The Psychobiology of Bereavement and Health: A Conceptual Review From the Perspective of Social Signal Transduction Theory of Depression

Losing a spouse is considered one of the most stressful life events a person can experience. Particularly in the immediate weeks and months after the loss, bereavement is associated with a significantly increased risk of morbidity and mortality. Despite an abundance of research aimed at identifying...

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Published in:Frontiers in psychiatry Vol. 11; p. 565239
Main Authors: Seiler, Annina, von Känel, Roland, Slavich, George M.
Format: Journal Article
Language:English
Published: Switzerland Frontiers Media S.A 03.12.2020
Subjects:
bereavement
biological aging
immune system
inflammation
interpersonal loss
life stress
Psychiatry
biological aging
disease
inflammation
bereavement
immune system
health
life stress
interpersonal loss
ISSN:1664-0640, 1664-0640
Online Access:Get full text
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Summary:Losing a spouse is considered one of the most stressful life events a person can experience. Particularly in the immediate weeks and months after the loss, bereavement is associated with a significantly increased risk of morbidity and mortality. Despite an abundance of research aimed at identifying risk factors for adverse health outcomes following marital death, the mechanisms through which mental and physical health problems emerge following bereavement remain poorly understood. To address this issue, the present review examines several pathways that may link bereavement and health, including inflammation and immune dysregulation, genetic and epigenetic changes, gut microbiota activity, and biological aging. We then describe how these processes may be viewed from the perspective of the Social Signal Transduction Theory of Depression to provide a novel framework for understanding individual differences in long-term trajectories of adjustment to interpersonal loss. Finally, we discuss several avenues for future research on psychobiological mechanisms linking bereavement with mental and physical health outcomes.
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Edited by: J. John Mann, Columbia University, United States
Reviewed by: Noam Schneck, New York State Psychiatric Institute (NYSPI), United States; Lydia Roos, University of North Carolina at Charlotte, United States
This article was submitted to Psychosomatic Medicine, a section of the journal Frontiers in Psychiatry
ISSN:1664-0640
1664-0640
DOI:10.3389/fpsyt.2020.565239