Table_2_v1_The Psychobiology of Bereavement and Health: A Conceptual Review From the Perspective of Social Signal Transduction Theory of Depression.DOCX

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.

丧失配偶被视为个体一生中最具应激性的生活事件之一。尤其在丧亲后的数周及数月内，丧亲与发病率和死亡率的显著升高存在关联。尽管已有大量研究致力于探明配偶离世后不良健康结局的风险因素，但丧亲后精神与躯体健康问题出现的具体机制仍不甚明晰。为厘清该问题，本综述考察了若干可能将丧亲与健康状态相关联的通路，涵盖炎症反应与免疫失调、遗传与表观遗传（epigenetic）改变、肠道菌群活性以及生物衰老。随后，本综述阐述了如何从抑郁社会信号转导理论（Social Signal Transduction Theory of Depression）的视角解读上述过程，从而为理解人际丧失适应长期轨迹中的个体差异提供全新的分析框架。最后，本综述探讨了若干未来研究方向，聚焦于将丧亲与精神、躯体健康结局相关联的心理生物学机制。