Citation

O'Shields JD, Graves BD, Mowbray OP. Brain Behav. Immun. Health 2023; 29: e100611.

Copyright

(Copyright © 2023, Elsevier Publishing)

DOI

10.1016/j.bbih.2023.100611

PMID

36937648

PMCID

PMC10017358

Abstract

BACKGROUND: Efforts to improve treatment for adults with major depression (MD) and childhood maltreatment (CM) have identified inflammation as a potential target to improve health. Network models have emerged as a new way to understand the relationship between depressive symptoms and inflammation. However, none have accounted for the role of childhood maltreatment in the link between depressive symptoms and inflammation, or sex differences commonly found in these constructs.

METHODS: Data from two waves of the Midlife Development in the United States study were used in this study (N = 1917). The Center for Epidemiological Studies Depression (CES-D) scale and Childhood Trauma Questionnaire, and six inflammation markers served as nodes in an undirected psychometric network analysis. Edges between nodes were calculated using partial Spearman's correlation. Separate networks were modeled for males and females.

RESULTS: The total network revealed several associations between nodes of CM, MD, and inflammation, with emotional abuse having a strong association with somatic complaints. Network comparison testing revealed male-female network invariance, with several edge differences between male and female networks. Males and females showed differences in associations across inflammatory markers and depressive symptom clusters, particularly among somatic complaints and interpersonal difficulties.

CONCLUSIONS: Specific associations between dimensions of inflammation, CM, and MD may represent important targets for treatment. Network models disaggregated by sex showed that males and females may have fundamentally different associations between these constructs, suggesting that future studies should consider sex-specific interventions.

Language: en

Keywords

Childhood maltreatment; Cytokines; Inflammation; Endothelial markers; Major depression