Department of Behavioral Sciences, Rush University Medical Center, 1645 W. Jackson, Suite 400, Chicago, IL 60612, United States.
Cytokine. 2013 Aug;63(2):172-8. doi: 10.1016/j.cyto.2013.04.030. Epub 2013 May 20.
Interpersonal violence (IPV) is major public health concern with wide-ranging sequelae including depression, posttraumatic stress disorder (PTSD), and possible alterations of immune and inflammation processes. There is a need to identify the psycho-biological pathways through which IPV may translate to altered inflammatory processes since both PTSD and inflammation are associated with serious physical health conditions such as obesity, diabetes, and cardiovascular disease. This study investigated the relationships between IPV, psychological distress, and the inflammatory marker C-reactive protein (CRP), in a sample of 139 urban women who have a high likelihood for having experienced IPV. Participants were recruited from an outpatient gynecology clinic to complete self-report measures about their IPV histories and psychological symptoms, as well as to have their blood sampled using a finger stick. Results indicated that exposure to IPV predicted the presence of probable depression and PTSD diagnoses. Individuals who experience clinical levels of PTSD exhibited higher CRP levels, and this relationship held after adjusting for comorbid depression. Correlational analyses suggested that reexperiencing symptoms may explain the link between PTSD diagnosis and higher levels of CRP. Follow-up path analytic models provided good fit to the overall data, and indicated that the relationship between probable PTSD status and CRP is not explained by higher BMI. Overall, these findings call for increased attention to the role of PTSD in explaining links between trauma and diminished health.
人际暴力（IPV）是一个主要的公共卫生关注点，其广泛的后果包括抑郁、创伤后应激障碍（PTSD）和免疫及炎症过程的可能改变。需要确定 IPV 可能转化为炎症过程改变的心理生物学途径，因为 PTSD 和炎症都与严重的身体健康状况有关，如肥胖、糖尿病和心血管疾病。本研究在 139 名有较高可能经历过 IPV 的城市女性中，调查了 IPV、心理困扰和炎症标志物 C 反应蛋白（CRP）之间的关系。参与者从妇科门诊招募，以完成关于他们的 IPV 史和心理症状的自我报告测量，并通过手指采血来取样。结果表明，暴露于 IPV 可预测可能的抑郁和 PTSD 诊断。经历临床水平 PTSD 的个体表现出更高的 CRP 水平，并且在调整共病抑郁后，这种关系仍然存在。相关分析表明，再体验症状可能解释了 PTSD 诊断与更高 CRP 水平之间的联系。后续路径分析模型对整体数据拟合良好，并表明 PTSD 状态与 CRP 之间的关系不能用更高的 BMI 来解释。总体而言，这些发现呼吁更多关注 PTSD 在解释创伤与健康受损之间的联系中的作用。
