L. Jabaaij et al., INFLUENCE OF PERCEIVED PSYCHOLOGICAL STRESS AND DISTRESS ON ANTIBODY-RESPONSE TO LOW-DOSE RDNA HEPATITIS-B VACCINE, Journal of psychosomatic research, 37(4), 1993, pp. 361-369
The present study focused on the relationship between psychological st
ress and immune reaction to a novel antigen. Participants completed qu
estionnaires on daily hassles, psychoneurotic complaints, coping style
, and loneliness, 2 and 6 months after the first of a series injection
s with a low dose recombinant DNA hepatitis B vaccine. Antibody respon
se was determined 7 months after the first vaccination. Based on the p
sychological questionnaires two different stress measures were calcula
ted: a Stress Index score-month-2 and a Stress Index score-month-6 ind
icating stress levels experienced at the beginning and at the end of t
he study respectively. Antibody levels were found to be negatively rel
ated with the Stress Index score-month-2. Although the influence of ps
ychological stress reported on month 6 tended to be in the same direct
ion, this effect was not significant. Coping styles and loneliness wer
e not associated with antibody formation. These results suggest that a
ntibody formation to rDNA hepatitis B vaccine is negatively influenced
by psychological stress.