Do trait-level emotion regulation strategies moderate associations between retrospective reports of childhood trauma and... 2022 Jones et al

[Andy]

Abstract

Background
Childhood trauma may confer risk for poorer adult health through changes in systemic inflammation. Emotion regulation may plausibly moderate associations between childhood trauma and adult psychological well-being, but it remains unclear whether moderation effects extend to differences in systemic inflammation.

Purpose
To examine whether childhood trauma and emotion regulation separately and interactively predict prospective changes in C-reactive protein (CRP) and interleukin-6 (IL-6) and whether biopsychosocial factors account for observed associations.

Methods
Healthy midlife adults (N = 331) retrospectively reported on childhood trauma, current trait-level cognitive reappraisal and expressive suppression, and had their blood drawn. At baseline and then a median of 2.85 years later, 279 of the 331 participants had their blood drawn, body mass index calculated, and reported on health behaviors (smoking, sleep), psychological distress (perceived stress, depressive symptoms), and years of education.

Results
Childhood trauma predicted prospective increases in CRP (B=.004, p=.049), which were partially accounted for by differences in adiposity, psychological distress, and health behaviors. In contrast, cognitive reappraisal predicted prospective decreases in IL-6 (B=-.007, p=.006), which were independent of biopsychosocial influences. Cognitive reappraisal further moderated the association between childhood trauma and prospective changes in IL-6 (B=-.001, p=.012) such that childhood trauma predicted greater IL-6 increases but only among adults lower in cognitive reappraisal (B=.006, p=.007). There were no main or moderation effects of expressive suppression (ps>.05).

Discussion
Cognitive reappraisal may attenuate IL-6 changes over time and may moderate the prospective association between childhood trauma and systemic inflammation in midlife.

Paywall, https://onlinelibrary.wiley.com/doi/10.1002/smi.3205

 

[Hutan]

Childhood trauma predicted prospective increases in CRP (B=.004, p=.049), which were partially accounted for by differences in adiposity, psychological distress, and health behaviors.

Gosh, the researchers must have been relieved - with a p of 0.049 that finding came perilously close to being statistically insignificant.
But, with adiposity, smoking and poor sleep partially explaining 'prospective CRP increases', maybe if you took those things out of the equation, there'd be nothing left that amounts to much. The abstract suggests that neither cognitive reappraisal nor expressive suppression have any impact on CRP levels. But, of course, we don't get a title 'Emotional regulation strategies have no impact on CRP'.

The differences are just over a period of, on average, 2.85 years and it's not clear if there was any intervention.

Cognitive reappraisal is an antecedent-focused emotion regulation strategy, occurring in the early stages of the experience of the emotion. This strategy changes emotional experiences successfully by modulating cognitive processes, involving the re-interpretation of emotional events

If there was no intervention, then I don't know why a person's emotion regulation strategies should be expected to suddenly reduce or increase IL-6 over a period of less than 3 years, years after childhood.

Cherry-picking.