Evidence map›Paper›PMID 38642767›Full record

ArticleThe Science of the total environment2024

Per- and polyfluoroalkyl substances (PFAS), perceived stress, and depressive symptoms in a prospective cohort study of black women.

Samantha Schildroth, Birgit Claus Henn, Anissa I Vines, Ruth J Geller, Sharonda M Lovett, Chad M Coleman, Traci N Bethea, Julianne Cook Botelho, Antonia M Calafat, Chad Milando and 3 more

Abstract read
In one paragraph

Article in The Science of the total environment, 2024. The graph could read no effect estimate from its abstract, so it casts no vote on the map. Cited by 8 papers.

0numbers the graph read from it
0cells of the map it votes in
8citing papers in PubMed
–field-weighted citation impact
1 · What the graph read from it

What it found

Each row is one number read from the abstract, on the scale the paper reported it, with its interval. Left of the dashed line favours the treatment, right favours the comparator. Under each row is the sentence it came from. New to these charts? A ten-minute tutorial.

The abstract states no effect estimate the extractor could read, or names no intervention and outcome on the map, so this paper lights no cell and moves no belief. It is still indexed, cited and linked below.

2 · The registry

The trial behind it

Trials whose registry record cites this paper, or whose number appears in the abstract. A trial that started after this paper was published is citing it as background, not reporting it.

Neither the registry nor the abstract names a trial number. If this is a trial report, that itself is worth knowing.

3 · Its place in the literature

Who cites it

8 citing papers in PubMed.

  1. Article
  2. Psychosocial distress among individuals residing in a rural PFAS-contaminated community.International journal of hygiene and environmental health · 2026
    Article
  3. Article
  4. Article
  5. Article
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4 · The record

Corrections and comments

PubMed lists nothing against this paper. Absence here is not a guarantee, only a check that was made.

5 · Who and what money

Authors and funding

13 authors.

Samantha SchildrothDepartment of Epidemiology, Boston University School of Public Health, Boston, MA, USA. Electronic address: sschildr@bu.edu.
Birgit Claus HennDepartment of Environmental Health, Boston University School of Public Health, Boston, MA, USA.
Anissa I VinesDepartment of Epidemiology, Gillings School of Global Public Health, University of North Carolina, Chapel Hill, NC, USA.
Ruth J GellerDepartment of Epidemiology, Boston University School of Public Health, Boston, MA, USA.
Sharonda M LovettDepartment of Epidemiology, Boston University School of Public Health, Boston, MA, USA.
Chad M ColemanDepartment of Epidemiology, Boston University School of Public Health, Boston, MA, USA.
Traci N BetheaOffice of Minority Health & Health Disparities Research, Georgetown Lombardi Comprehensive Cancer Institute, Washington, DC, USA.
Julianne Cook BotelhoDivision of Laboratory Sciences, Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, Atlanta, GA, USA.
Antonia M CalafatDivision of Laboratory Sciences, Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, Atlanta, GA, USA.
Chad MilandoDepartment of Environmental Health, Boston University School of Public Health, Boston, MA, USA.
Donna D BairdNational Institute of Environmental Health Sciences, Durham, NC, USA.
Ganesa WegienkaHenry Ford Health, Detroit, MI, USA.
Lauren A WiseDepartment of Epidemiology, Boston University School of Public Health, Boston, MA, USA.

Funding

Uterine LeiomyomasZIAES049013 · NIEHS · NATIONAL INSTITUTE OF ENVIRONMENTAL HEALTH SCIENCES · PI JUKIC, ANNE MARIE · 2009 to 2025
$14.7M
Endocrine disrupting chemicals and risk of uterine fibroids: a prospective studyR01ES024749 · NIEHS · BOSTON UNIVERSITY MEDICAL CAMPUS · PI LAUREN A WISE · 2015 to 2026
$4.8M
Intramural NIH HHS ZIA ES049013NIEHS NIH HHS R01 ES024749
6 · The paper itself

Abstract

backgroundPer- and polyfluoroalkyl substances (PFAS) are endocrine-disrupting chemicals with neurotoxic properties. PFAS have been associated with depressive symptoms among women in some studies, but little research has evaluated the effects of PFAS mixtures. Further, no study has investigated interactions of PFAS-depression associations by perceived stress, which has been shown to modify the effects of PFAS on other health outcomes.

objectiveIn a prospective cohort study of reproductive-aged Black women, we investigated associations between PFAS and depressive symptoms and the extent to which perceived stress modified these associations.

methodsWe analyzed data from 1499 participants (23-35 years) in the Study of Environment, Lifestyle, and Fibroids. We quantified concentrations of nine PFAS in baseline plasma samples using online solid-phase extraction-liquid chromatography-isotope dilution tandem mass spectrometry. Participants reported perceived stress via the Perceived Stress Scale (PSS-4; range = 0-16) at baseline and depressive symptoms via the Center for Epidemiologic Studies Depression Scale (CESD; range = 0-44) at the 20-month follow-up visit. We used Bayesian Kernel Machine Regression to estimate associations between PFAS concentrations, individually and as a mixture, and depressive symptoms, and to assess effect modification by PSS-4 scores, adjusting for confounders.

resultsBaseline perfluorodecanoic acid concentrations were associated with greater depressive symptoms at the 20-month follow-up, but associations for other PFAS were null. The PFAS were not associated with depressive symptoms when evaluated as a mixture. The association between the 90th percentile (vs. 50th percentile) of the PFAS mixture with CES-D scores was null at the 10th (β = 0.03; 95 % CrI = 0.20, 0.25), 50th (β = 0.02; 95 % CrI = -0.16, 0.19), and 90th (β = 0.01; 95 % CrI = 0.18, 0.20) percentiles of PSS-4 scores, suggesting perceived stress did not modify the PFAS mixture.

conclusionIn this prospective cohort study, PFAS concentrations-assessed individually or as a mixture-were not appreciably associated with depressive symptoms, and there was no evidence of effect modification by perceived stress.

Indexed as

DepressionEnvironmental PollutantsFluorocarbonsStress, PsychologicalAdultBlack or African AmericanEndocrine DisruptorsEnvironmental ExposureFemaleHumansProspective StudiesYoung AdultEndocrine DisruptorsEnvironmental PollutantsFluorocarbonsBlack womenDepressionEDCsMixturesPFASStress

Identifiers

PMID38642767
PMCPMC11109747

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Registered trials

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Read under generation 80e0d062 · epoch 390. Bibliography from PubMed, PubMed Central and OpenAlex; grants from NIH RePORTER; trial links from ClinicalTrials.gov; estimates, votes and beliefs from the OpenQuestion graph.