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Shaking up immunity: psychological and immunologic changes after a natural disaster
G F Solomon1, S C Segerstrom, P Grohr
1Department of Psychiatry, University of California, Los Angeles, USA.
Psychosomatic Medicine
|March 1, 1997
Summary
Employees experiencing less psychological distress after the Northridge earthquake showed better immune function. Appropriate emotional responses to realistic life stress minimized immune disruption.
Area of Science:
- Psychoneuroimmunology
- Stress and Immunity
- Trauma Psychology
Background:
- The 1994 Northridge earthquake caused significant life disruption and psychological distress for employees at the Sepulveda VA Medical Center.
- Understanding the immunologic correlates of distress and disruption in response to extreme stress is crucial.
Purpose of the Study:
- To investigate the relationship between psychological distress, life disruption, and immune system function in employees following a major earthquake.
- To identify specific immune markers that correlate with psychological responses to acute stress.
Main Methods:
- Sixty-eight employees were assessed for psychological distress, life disruption, and specific immune measures (lymphocyte subsets, mitogenesis, NK cell cytotoxicity) over four months post-earthquake.
- Psychological assessments included questionnaires on mood, distress, and coping styles.
- Immune function was evaluated through lymphocyte subset counts (CD3+, CD4+, CD8+, CD19+, NK cells) and functional assays (mitogenesis, NK cytotoxicity).
Main Results:
- Immune measures, including CD3+, CD8+, NK cells, T cell blastogenesis, and NK cell cytotoxicity, declined over the four-month assessment period.
- Employees reporting lower distress exhibited higher CD3+ and CD8+ cell counts and greater T cell response to PHA.
- Distress levels correlating with life disruption were associated with the highest CD3+ and CD8+ cell counts.
Conclusions:
- The appropriateness of psychological reactions to the realistic degree of life stress appeared to be least disruptive to immune function.
- Immune system responses are sensitive to psychological distress following traumatic events.
- Adaptive coping and emotional regulation may play a role in mitigating the immunologic impact of disaster-related stress.
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