An interdisciplinary research model to investigate psychosocial cofactors in disease: Application to HIV-1...

This paper argues for a broader interdisciplinary conceptualization of research on psychosocial risk factors and disease that relies on epidemiology, human laboratory-based studies, animal studies, in vitro and other mechanistic studies and intervention research. A model is proposed that includes the isolation of the active ingredients in the proposed psychological or social contributing factor, and a determination of their neural substrates, peripheral neurophysiological and pathophysiological correlates, and clinical disease outcomes. Research in HIV-1 pathogenesis provides examples of these kinds of studies. The HIV section highlights research that focuses on specific cognitive representations of stressful life experiences as active ingredients that shape the affective and neurophysiological impact of events. Links between these cognitive states and HIV progression, as well as the potential neurophysiologic, virologic, and immunologic mediators of these relationships are described. Implications and extensions of this model are derived for research on psychosocial factors and cancer.