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Outline & Evaluate Research Into the Relationship Between the Immune System and Stress-Related Illness

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Outline & evaluate research into the relationship between the immune system and stress-related illness (12)

AO1 - COHEN ET AL investigated the role of general life stress on vulnerability to the common cold virus. 394 participants completed questionnaires on the number of stressful life events experience in the previous year. They also rated their degree of stress and level of negative emotions such as depression. The 3 scores were combined into a stress index. Ps were then exposed to the common cold virus which lead to 82% becoming infected. After 7 days, the number whose infection developed into a clinical cold was recorded. They found the chance of developing the cold i.e. failing to fight off the viral infection was significantly correlated with stress index scores.

AO2 – however this was an indirect study as there were no direct measures of immune function. Nevertheless the results have been supported by Evans & Edgington who found the probability of developing the cold was significantly correlated with negative life events in the preceding days. The study did measure health outcomes (development of clinical colds) showing a relationship between life stress and illness. However, there was no direct manipulation of the independent variable (stress index) therefore a cause and effect relationship cannot be confirmed – only correlational data. Finally, the study doesn’t tell us which of the 3 elements of the stress index is most important and/or if all 3 really contribute to vulnerability to illness.

AO1 – Kiecolt – Glaser et al has been particularly interested in naturalistic life stressors and their impact on naturalistic life stressors and their impact on immune function. They used 75 medical student preparing for exams. As an index of immune function they used NK cell activity. Measures of NK cell activity were recorded from blood samples taken one

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