INFLUENCE OF PERCEIVED PSYCHOLOGICAL STRESS AND DISTRESS ON ANTIBODY-RESPONSE TO LOW-DOSE RDNA HEPATITIS-B VACCINE

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.