TY - JOUR
T1 - Daily positive events and inflammation
T2 - Findings from the National Study of Daily Experiences
AU - Sin, Nancy L.
AU - Graham-Engeland, Jennifer E.
AU - Almeida, David M.
N1 - Funding Information:
We thank the staff of the Clinical Research Centers at the University of Wisconsin-Madison, UCLA, and Georgetown University for their support in conducting this study. The MIDUS Biomarker Project was supported by the following grants: M01-RR023942 (Georgetown), M01-RR00865 (UCLA) from the General Clinical Research Centers Program and 1UL1RR025011 (UW) from the Clinical and Translational Science Award (CTSA) program of the National Center for Research Resources , National Institutes of Health . The funding sources had no involvement in the study design; data collection, analysis, or interpretation; nor the writing and submission of this manuscript.
Funding Information:
This research was supported by a Grant from the National Institute on Aging ( P01-AG020166 ) to conduct a longitudinal follow-up of the MIDUS (Midlife in the U.S.) investigation. The original study was supported by the John D. and Catherine T. MacArthur Foundation Research Network on Successful Midlife Development .
Publisher Copyright:
© 2014 Elsevier Inc.
PY - 2015/1/1
Y1 - 2015/1/1
N2 - Background: Inflammation is implicated in the development of chronic diseases and increases the risk of mortality. People who experience more daily stressors than others have higher levels of inflammation, but it is unknown whether daily positive events are linked to inflammation. Objective: To examine the association of daily positive events with 3 inflammatory markers, interleukin-6 (IL-6), C-reactive protein (CRP), and fibrinogen. Method: A cross-sectional sample of 969 adults aged 35-86 from the Midlife in the United States Study completed telephone interviews for 8 consecutive evenings. Participants reported positive experiences that occurred over the past 24. h. Blood samples were obtained at a separate clinic visit and later assayed for inflammatory markers. Regression analyses evaluated the frequency of daily positive events (defined as the percent of study days with at least 1 positive event) as a predictor of each inflammatory marker. Covariates included information on demographics, physical health, depressive symptoms, dispositional and behavioral factors, and daily positive and negative affect. Results: On average, participants experienced positive events on 73% of days (SD = 27%). The frequency of daily positive events was associated with lower IL-6 (p < 0.001) and CRP (p = 0.02) in the overall sample, and lower fibrinogen among women (p = 0.01). The association remained for IL-6 in the fully adjusted model, but was no longer significant for CRP and fibrinogen after controlling for household income and race. Effects were more pronounced for participants in the lowest quartile of positive event frequency than for those in the top 3 quartiles, suggesting that lack of positivity in daily life may be particularly consequential for inflammation. Furthermore, interpersonal positive events were more predictive of lower IL-6 overall and lower fibrinogen in women than non-interpersonal positive events. Conclusion: Daily positive events may serve a protective role against inflammation.
AB - Background: Inflammation is implicated in the development of chronic diseases and increases the risk of mortality. People who experience more daily stressors than others have higher levels of inflammation, but it is unknown whether daily positive events are linked to inflammation. Objective: To examine the association of daily positive events with 3 inflammatory markers, interleukin-6 (IL-6), C-reactive protein (CRP), and fibrinogen. Method: A cross-sectional sample of 969 adults aged 35-86 from the Midlife in the United States Study completed telephone interviews for 8 consecutive evenings. Participants reported positive experiences that occurred over the past 24. h. Blood samples were obtained at a separate clinic visit and later assayed for inflammatory markers. Regression analyses evaluated the frequency of daily positive events (defined as the percent of study days with at least 1 positive event) as a predictor of each inflammatory marker. Covariates included information on demographics, physical health, depressive symptoms, dispositional and behavioral factors, and daily positive and negative affect. Results: On average, participants experienced positive events on 73% of days (SD = 27%). The frequency of daily positive events was associated with lower IL-6 (p < 0.001) and CRP (p = 0.02) in the overall sample, and lower fibrinogen among women (p = 0.01). The association remained for IL-6 in the fully adjusted model, but was no longer significant for CRP and fibrinogen after controlling for household income and race. Effects were more pronounced for participants in the lowest quartile of positive event frequency than for those in the top 3 quartiles, suggesting that lack of positivity in daily life may be particularly consequential for inflammation. Furthermore, interpersonal positive events were more predictive of lower IL-6 overall and lower fibrinogen in women than non-interpersonal positive events. Conclusion: Daily positive events may serve a protective role against inflammation.
UR - http://www.scopus.com/inward/record.url?scp=84919457448&partnerID=8YFLogxK
UR - http://www.scopus.com/inward/citedby.url?scp=84919457448&partnerID=8YFLogxK
U2 - 10.1016/j.bbi.2014.07.015
DO - 10.1016/j.bbi.2014.07.015
M3 - Article
C2 - 25102453
AN - SCOPUS:84919457448
SN - 0889-1591
VL - 43
SP - 130
EP - 138
JO - Brain, Behavior, and Immunity
JF - Brain, Behavior, and Immunity
ER -