher
Wiley
Published
2012-06-11
Volume
126
Issue
6
Pages
402-410
ISSN
  • 0001-690X (ISSN-L)
  • 1600-0447
DOI
10.1111/j.1600-0447.2012.01892.x
PMC
PMC3580169
OpenAlex
W1946450038
Cited by
49
References
13
Citations by year
2026: 3 · 2025: 1 · 2024: 1 · 2023: 3 · 2022: 7 · 2021: 8 · 2020: 3 · 2019: 4 · 2018: 2 · 2017: 2 · 2016: 2 · 2015: 4 · 2014: 6 · 2013: 3
FWCI
1.74
Type
journal article
Language
en
Open access
Licence
onlinelibrary.wiley.com/termsAndConditions#vor (vor)
Locations
  • Acta Psychiatrica Scandinavica (publishedVersion)
  • PubMed (publishedVersion)
  • Europe PMC (PubMed Central) (acceptedVersion)
  • PubMed Central (acceptedVersion)
Funders
  • National Institutes of Health
  • National Institute of Mental Health (R01MH068767)
  • National Institute of General Medical Sciences (R25GM083270)
Topics
  • Life Sciences › Neuroscience › Behavioral Neuroscience › Stress Responses and Cortisol
  • Life Sciences › Neuroscience › Biological Psychiatry › Tryptophan and brain disorders
  • Health Sciences › Medicine › Epidemiology › Adipokines, Inflammation, and Metabolic Diseases
Keywords
C-reactive protein, early life stress, childhood adversity, immune function, inflammation, well-being, physical health, body mass index, pain, fatigue, subthreshold depression, mood symptoms, anxiety symptoms, healthy adults
MeSH terms
Adolescent, Adult, Mental Disorders, C-Reactive Protein, Female, Health Status, Humans, Life Change Events, Male, Middle Aged, Stress, Psychological, Young Adult, Prodromal Symptoms

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