@article{ref1,
title="Risky emotional family environment in childhood and depression-related cytokines in adulthood: the protective role of compassion",
journal="Developmental psychobiology",
year="2021",
author="Jalkanen, Sirpa and Raitakari, Olli and Lehtimäki, Terho and Salmi, Marko and Ahola-Olli, Ari and Dobewall, Henrik and Hintsanen, Mirka and Keltikangas-Järvinen, Liisa and Saarinen, Aino",
volume="ePub",
number="ePub",
pages="ePub-ePub",
abstract="BACKGROUND: Previously, compassion has been found to protect against depressive symptoms, while emotional adversities in childhood are suggested to increase  inflammatory responses. The current study investigated (a) whether emotional family  environment in childhood predicts levels of such cytokines in adulthood that are  previously found to be elevated in depression (interleukin [IL]-2, IL-6, IL-1b,  monocyte chemoattractant protein-1, interferon-gamma [IFN-γ], and tumor necrosis  factor alpha [TNF-α]) and (b) whether these associations are modified by compassion  in adulthood. <br><br>METHODS: The participants (N = 1,198-1,523) came from the prospective  population-based Young Finns data. Emotional family environment and parental  socioeconomic factors were evaluated in 1980; participants' compassion in 2001; and  participants' cytokine levels and adulthood covariates in 2007. <br><br>RESULTS: Risky  emotional family environment in childhood predicted higher levels of IL-2, IL-6,  IFN-γ, and TNF-α in adulthood. Additionally, there were significant interaction  effects between compassion and emotional risk in childhood, when predicting IL-2,  IL-6, and TNF-α. Specifically, individuals who grew up in a risky emotional family  environment had on average higher levels of IL-2, IL-6, and TNF-α in adulthood when  combined with low compassion. <br><br>CONCLUSIONS: In individuals coming from risky  emotional family environments, high compassion for others may protect against  elevated levels of cytokines previously linked with depression.<p /> <p>Language: en</p>",
language="en",
issn="0012-1630",
doi="10.1002/dev.22070",
url="http://dx.doi.org/10.1002/dev.22070"
}