title: Psychological hardiness predicts neuroimmunological responses to stress.
abstract: Psychological hardiness characterizes people who remain healthy under psychosocial stress. The present exploratory study investigates possible links between hardiness and several immune and neuroendocrine markers: IL-6, IL-12, IL-4, IL-10, & neuropeptide-Y. A total of 21 Norwegian navy cadets were studied in the context of a highly stressful military field exercise. Blood samples were collected midway, and again late in the exercise when stress levels were highest. Psychological hardiness (including commitment, control, and challenge) was measured two days before the exercise. While all subjects scored high in hardiness, some were high only in commitment and control, but relatively low in challenge. These "unbalanced" hardiness subjects were also more stress reactive, showing suppressed proinflammatory cytokines (IL-12), increased anti-inflammatory cytokines (IL-4, IL-10), and lower neuropeptide-Y levels as compared to the hardiness-balanced group. This study thus shows that being high in hardiness with a balanced profile is linked to more moderate and healthy immune and neuroendocrine responses to stress.
authors: a Department of Psychosocial Science , University of Bergen , Bergen , Norway .
authors: Asle M
authors: AM
authors: Sandvik
authors: Paul T
authors: PT
authors: Bartone
authors: Sigurd William
authors: SW
authors: Hystad
authors: Terry M
authors: TM
authors: Phillips
authors: Julian F
authors: JF
authors: Thayer
authors: Bjørn Helge
authors: BH
authors: Johnsen
mesh_terms: D000223:Adaptation, Psychological; D000704:Analysis of Variance; D015415:Biomarkers / Q000378:metabolism; D005790:General Adaptation Syndrome; D006801:Humans; D007378:Interleukins / Q000378:metabolism*; D008889:Military Personnel / Q000523:psychology*; D009478:Neuropeptide Y / Q000378:metabolism*; D055500:Resilience, Psychological; D013315:Stress, Psychological / Q000378:metabolism* / Q000523:psychology; D013997:Time Factors
chemical_list: D015415:Biomarkers; D007378:Interleukins; D009478:Neuropeptide Y