Chronic Stress and C-Reactive Protein in Mothers during the First Postpartum Year

Citation

Guardino, Christine M.; Schetter, Christine Dunkel; Hobel, Calvin J.; Lanzi, Robin Gaines; Schafer, Peter; Thorp, John M., Jr.; & Shalowitz, Madeleine U., for the Eunice Kennedy Shriver National Institute of Child Human Development Community Child Health Network (CCHN) (CCHN) (2017). Chronic Stress and C-Reactive Protein in Mothers during the First Postpartum Year. Psychosomatic Medicine, 79(4), 450-460. PMCID: PMC6619505

Abstract

OBJECTIVES: Elevated levels of C-reactive protein (CRP) are associated with increased risk of cardiovascular and metabolic disease. The current study tested associations between psychosocial stress and CRP in a large sample of women during the first postpartum year.
METHODS: We analyzed data collected by the five-site Community Child Health Network study, which studied a predominately poor population. Participants (n = 1206 women; 54% African American, 23% white, 23% Hispanic/Latina) were recruited shortly after the birth of a child. Multiple linear regression analyses tested associations of psychosocial stress in several life domains (financial, neighborhood, family, coparenting, partner relationship, discrimination, and interpersonal violence) with log-transformed CRP concentrations at 6-month and 1-year postpartum.
RESULTS: Forty-eight percent of participants showed evidence of elevated CRP (>/=3 mg/L) at 6-month postpartum, and 46% had elevated CRP at 12-month postpartum. Chronic financial stress at 1-month postpartum predicted higher levels of CRP at 6- (b = .15, SE = .05, p = .006) and 12-month postpartum (b = .15, SE = .06, p = .007) adjusting for race/ethnicity, income, education, parity, health behaviors, and chronic health conditions, though associations became nonsignificant when adjusted for body mass index.
CONCLUSIONS: In this low-income and ethnic/racially diverse sample of women, higher financial stress at 1-month postbirth predicted higher CRP. Study findings suggest that perceived financial stress stemming from socioeconomic disadvantage may be a particularly deleterious form of stress affecting maternal biology during the year after the birth of a child.

URL

http://dx.doi.org/10.1097/psy.0000000000000424

Reference Type

Journal Article

Year Published

2017

Journal Title

Psychosomatic Medicine

Author(s)

Guardino, Christine M.
Schetter, Christine Dunkel
Hobel, Calvin J.
Lanzi, Robin Gaines
Schafer, Peter
Thorp, John M., Jr.
Shalowitz, Madeleine U., for the Eunice Kennedy Shriver National Institute of Child Human Development Community Child Health Network (CCHN) (CCHN)

PMCID

PMC6619505

ORCiD

Thorp - 0000-0002-9307-6690