Bereavement and catecholamines

Jacobs, Selby; Mason, John W.; Kosten, Thomas R.; Wahby, Victor S.; Kasl, Stanislav V.; Ostfeld, Adrian M.

doi:10.1016/0022-3999(86)90088-7

Cited by 31 publications

(21 citation statements)

References 20 publications

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“…Even temporary separation from an attachment figure (e.g., a romantic partner) is associated with elevations in hypothalamic-pituitary-adrenocortical axis activity (Diamond et al, 2008). Grief is associated with elevations in epinephrine and norepinephrine output (Jacobs et al, 1986) and symptoms of anxiety (e.g. restlessness, increased muscle tension, panic attacks; Parkes, 1972).…”

Section: Introductionmentioning

confidence: 99%

Anxiety Sensitivity in Bereaved Adults With and Without Complicated Grief

Robinaugh

McNally

LeBlanc³

et al. 2014

Journal of Nervous &Amp; Mental Disease

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Complicated grief (CG) is a bereavement specific syndrome chiefly characterized by symptoms of persistent separation distress. Physiological reactivity to reminders of the loss and repeated acute pangs or waves of severe anxiety and psychological pain are prominent features of CG. Fear of this grief-related physiological arousal may contribute to CG by increasing the distress associated with grief reactions and increasing the likelihood of maladaptive coping strategies and grief-related avoidance. Here, we examined anxiety sensitivity (i.e., the fear of anxiety-related sensations; AS) in two studies of bereaved adults with and without CG. In both studies, bereaved adults with CG exhibited elevated AS relative to those without CG. In Study 2, AS was positively associated with CG symptom severity among those with CG. These findings are consistent with the possibility that AS contributes to the development or maintenance of CG symptoms.

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Section: Introductionmentioning

confidence: 99%

Anxiety Sensitivity in Bereaved Adults With and Without Complicated Grief

Robinaugh

McNally

LeBlanc³

et al. 2014

Journal of Nervous &Amp; Mental Disease

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“…A previous study of bereaved individuals showed that high mean levels of 24-hour urinary epinephrine output predicted higher hopelessness and helplessness scores at 13 and 25 months after the loss (Jacobs, et al, 1986). Similar to the current study, urinary norepinephrine had no relationship to outcome in the study by Jacobs and colleagues.…”

Section: Discussionmentioning

confidence: 99%

“…Prior research demonstrates that acute grief is associated with increased urinary catecholamines (Jacobs, et al, 1986), increased heart rate (Buckley, et al, 2012a; O’Connor, Allen, & Kaszniak, 2002), cardiovascular disorders, including high blood pressure (Buckley, et al, 2011), stress cardiomyopathy (Wittstein, et al, 2005) and sudden cardiac death (Stroebe, Schut, & Stroebe, 2007). During emotional activation, the SAM system releases epinephrine and norepinephrine, which increases heart rate.…”

Section: Introductionmentioning

confidence: 99%

Catecholamine predictors of complicated grief treatment outcomes

O’Connor

Shear

Fox

et al. 2013

International Journal of Psychophysiology

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Could sympathetic hyperarousal limit treatment success in complicated grief? The present study investigated persons with complicated grief, a chronic condition with distinct symptoms including persistent intense yearning and longing for the person who died, avoidance of reminders that the person is gone, deep relentless sadness, self-blame, bitterness, or anger in connection with the death, and an inability to gain satisfaction or joy through engaging in meaningful activities or relationships with significant others. Length of bereavement did not correlate with complicated grief scores. Catecholamines (i.e., epinephrine, norepinephrine, dopamine) in plasma were assessed pre- and post-psychotherapeutic treatment. Participants with the highest levels of epinephrine at pre-treatment had the highest levels of complicated grief symptoms at post-treatment, accounting for baseline levels of symptoms. This predictive relationship was not seen for depressive symptoms. The present study supports the hypothesis that catecholamine levels are affected by bereavement, and in turn, can affect the ability of those with complicated grief to benefit from psychotherapy.

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“…In 1992, 1996 and 2000 in NHS and 2001 in NHSII, participants reported the average hours per week they provided care (outside of their employment as nurses) to children, grandchildren, a disabled/ill spouse, a disabled/ill parent, or other disabled/ill persons. We created a composite indicator for chronic stress/distress that was defined as having one or more of the three individual factors (depression, elevated anxiety symptoms and widowhood), as these psychosocial factors have been linked with elevated norepinephrine (13–18), which binds to ADRB2 to enhance β 2 -adrenergic signaling and promote ovarian cancer growth.…”

Section: Methodsmentioning

confidence: 99%

“…Chronic stress/distress (e.g., depression/anxiety) has been linked with elevated norepinephrine (13–18), as well as modestly increased ovarian cancer risk (19, 20). Chronic stress/distress in humans represents a multi-dimensional construct integrating diverse factors at the biological, behavioral and social level; it is unclear whether the observed association between psychosocial stress and ovarian cancer development is mediated by β 2 -adrenergic signaling, as in mice.…”

Section: Introductionmentioning

confidence: 99%

Association of Ovarian Tumor β2-Adrenergic Receptor Status with Ovarian Cancer Risk Factors and Survival

Huang

Tworoger

Rice

et al. 2016

Cancer Epidemiology, Biomarkers &Amp; Prevention

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Background The β2-adrenergic signaling pathway mediates the effects of chronic stress on ovarian cancer progression in mouse models. The relevance of this pathway to human ovarian cancer remains unknown. Methods We assessed tumor expression of β2-adrenergic receptor (ADRB2) using tissue microarrays in 237 ovarian cancer cases from the Nurses' Health Studies (NHS/NHSII). Competing risks Cox regression was used to evaluate whether associations of reproductive, hormonal, and psychosocial factors with ovarian cancer risk differed by ADRB2. We also examined the association between tumor ADRB2 expression and ovarian cancer survival. Results Forty-five (19%) cases were positive for ADRB2 staining. High levels of anxiety symptoms were positively associated with ADRB2-positive tumors (HR: 2.59; 95% CI: 1.15, 5.84) but not with ADRB2-negative tumors (HR: 1.16; 95% CI: 0.81, 1.66; Pheterogeneity=0.07). We observed similar results for depression. No associations were observed for job strain, caregiving stress or widowhood for either positive or negative ADRB2 status. Lifetime ovulatory years were more strongly associated with ADRB2-positive tumors (HR per 5 years: 1.60; 95% CI: 1.15, 2.21) compared to ADRB2-negative tumors (HR: 1.11; 95% CI: 0.96, 1.27; Pheterogeneity=0.04). Significant heterogeneity by ADRB2 was also observed for parity (Pheterogeneity=0.01), oral contraceptive use (Pheterogeneity=0.03) and age at menopause (p-heterogeneity=0.04). Tumor expression of ADRB2 was not associated with ovarian cancer mortality (HR: 1.05; 95% CI: 0.69, 1.59). Conclusions Several stress- and ovulation-related factors were differentially associated with ovarian tumors responsive to β2-adrenergic signaling. Impact Replication in larger studies is warranted to confirm the role of β2-adrenergic signaling in ovarian cancer etiology.

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Bereavement and catecholamines

Cited by 31 publications

References 20 publications

Anxiety Sensitivity in Bereaved Adults With and Without Complicated Grief

Anxiety Sensitivity in Bereaved Adults With and Without Complicated Grief

Catecholamine predictors of complicated grief treatment outcomes

Association of Ovarian Tumor β2-Adrenergic Receptor Status with Ovarian Cancer Risk Factors and Survival

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