Relationship of early life stress and psychological functioning to adult C-reactive protein in the coronary artery risk development in young adults study.
BACKGROUND
Low socioeconomic status (SES) and a harsh family environment in childhood have been linked to mental and physical health disorders in adulthood. The objective of the present investigation was to evaluate a developmental model of pathways that may help explain these links and to relate them to C-reactive protein (CRP) in the Coronary Artery Risk Development in Young Adults (CARDIA) dataset.


METHODS
Participants (n = 3248) in the CARDIA study, age 32 to 47 years, completed measures of childhood SES (CSES), early family environment (risky families [RF]), adult psychosocial functioning (PsyF, a latent factor measured by depression, mastery, and positive and negative social contacts), body mass index (BMI), and C-reactive protein.


RESULTS
Structural equation modeling indicated that CSES and RF are associated with C-reactive protein via their association with PsyF (standardized path coefficients: CSES to RF, RF to PsyF, PsyF to CRP, CSES to CRP, all p < .05), with good overall model fit. The association between PsyF and CRP was partially mediated by BMI (PsyF to BMI, BMI to CRP, both p < .05).


CONCLUSIONS
Low childhood SES and a harsh early family environment appear to be related to elevated C-reactive protein in adulthood through pathways involving psychosocial dysfunction and high body mass index.
Taylor
Shelley E
SE
Department of Psychology, University of California, Los Angeles, California 90095, USA. taylors@psych.ucla.edu
Lehman
Barbara J
BJ
Kiefe
Catarina I
CI
Seeman
Teresa E
TE
D000328:Adult; D015992:Body Mass Index; D002097:C-Reactive Protein / Q000378:metabolism*; D003324:Coronary Artery Disease / Q000453:epidemiology* / Q000378:metabolism / Q000523:psychology*; D016208:Databases, Factual; D005190:Family; D005260:Female; D006801:Humans; D008297:Male; D008875:Middle Aged; D018570:Risk Assessment; D012959:Socioeconomic Factors; D013315:Stress, Psychological / Q000523:psychology*
D002097:C-Reactive Protein