title: Phobic Anxiety and Plasma Levels of Global Oxidative Stress in Women.
abstract: OBJECTIVE
  Psychological distress has been hypothesized to be associated with adverse biologic states such as higher oxidative stress and inflammation. Yet, little is known about associations between a common form of distress - phobic anxiety - and global oxidative stress. Thus, we related phobic anxiety to plasma fluorescent oxidation products (FlOPs), a global oxidative stress marker.
  
  
  METHODS
  We conducted a cross-sectional analysis among 1,325 women (aged 43-70 years) from the Nurses' Health Study. Phobic anxiety was measured using the Crown-Crisp Index (CCI). Adjusted least-squares mean log-transformed FlOPs were calculated across phobic categories. Logistic regression models were used to calculate odds ratios (OR) comparing the highest CCI category (≥6 points) vs. lower scores, across FlOPs quartiles.
  
  
  RESULTS
  No association was found between phobic anxiety categories and mean FlOP levels in multivariable adjusted linear models. Similarly, in multivariable logistic regression models there were no associations between FlOPs quartiles and likelihood of being in the highest phobic category. Comparing women in the highest vs. lowest FlOPs quartiles: FlOP_360: OR=0.68 (95% CI: 0.40-1.15); FlOP_320: OR=0.99 (95% CI: 0.61-1.61); FlOP_400: OR=0.92 (95% CI: 0.52, 1.63).
  
  
  CONCLUSIONS
  No cross-sectional association was found between phobic anxiety and a plasma measure of global oxidative stress in this sample of middle-aged and older women.
authors.affiliation: Channing Division of Network Medicine, Department of Medicine, Brigham and Women's Hospital and Harvard Medical School, Boston, MA, USA ; Department of Epidemiology, Harvard T.H. Chan School of Public Health, Boston, MA, USA.
authors.forename: Kaitlin A
authors.initials: KA
authors.lastname: Hagan
authors.affiliation: Division of Epidemiology and Biostatistics, Department of Environmental Health, University of Cincinnati Medical Center, Cincinnati, OH, USA.
authors.forename: Tianying
authors.initials: T
authors.lastname: Wu
authors.affiliation: Channing Division of Network Medicine, Department of Medicine, Brigham and Women's Hospital and Harvard Medical School, Boston, MA, USA ; Department of Epidemiology, Harvard T.H. Chan School of Public Health, Boston, MA, USA ; Department of Nutrition, Harvard T.H Chan School of Public Health, Boston, MA, USA.
authors.forename: Eric B
authors.initials: EB
authors.lastname: Rimm
authors.affiliation: Channing Division of Network Medicine, Department of Medicine, Brigham and Women's Hospital and Harvard Medical School, Boston, MA, USA ; Department of Epidemiology, Harvard T.H. Chan School of Public Health, Boston, MA, USA.
authors.forename: A Heather
authors.initials: AH
authors.lastname: Eliassen
authors.affiliation: Channing Division of Network Medicine, Department of Medicine, Brigham and Women's Hospital and Harvard Medical School, Boston, MA, USA ; Department of Epidemiology, Harvard T.H. Chan School of Public Health, Boston, MA, USA ; Division of Psychiatry, Brigham and Women's Hospital and Harvard Medical School, Boston, MA, USA.
authors.forename: Olivia I
authors.initials: OI
authors.lastname: Okereke
keywords: Anxiety; Biochemical markers; Biological psychiatry; Oxidative Stress; Phobic Anxiety