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Caregiving stress increases risk for poor health. The overproduction of inflammatory markers is a core process contributing to this effect. In this study the authors investigated whether formal and informal social support act as protective factors against stress-induced immune dysregulation. Fifty-six parents of children with an autism spectrum disorder completed questionnaires on formal support services, informal social support, self-rated health, and daily somatic symptoms, and they provided a blood sample for analysis of C-reactive protein ( CRP), a biomarker of inflammation. The results indicated that greater informal social support was associated with lower CRP and that a higher number of formal support services received by the family was related to better self-rated health, fewer daily somatic symptoms, and lower CRP. Moreover, the impact of support services on the parents' CRP levels increased with child age. These findings highlight the role of formal and informal support in protecting the health of individuals facing caregiving stress across the life course. [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]