Abstract
The present study examined the unique impact of perceived negativity in multiple social relationships on endocrine and inflammatory responses to a laboratory stressor. Via hierarchical cluster analysis, those who reported negative social exchanges across relationships with a romantic partner, family, and their closest friend had higher mean IL-6 across time and a greater increase in TNF-α from 15 min to 75 min post stress. Those who reported negative social exchanges across relationships with roommates, family, and their closest friend showed greater IL-6 responses to stress. Differences in mean IL-6 were accounted for by either depressed mood or hostility, whereas differences in the cytokine stress responses remained significant after controlling for those factors. Overall, this research provides preliminary evidence to suggest that having multiple negative relationships may exacerbate acute inflammatory responses to a laboratory stressor independent of hostility and depressed mood.
Highlights
; How to cite this article Song et al (2015), The role of multiple negative social relationships in inflammatory cytokine responses to a laboratory stressor
The present research is the first to examine the effect of negative social exchanges across multiple interpersonal relationships and whether the effects of negative social exchanges in multiple relationship areas are independent of depressed mood and trait hostility
The present results suggest that there are differences in acute inflammatory cytokine responses to stress depending on the pattern of multiple negative social relationships individuals reported within the four relationship areas examined
Summary
; How to cite this article Song et al (2015), The role of multiple negative social relationships in inflammatory cytokine responses to a laboratory stressor. The degree to which multiple social conflicts affect inflammatory responses to stress and whether the association is independent of related psychosocial characteristics are important issues that are not well understood. Studies most relevant to the current research have examined the effects of acute social conflict on health related outcomes. Complementing such research, experimental studies have demonstrated that acute social conflict can influence immune responses in a laboratory setting (Chiang et al, 2012; Kiecolt-Glaser et al, 2005). One mechanism that may explain the negative effects of acute social conflict on health is repeated physiological activation of inflammatory stress responses and delayed recovery to stress (Seeman & McEwen, 1996). Despite the possibility for hostility and depressed mood to be confounded with relationship stress and health, few relevant studies have controlled for hostility or depressed mood
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