Bereavement, Psychological Distress, and Inflammation: Findings From the MIDUS Refresher Cohort

Bereavement can adversely affect psychological and physical health. Using MIDUS Refresher 1 data, we examined psychological and inflammatory differences between bereaved (n = 373) and non-bereaved (n = 490) adults and tested whether depression, anxiety, and stress moderated associations between bereavement and inflammation. Participants completed measures of depressive symptoms, anxiety, and perceived stress and provided blood samples for interleukin-6 (IL-6), tumor necrosis factor alpha (TNF-α), and C-reactive protein (CRP). Adjusting for key covariates, bereaved participants reported significantly greater depressive symptoms, anxiety, and perceived stress (ps < .001) and had higher IL-6 (p = .001) and TNF-α (p < .001) than non-bereaved participants. Psychological symptoms did not moderate associations between bereavement and inflammatory markers. Findings suggest that bereavement is associated with concurrent psychological distress and elevated inflammation, but these effects may be partly independent. Identifying other psychological and contextual factors may clarify individual differences in inflammatory responses following loss.