IL-6 and TNF-Alpha Moderate the Association between Childhood Maltreatment and Adult Depression in Premenopausal Women

The Social Signal Transduction Theory states that chronic stressors are perceived by the brain and body as a threat, activating inflammation and thus depression. Current results suggest that the associations between emotional abuse, physical abuse, and sexual abuse with depression were significantly moderated by IL-6 and TNF-alpha in premenopausal women.