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Attachment style may influence the acculturation process by shaping the types of social relationships that individuals form and maintain. Social relationship quantity and quality have been linked to chronic low-grade systemic inflammation, an immune process associated with risk for age-related diseases. The goal of this study was to investigate whether attachment style moderates the change in systemic inflammation during the early phases of the acculturation process, a period associated with rapid changes in social functioning. In this 5-month longitudinal study, 58 new international students completed the Adult Attachment Scale and provided blood samples for C-reactive protein (CRP) analysis shortly after arrival in the host country as well as 2 and 5 months later. Results indicated that individuals with higher attachment anxiety experienced larger increases in CRP over time. During a period of rapid changes in social functioning, attachment anxiety promotes immune changes that may increase health risk over time.

Objectives: Acute laboratory stressors elicit elevations in serum levels of interleukin-6 (IL-6) and C-reactive protein (CRP). Chronic stressors, such as family dementia caregiving, promote a state of chronic low-grade elevation in circulating inflammatory markers. The recurrent daily stressors associated with chronic stress may lead to repeated and sustained activation of the physiological stress systems. The present study evaluated the possibility that greater exposure and reactivity to daily stressors fueled increased levels of circulating inflammatory markers among family dementia caregivers, compared with noncaregiving controls., Methods: This cross-sectional study included 53 caregivers and 77 noncaregiving controls. A semistructured interview assessed the occurrence of daily stressors in the past 24 h. A blood sample provided data on two inflammatory markers, C-reactive protein (CRP) and interleukin-6 (IL-6)., Results: Caregivers were more likely to experience multiple stressors in the past 24 h than noncaregiving controls. The occurrence of multiple daily stressors was associated with greater serum IL-6 and CRP levels. The greater occurrence of daily stressors in the past 24 h partially mediated the relationship between dementia caregiving and CRP levels., Conclusion: These results suggest that the cumulative effect of daily stressors promotes elevations in inflammatory markers. Greater exposure to daily stressors may be a psychobiological mechanism leading to elevations in CRP levels among family dementia caregivers.

Background: Exposure to adverse childhood experiences (ACE) has been associated with elevated circulating inflammatory markers in adulthood. Despite the robust effect of ACE on later health outcomes, not all individuals exposed to ACE suffer from poor health.Purpose: The goal of this study was to evaluate whether current resilience resources may attenuate the impact of ACE on inflammatory markers among individuals with elevated C-reactive protein (CRP) levels.Methods: Participants (N = 174) completed one-time self-report questionnaires assessing ACE exposure within the first 18 years of life and current resilience resources, and provided blood samples for interleukin-6 (IL-6) and CRP.Results: Individuals who were exposed to multiple ACE had greater IL-6 than participants with lesser ACE exposure. However, current resilience resources significantly moderated this effect. Among individuals who reported multiple ACE, higher resilience resources were associated with lower IL-6 levels.Conclusion: These data suggest that resilience resources might attenuate the association between ACE and later health outcomes. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Background: Childhood abuse leads to greater morbidity and mortality in adulthood. Dysregulated physiological stress responses may underlie the greater health risk among abused individuals. Purpose: This study evaluated the impact of childhood abuse on inflammatory responses to naturalistically occurring daily stressors. Methods: In this cross-sectional study of 130 older adults, recent daily stressors and childhood abuse history were evaluated using the Daily Inventory of Stressful Events and the Childhood Trauma Questionnaire. Blood samples provided data on circulating interleukin-6 (IL-6), tumor necrosis factor-α (TNF-α), and C-reactive protein (CRP). Results: Childhood abuse history moderated IL-6 levels but not TNF-α and CRP responses to daily stressors. Individuals with a childhood abuse history who experienced multiple stressors in the past 24 h had IL-6 levels 2.35 times greater than those of participants who reported multiple daily stressors but no early abuse history. Conclusion: Childhood abuse substantially enhances IL-6 responses to daily stressors in adulthood. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Abstract: Different aspects of personal relationships including social integration, social support, and social conflict have been related to inflammation. This article summarizes evidence linking the quality and quantity of relationships with gene expression, intracellular signaling mechanisms, and inflammatory biomarkers, and highlights the biological and psychological pathways through which close relationships impact inflammatory responses. Relationship conflict and lower social support can effectively modulate proinflammatory cytokine secretion both directly (via CNS/neural/endocrine/immune biobehavioral pathways), and indirectly, by promoting depression, emotional stress responses, and detrimental health behaviors. Accordingly, thorough assessments of health behaviors and attention to key methodological issues are necessary to identify the contributions of relationships to inflammation, and thus we highlight procedural issues to be considered in the design of studies. Despite some notable methodological challenges, the evidence suggests that learning more about how close relationships influence inflammation will provide important new insights into the ways that relationships impact health. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]