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Proinflammatory gene expression is associated with prospective risk for adolescent suicidal thoughts and behaviors over twelve months

Published online by Cambridge University Press:  08 January 2025

Matthew G. Clayton*
Affiliation:
Department of Psychology and Neuroscience, University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill, Chapel Hill, NC, USA
Steve W. Cole
Affiliation:
Division of Hematology-Oncology, David Geffen School of Medicine, University of California, Los Angeles, CA, USA Department of Psychiatry and Biobehavioral Sciences, University of California, Los Angeles, CA, USA
Matteo Giletta
Affiliation:
Department of Psychology, Ghent University, Ghent, Belgium Department of Developmental Psychology, Tilburg University, Tilburg, Netherlands
Paul D. Hastings
Affiliation:
Center for Mind and Brain and Department of Psychology, University of California, Davis, CA, USA
Matthew K. Nock
Affiliation:
Department of Psychology, Harvard University, Boston, MA, USA
Karen D. Rudolph
Affiliation:
Department of Psychology, University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign, Urbana-Champaign, IL, USA
George M. Slavich
Affiliation:
Department of Psychiatry and Biobehavioral Sciences, University of California, Los Angeles, CA, USA
Mitchell J. Prinstein
Affiliation:
Department of Psychology and Neuroscience, University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill, Chapel Hill, NC, USA
*
Corresponding author: Matthew G. Clayton; Email: mgc12@live.unc.edu

Abstract

Objective:

Recent theories have implicated inflammatory biology in the development of psychopathology and maladaptive behaviors in adolescence, including suicidal thoughts and behaviors (STB). Examining specific biological markers related to inflammation is thus warranted to better understand risk for STB in adolescents, for whom suicide is a leading cause of death.

Method:

Participants were 211 adolescent females (ages 9–14 years; Mage = 11.8 years, SD = 1.8 years) at increased risk for STB. This study examined the prospective association between basal levels of inflammatory gene expression (average of 15 proinflammatory mRNA transcripts) and subsequent risk for suicidal ideation and suicidal behavior over a 12-month follow-up period.

Results:

Controlling for past levels of STB, greater proinflammatory gene expression was associated with prospective risk for STB in these youth. Similar effects were observed for CD14 mRNA level, a marker of monocyte abundance within the blood sample. Sensitivity analyses controlling for other relevant covariates, including history of trauma, depressive symptoms, and STB prior to data collection, yielded similar patterns of results.

Conclusions:

Upregulated inflammatory signaling in the immune system is prospectively associated with STB among at-risk adolescent females, even after controlling for history of trauma, depressive symptoms, and STB prior to data collection. Additional research is needed to identify the sources of inflammatory up-regulation in adolescents (e.g., stress psychobiology, physiological development, microbial exposures) and strategies for mitigating such effects to reduce STB.

Type
Regular Article
Copyright
© The Author(s), 2025. Published by Cambridge University Press

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