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Trachtenberg E. The beneficial effects of social support and prosocial behavior on immunity and health: A psychoneuroimmunology perspective. Brain Behav Immun Health 2024; 37:100758. [PMID: 38524896 PMCID: PMC10960128 DOI: 10.1016/j.bbih.2024.100758] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 11/04/2023] [Revised: 02/16/2024] [Accepted: 03/17/2024] [Indexed: 03/26/2024] Open
Abstract
The COVID-19 pandemic emphasized the pivotal role of the social environment, prompting a surge in research on its impact on well-being and health. This article aims to examine the link between the social environment, the immune system, and health outcomes, with a particular focus on positive aspects like social support and prosocial behaviors that are under-explored. Different aspects of the social environment are examined: the negative effects of loneliness and adverse social conditions, contrasted with the benefits of social support and prosocial behaviors. While the mechanisms behind negative effects are partially studied, those driving the positive effects remain elusive. Understanding the mechanisms of lack of social connection and their effects will allow us to explore the benefits of social connections and whether they can reverse the adverse outcomes. Potential psychoneuroimmunology mechanisms are proposed, highlighting the promotion of a 'safe' state by the vagus nerve, oxytocin circuits, and the additional contribution of the reward pathways. This article reviews the need to bridge knowledge gaps, urging further research to study the causal effects of positive social interactions on immune response and health outcomes to raise clinical awareness and interventions. Such interventions may include integrating lonely individuals with prosocial activities, thereby improving their physical and mental health. There is growing potential to harness the power of social connections for the betterment of individual health and society as a whole.
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Affiliation(s)
- Estherina Trachtenberg
- Sagol School of Neuroscience, Tel Aviv University, Israel
- School of Psychological Sciences, Faculty of Social Sciences, Tel Aviv University, Israel
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Andreasson A, Tognetti A, Jones M, Lekander M, Lasselin J. Assessing sickness behavior in the French: Validation of the French translation of the sickness questionnaire (SicknessQ) in a non-clinical French population. Brain Behav Immun Health 2023; 34:100708. [PMID: 38058984 PMCID: PMC10695833 DOI: 10.1016/j.bbih.2023.100708] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 06/19/2023] [Revised: 10/23/2023] [Accepted: 11/12/2023] [Indexed: 12/08/2023] Open
Abstract
The Sickness Questionnaire (SicknessQ) is a questionnaire developed to assess symptoms of sickness behavior, including somatic, behavioral, and affective dimensions. To promote cross-cultural assessments of sickness behavior, we aim to expand the use of this questionnaire to other populations and languages. The aim of the present study was to evaluate the French translation of SicknessQ in a French-speaking general population during the COVID-19 pandemic. One hundred and thirty-nine individuals completed the SicknessQ online, along with the construct criteria measures of self-rated health, state anxiety (STAI-S), and depressive symptoms (PHQ-9). The principal component analyses revealed two components: the first component included seven items concerning mood, motivation and experiences of fatigue and pain; the second component included three items concerning somatic sickness symptoms. Higher scores on the total scale and the two component subscales were associated with poorer self-rated health and higher STAI-S and PHQ-9 scores. Since the associations with construct criteria variables were relatively similar between the single- and the two-dimensional solutions, both the total scale and the subscales of the two components of the French SicknessQ can be used in future studies to measure sickness behavior in French-speaking populations.
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Affiliation(s)
- Anna Andreasson
- Stress Research Institute, Department of Psychology, Stockholm University, Stockholm, Sweden
- Division of Psychology, Department of Clinical Neuroscience, Karolinska Institutet, Stockholm, Sweden
- Department of Psychology, Macquarie University, North Ryde, NSW, Australia
| | - Arnaud Tognetti
- Division of Psychology, Department of Clinical Neuroscience, Karolinska Institutet, Stockholm, Sweden
- CEE-M, CNRS, INRAE, Institut Agro, University of Montpellier, Montpellier, France
| | - Mike Jones
- Department of Psychology, Macquarie University, North Ryde, NSW, Australia
| | - Mats Lekander
- Stress Research Institute, Department of Psychology, Stockholm University, Stockholm, Sweden
- Division of Psychology, Department of Clinical Neuroscience, Karolinska Institutet, Stockholm, Sweden
- Osher Center for Integrative Health, Department of Clinical Neuroscience, Karolinska Institutet, Stockholm, Sweden
| | - Julie Lasselin
- Stress Research Institute, Department of Psychology, Stockholm University, Stockholm, Sweden
- Division of Psychology, Department of Clinical Neuroscience, Karolinska Institutet, Stockholm, Sweden
- Osher Center for Integrative Health, Department of Clinical Neuroscience, Karolinska Institutet, Stockholm, Sweden
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