Effect of a Cognitive-Behavioral Stress Management Intervention on Salivary IgA, Self-Reported Levels of Stress, and Physical Health Complaints in an Undergraduate Population

Abstract

Research has indicated that the experience of stress reliably correlates with changes in immunological functioning. Further, interventions designed to reduce the experience of stress correlate with modest enhancement of immune function. The effects of such interventions vary widely, depending on the specific immune system variables measured and characteristics of the participants, including age and health status. To determine the effects of a cognitive-behavioral stress management intervention on salivary immunoglobulin A (sIgA), we randomly assigned 57 university undergraduates to a treatment or control condition. Treatment group participants met in groups of nine or ten students and received information about the stress response and immunity, training in diaphragmatic breathing and autogenic relaxation, and exposure to cognitive restructuring and assertiveness training. We assessed saliva samples, ratings of physical symptoms commonly associated with stress, and self-report of health complaints before and after the 5-week intervention period. Fifty-three participants completed the study. Reductions in stress levels from pre- to postintervention for both treatment and control participants were evident by increases in sIgA secretion rates and salivary flow and decreases in scores on the Undergraduate Stress Questionnaire, the Cohen–Hoberman Inventory of Physical Symptoms, and the Daily Stress Inventory. Treatment participants exhibited further reductions in stress, compared to control participants, as evidenced by lower scores on a subset of the self-report inventories. No treatment effects on sIgA were present. These results suggest that a stress management intervention such as the one used in this study can be beneficial in reducing levels of stress but may not be immunoenhancing.