C-Reactive Protein, Depression, and Sensation Seeking
Open Access
- Author:
- Cardell, Danielle Christine
- Area of Honors:
- Biobehavioral Health
- Degree:
- Bachelor of Science
- Document Type:
- Thesis
- Thesis Supervisors:
- Sonia Angele Cavigelli, Thesis Supervisor
Sonia Angele Cavigelli, Thesis Supervisor
Dr. Lori Anne Francis, Thesis Honors Advisor - Keywords:
- CRP
depression
sensation seeking - Abstract:
- Depression is becoming a leading cause of disability in the world today (Mathers & Loncar, 2006). In recent literature, relationships have been found between depression and sensation seeking (Carton, Morand, Bungenera, & Jouvent, 1995; Farmer et al., 2001) and between depression and the biological inflammatory marker C-Reactive Protein (CRP) (Ford & Erlinger, 2004; Henningsson et al., 2008; Liukkonen et al., 2006; Pikhart et al., 2009). In order to answer the question “Do people that seek a lot of new sensations have low levels of CRP which could make them resilient to depression?” this study aimed to recreate the negative correlational relationship between depression and sensation seeking, recreate the positive correlational relationship between CRP and depression, and find the connection between all three of these components. A packet containing saliva collection samples and the SSS-V and CES-D questionnaires were distributed and completed by a population of college students (n=158). Results found that the Thrill and Adventure Seeking (TAS) subscale of SSS-V was negatively correlated (-.189) with the CES-D in women. The Boredom Susceptibility (BS) subscale was negatively correlated (-.325) with CRP in women. Trends were found between BS and the CES-D and between CRP and the CES-D. It is possible that certain subscales of the SSS-V measure a protective trait against the onset of depression by way of CRP levels.