title: The role of multiple negative social relationships in inflammatory cytokine responses to a laboratory stressor.
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.
authors.affiliation: Social Behavioral Research Branch, National Human Genome Research Institute, National Institutes of Health , USA.
authors.forename: Sunmi
authors.initials: S
authors.lastname: Song
authors.affiliation: Department of Biobehavioral Health, The Pennsylvania State University , USA.
authors.forename: Jennifer E
authors.initials: JE
authors.lastname: Graham-Engeland
authors.affiliation: Nell Hodgson Woodruff School of Nursing, Emory University , USA.
authors.forename: Elizabeth J
authors.initials: EJ
authors.lastname: Corwin
authors.affiliation: Cancer Prevention Program, Fred Hutchinson Cancer Research Center , USA.
authors.forename: Rachel M
authors.initials: RM
authors.lastname: Ceballos
authors.affiliation: Department of Psychology, University of California , Los Angeles , USA.
authors.forename: Shelley E
authors.initials: SE
authors.lastname: Taylor
authors.affiliation: Division of Geriatrics, David Geffen School of Medicine, University of California , Los Angeles , USA.
authors.forename: Teresa
authors.initials: T
authors.lastname: Seeman
authors.affiliation: Department of Biobehavioral Health and Penn State Institute of the Neuroscience, The Pennsylvania State University , USA.
authors.forename: Laura Cousino
authors.initials: LC
authors.lastname: Klein
keywords: A Trier Social Stress Task; Depressed mood; Hostility; Inflammatory cytokine response; Multiple negative social relationships; Stress