TY - JOUR
T1 - Shorter Telomeres Among Individuals With Physical Disability
T2 - The Moderating Role of Perceived Stress
AU - Lahav, Yael
AU - Avidor, Sharon
AU - Levy, David
AU - Ohry, Avi
AU - Zeilig, Gabi
AU - Lahav, Meir
AU - Golander, Hava
AU - Guber, Anat Chacham
AU - Uziel, Orit
AU - Defrin, Ruth
N1 - Publisher Copyright:
© 2021 The Author(s). Published by Oxford University Press on behalf of The Gerontological Society of America. All rights reserved.
PY - 2022/8/1
Y1 - 2022/8/1
N2 - Objectives: Evidence suggests that individuals with physical disability may suffer from psychological distress and accelerated cellular aging, manifested by shortened telomere length (TL), compared with healthy individuals. Studies indicate that high levels of perceived stress and depression may increase the physiological susceptibility and, thus, may contribute to a short TL. However, the moderating role of perceived stress and depression within the relationship between physical disability and TL remains unknown. Method: The participants consisted of 119 male subjects (mean age 54.36 years, range 35-70). Of them, 30 were able-bodied and 89 had a physical disability: 34 were due to poliomyelitis (polio) and 55 were due to spinal cord injury. Blood samples for TL analysis were collected; the participants completed questionnaires and underwent disability evaluation. Results: Participants with disability had a shorter TL as well as elevated levels of perceived stress and depression compared with able-bodied controls. Both the perceived stress and depression were correlated with a shorter TL. Nonetheless, perceived stress, rather than depression, moderated the relationship between disability and TL; among participants with higher perceived stress levels, in particular, individuals with physical disability had a shorter TL than the able-bodied controls. Discussion: The present findings suggest that individuals with physical disability and who exhibit high levels of perceived stress may be particularly vulnerable for accelerated cellular aging, suggesting that perceived stress can be used as a valuable target for intervention.
AB - Objectives: Evidence suggests that individuals with physical disability may suffer from psychological distress and accelerated cellular aging, manifested by shortened telomere length (TL), compared with healthy individuals. Studies indicate that high levels of perceived stress and depression may increase the physiological susceptibility and, thus, may contribute to a short TL. However, the moderating role of perceived stress and depression within the relationship between physical disability and TL remains unknown. Method: The participants consisted of 119 male subjects (mean age 54.36 years, range 35-70). Of them, 30 were able-bodied and 89 had a physical disability: 34 were due to poliomyelitis (polio) and 55 were due to spinal cord injury. Blood samples for TL analysis were collected; the participants completed questionnaires and underwent disability evaluation. Results: Participants with disability had a shorter TL as well as elevated levels of perceived stress and depression compared with able-bodied controls. Both the perceived stress and depression were correlated with a shorter TL. Nonetheless, perceived stress, rather than depression, moderated the relationship between disability and TL; among participants with higher perceived stress levels, in particular, individuals with physical disability had a shorter TL than the able-bodied controls. Discussion: The present findings suggest that individuals with physical disability and who exhibit high levels of perceived stress may be particularly vulnerable for accelerated cellular aging, suggesting that perceived stress can be used as a valuable target for intervention.
KW - Depression
KW - Perceived stress
KW - Poliomyelitis
KW - Spinal cord injury
KW - Telomere length
UR - http://www.scopus.com/inward/record.url?scp=85136318971&partnerID=8YFLogxK
U2 - 10.1093/geronb/gbab200
DO - 10.1093/geronb/gbab200
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C2 - 34687310
AN - SCOPUS:85136318971
SN - 1079-5014
VL - 77
SP - 1384
EP - 1393
JO - Journals of Gerontology - Series B Psychological Sciences and Social Sciences
JF - Journals of Gerontology - Series B Psychological Sciences and Social Sciences
IS - 8
ER -