title: Childhood trauma and adulthood inflammation: a meta-analysis of peripheral C-reactive protein, interleukin-6 and tumour necrosis factor-α.
abstract: Childhood trauma confers higher risk of adulthood physical and mental illness; however, the biological mechanism mediating this association remains largely unknown. Recent research has suggested dysregulation of the immune system as a possible biological mediator. The present paper conducted a meta-analysis to establish whether early-life adversity contributes to potentially pathogenic pro-inflammatory phenotypes in adult individuals. A systematic search of Pubmed, PsycINFO, EMBASE, Scopus and Medline identified 25 articles for the meta-analysis, including 18 studies encompassing a sample of 16 870 individuals for C-reactive protein (CRP), 15 studies including 3751 individuals for interleukin-6 (IL-6) and 10 studies including 881 individuals for tumour necrosis factor-α (TNF-α). Random-effects meta-analysis showed that individuals exposed to childhood trauma had significantly elevated baseline peripheral levels of CRP (Fisher's z=0.10, 95% confidence interval (CI)=0.05-0.14), IL-6 (z=0.08, 95% CI=0.03-0.14) and TNF-α (z=0.23, 95% CI=0.14-0.32). Subgroup analyses for specific types of trauma (sexual, physical or emotional abuse) revealed that these impact differentially the single inflammatory markers. Moreover, meta-regression revealed greater effect sizes in clinical samples for the association between childhood trauma and CRP but not for IL-6 or TNF-α. Age, body mass index (BMI) and gender had no moderating effects. The analysis demonstrates that childhood trauma contributes to a pro-inflammatory state in adulthood, with specific inflammatory profiles depending on the specific type of trauma.
authors.affiliation: King's College London, Department of Psychological Medicine, Institute of Psychiatry, Psychology and Neuroscience, London, UK.|King's College London, Department of Psychology, Institute of Psychiatry, Psychology and Neuroscience, London, UK.
authors.forename: D
authors.initials: D
authors.lastname: Baumeister
authors.affiliation: Department of Psychology, University College London, London, UK.
authors.forename: R
authors.initials: R
authors.lastname: Akhtar
authors.affiliation: King's College London, Department of Psychosis Studies, Institute of Psychiatry, Psychology and Neuroscience, London, UK.|National Institute for Health Research (NIHR) Mental Health Biomedical Research Centre, South London and Maudsley, NHS Foundation Trust and King's College London, London, UK.
authors.forename: S
authors.initials: S
authors.lastname: Ciufolini
authors.affiliation: King's College London, Department of Psychological Medicine, Institute of Psychiatry, Psychology and Neuroscience, London, UK.
authors.forename: C M
authors.initials: CM
authors.lastname: Pariante
authors.affiliation: King's College London, Department of Psychological Medicine, Institute of Psychiatry, Psychology and Neuroscience, London, UK.|National Institute for Health Research (NIHR) Mental Health Biomedical Research Centre, South London and Maudsley, NHS Foundation Trust and King's College London, London, UK.
authors.forename: V
authors.initials: V
authors.lastname: Mondelli
mesh_terms: D054523:Adult Survivors of Child Abuse; D002097:C-Reactive Protein / Q000378:metabolism*; D006801:Humans; D007249:Inflammation / Q000097:blood / Q000209:etiology; D015850:Interleukin-6 / Q000097:blood*; D014409:Tumor Necrosis Factor-alpha / Q000097:blood*
chemical_list: C508600:IL6 protein, human; D015850:Interleukin-6; D014409:Tumor Necrosis Factor-alpha; D002097:C-Reactive Protein