Stressful Personal Relationships: Immune and Endocrine Function

Chronic stress modulates the virus-specific immune response to latent herpes simplex virus Type 1

“…Among caregivers, 57 (80.3%) were married, 8 (11.3%) were separated or divorced, 2 (2.8%) were widowed, and 4 (5.6%) had never married; although most non-caregivers were married (74%), 8 (13.8%) were separated or divorced and 7 (12.1%) were widowed. While the groups were not matched on marital status, the inclusion of more unmarried control subjects worked against confirmation of the experimental hypotheses, because intact marriages are associated with lower rates of morbidity and mortality as well as better immune function (21,22).…”

Integrating Biomarkers into Research with Latino Immigrants in the United States

“…Thus, EBV antibodies provide a measure of cell-mediated immune function over the duration of several days or weeks (McDade, 2007). Researchers have found elevations in EBV antibody levels among adults in poor quality marriages (Kiecolt-Glaser et al, 1994), children experiencing family stress (McDade et al, 2000), and Latino men who report discrimination stress (McClure et al, 2010a(McClure et al, , 2010b. Because of EBV's utility as a marker of chronic psychosocial stress, it has been incorporated into the National Longitudinal Study of Adolescent Health (Add Health) and the World Health Organization's Study on Global Ageing and Adult Health (SAGE).…”

“…In states with unprecedented recent population growth of immigrants, such as Oregon and North Carolina, there may be few formal buffers (e.g., well-established ethnic enclaves, culturally-competent services) against such stressors (Capps et al, 2002;Smokowski & Bacallao, 2007). Though extensive research has been conducted on the toll of persistent psychosocial stress on individual physiology and health (e.g., Kiecolt-Glaser et al, 1994;McDade et al, 2007), little is known about the effects of chronic biosocial stress for Latino immigrants.…”

Health benefits: Meta-analytically determining the impact of well-being on objective health outcomes

“…For example, participants are often subjected to a stressor, and heart rate, blood pressure, saliva cortisol, and plasma concentrations of epinephrine are measured to determine the extent of their reactivity (e.g., Bachen et al, 1992;Kiecolt-Glaser, Malarkey, Cacioppo, & Glaser, 1994;Manuck, Cohen, Rabin, Muldoon, & Bachen, 1991). Similarly, multiple markers of immune response are often measured in response to stress.…”