Stress-Induced Immune Dysfunction: Implications for Intrapersonal and Interpersonal Processes

Psychoneuroimmunology researchers have focused on experimental and clinical investigations to figure out how stressors and their negative emotions can affect the physiological alterations and impact on health. Clinical investigations show that the central nervous system interacts with the endocrine and immune systems in a bidirectional manner. Stress-induced immune dysregulation is occurred by the humoral and cellular immune responses. Furthermore, chronic stress can promote the production of proinflammatory cytokines, such as interleukin (IL)-6, which leads to an increase of a variety of chronic diseases.

Given the impact of stress on health outcomes, it is necessary to improve our knowledge on the implicated pathways in which stress affects immune functioning, as well as the psychological factors that may impair or improve the effects of stress on immune responses. The aim of this study was to review the recent investigations on the role of stress on immune system and the psychological factors that may regulate this effect.