Loneliness, Depression, and Inflammation: Evidence from the Multi-Ethnic Study of Atherosclerosis

Mezuk, Briana; Choi, Moon; DeSantis, Amy Soo Jin; Rapp, Stéphen R.; Roux, Ana V. Diez; Seeman, Teresa E.

doi:10.1371/journal.pone.0158056

Cited by 38 publications

(30 citation statements)

References 38 publications

Supporting

Mentioning

Contrasting

Unclassified

Order By: Relevance

“…Said otherwise, 1 out of every 6 to 7 people in our sample reported feeling lonely often. The prevalence of loneliness in our sample is consistent with other reports using the three-item ULS scale (e.g., Ref [77], as well as assessments of loneliness in the US [78]). However, lower estimates of loneliness have been observed in European studies.…”

Section: Discussionsupporting

confidence: 91%

Risk factors for loneliness: The high relative importance of age versus other factors

et al. 2020

View full text Add to dashboard Cite

Loneliness is a potent predictor of negative health outcomes, making it important to identify risk factors for loneliness. Though extant studies have identified characteristics associated with loneliness, less is known about the cumulative and relative importance of these factors, and how their interaction may impact loneliness. Here, 4,885 individuals ages 10-97 years from the US completed the three-item UCLA Loneliness Survey on TestMyBrain.org. Using census data, we calculated the population and community household income of participants' census area, and the proportion of individuals in the participant's census area that shared the participant's demographic characteristics (i.e., sociodemographic density). We evaluated the relative importance of three classes of variables for loneliness risk: those related to the person (e.g., age), place (e.g., community household income), and the interaction of person X place (sociodemographic density). We find that loneliness is highly prevalent and best explained by person (age) and place (community household income) characteristics. Of the variance in loneliness accounted for, the overwhelming majority was explained by age with loneliness peaking at 19 years and declining thereafter. The congruence between one's sociodemographic characteristics and that of one's neighborhood had no impact on loneliness. These data may have important implications for public health interventions.

show abstract

Section: Discussionsupporting

confidence: 91%

Risk factors for loneliness: The high relative importance of age versus other factors

et al. 2020

View full text Add to dashboard Cite

show abstract

“…Loneliness has been linked with upregulation of proinflammatory gene expression (Cole, Hawkley, Arevalo, & Cacioppo, 2011), but associations with circulating inflammatory markers have been mixed. Some studies have found increased circulating C-reactive protein (CRP) levels (Cole et al, 2007;Nersesian et al, 2018), whereas others have found no association (McDade, Hawkley, & Cacioppo, 2006;Mezuk et al, 2016;Shankar, McMunn, Banks, & Steptoe, 2011). Similarly, for fibrinogen, some (Mezuk et al, 2016;Nersesian et al, 2018) but not all studies (Shankar et al, 2011) have detected an association between loneliness and raised fibrinogen concentrations.…”

Section: Introductionmentioning

confidence: 99%

“…Some studies have found increased circulating C-reactive protein (CRP) levels (Cole et al, 2007;Nersesian et al, 2018), whereas others have found no association (McDade, Hawkley, & Cacioppo, 2006;Mezuk et al, 2016;Shankar, McMunn, Banks, & Steptoe, 2011). Similarly, for fibrinogen, some (Mezuk et al, 2016;Nersesian et al, 2018) but not all studies (Shankar et al, 2011) have detected an association between loneliness and raised fibrinogen concentrations. One recent study of 927 adults detected an association between loneliness and raised circulating interleukin-6 (IL-6) concentrations (Nersesian et al, 2018).…”

Section: Introductionmentioning

confidence: 99%

Loneliness and biological responses to acute stress in people with Type 2 diabetes

et al. 2019

View full text Add to dashboard Cite

Loneliness is linked with all‐cause mortality and coronary heart disease. Altered neuroendocrine and inflammatory responses to stress constitute potential pathways linking loneliness and ill‐health. Stress responsivity is modified in people with Type 2 diabetes, but it is unclear whether loneliness influences biological stress responses in this population. We assessed interleukin‐6 (IL‐6), interleukin‐1 receptor antagonist (IL‐1RA), monocyte chemoattractant protein‐1 (MCP‐1), and cortisol responses to acute stress in 135 people with Type 2 diabetes. Loneliness was measured used the Revised UCLA Loneliness Scale. Loneliness was inversely associated with cortisol output poststress ( B = −4.429, p = 0.019) independent of age, sex, education, marital status, body mass index, and smoking. Lonelier individuals had raised MCP‐1 concentrations 75 min poststress independent of covariates ( B = 0.713, p = 0.022). No associations between loneliness and IL‐6 or IL‐1RA concentrations were detected. These results suggest that loneliness is associated with disturbances in stress responsivity in people with diabetes, and the impact of loneliness on health in people with diabetes may be mediated in part through dysregulation of inflammatory and neuroendocrine systems. Future research is required to understand if such changes increase the risk of poorer outcomes in this population.

show abstract

“…There is a stress-buffering hypothesis model, which says that stress can be buffered when a high level of social support is provided. 1 2 3 4 5 6 After Cohen & Wills formulated this concept in 1985, 7 it has been expanded to social isolation, 3 life satisfaction, 8 and depression 2 9 also. It was found in a meta-analysis, as well as in many cross-sectional studies, that inflammatory markers, including C-reactive protein (CRP), interleukin-1 (IL-1), and IL-6, were elevated in depressed persons.…”

Section: Introductionmentioning

confidence: 99%

Is the Relationship between Depression and C Reactive Protein Level Moderated by Social Support in Elderly?-Korean Social Life, Health, and Aging Project (KSHAP)

Hur

Kim

Waite

et al. 2018

Psychiatry Investig

View full text Add to dashboard Cite

ObjectiveTo investigate the buffering effects of social support as an effects modifier in the association between depression and inflammation in the elderly.MethodsWe analyzed the Korean Social Life, Health, and Aging Project (KSHAP) for questionnaire, clinical, and laboratory data of 530 older adults living in a rural community. Multivariate regression models were used to investigate the association between depressive symptoms and C-reactive protein level (CRP), a marker of inflammation, at varying levels of social support.ResultsSocial support affected the association between depressive symptoms and CRP level in both sexes. However, the direction of effects modification was different for men and women. In men, a higher CRP level was significantly associated with depressive symptoms only among those with lower support from a spouse or family members. By contrast, in women, the association was significant only among subgroups with higher spousal or family support. Social support from neighbors or friends did not affect the depression-inflammation relationship in men but modestly affected the relationship in women.ConclusionOur findings suggest that social support may have a buffering effect in the relationship between depression and inflammation in elderly Koreans. But the influence of social support may run in different directions for men and women.

show abstract

Loneliness, Depression, and Inflammation: Evidence from the Multi-Ethnic Study of Atherosclerosis

Cited by 38 publications

References 38 publications

Risk factors for loneliness: The high relative importance of age versus other factors

Risk factors for loneliness: The high relative importance of age versus other factors

Loneliness and biological responses to acute stress in people with Type 2 diabetes

Is the Relationship between Depression and C Reactive Protein Level Moderated by Social Support in Elderly?-Korean Social Life, Health, and Aging Project (KSHAP)

Contact Info

Product

Resources

About