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Consistent associations between measures of psychological stress and CMV antibody levels in a large occupational sample

Overview of attention for article published in Brain, Behavior & Immunity, January 2014
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  • In the top 5% of all research outputs scored by Altmetric
  • Among the highest-scoring outputs from this source (#29 of 3,467)
  • High Attention Score compared to outputs of the same age (99th percentile)
  • High Attention Score compared to outputs of the same age and source (97th percentile)

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47 news outlets
blogs
1 blog
twitter
4 X users

Citations

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68 Dimensions

Readers on

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131 Mendeley
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Title
Consistent associations between measures of psychological stress and CMV antibody levels in a large occupational sample
Published in
Brain, Behavior & Immunity, January 2014
DOI 10.1016/j.bbi.2014.01.012
Pubmed ID
Authors

Jerrald L. Rector, Jennifer B. Dowd, Adrian Loerbroks, Victoria E. Burns, Paul A. Moss, Marc N. Jarczok, Tobias Stalder, Kristina Hoffman, Joachim E. Fischer, Jos A. Bosch

Abstract

Cytomegalovirus (CMV) is a herpes virus that has been implicated in biological aging and impaired health. Evidence, largely accrued from small-scale studies involving select populations, suggests that stress may promote non-clinical reactivation of this virus. However, absent is evidence from larger studies, which allow better statistical adjustment for confounding and mediating factors, in more representative samples. The present study involved a large occupational cohort (N=887, mean age=44, 88% male). Questionnaires assessed psychological (i.e., depression, anxiety, vital exhaustion, SF-12 mental health), demographic, socioeconomic (SES), and lifestyle variables. Plasma samples were analyzed for both the presence and level of CMV-specific IgG antibodies (CMV-IgG), used as markers for infection status and viral reactivation, respectively. Also assessed were potential biological mediators of stress-induced reactivation, such as inflammation (C-reactive protein) and HPA function (awakening and diurnal cortisol). Predictors of CMV infection and CMV-IgG among the infected individuals were analyzed using logistic and linear regression analyses, respectively. Confirming prior reports, lower SES (education and job status) was positively associated with infection status. Among those infected (N=329), higher CMV-IgG were associated with increased anxiety (β=.14, p<.05), depression (β=.11, p=.06), vital exhaustion (β=.14, p<.05), and decreased SF-12 mental health (β=-.14, p<.05), adjusting for a range of potential confounders. Exploratory analyses showed that these associations were generally stronger in low SES individuals. We found no evidence that elevated inflammation or HPA-function mediated any of the associations. In the largest study to date, we established associations between CMV-IgG levels and multiple indicators of psychological stress. These results demonstrate the robustness of prior findings, and extend these to a general working population. We propose that stress-induced CMV replication warrants further research as a psychobiological mechanism linking stress, aging and health.

X Demographics

X Demographics

The data shown below were collected from the profiles of 4 X users who shared this research output. Click here to find out more about how the information was compiled.
Mendeley readers

Mendeley readers

The data shown below were compiled from readership statistics for 131 Mendeley readers of this research output. Click here to see the associated Mendeley record.

Geographical breakdown

Country Count As %
United Kingdom 1 <1%
Spain 1 <1%
Germany 1 <1%
Unknown 128 98%

Demographic breakdown

Readers by professional status Count As %
Student > Ph. D. Student 25 19%
Student > Master 18 14%
Student > Bachelor 16 12%
Researcher 13 10%
Student > Doctoral Student 9 7%
Other 16 12%
Unknown 34 26%
Readers by discipline Count As %
Psychology 29 22%
Medicine and Dentistry 23 18%
Agricultural and Biological Sciences 11 8%
Social Sciences 8 6%
Nursing and Health Professions 4 3%
Other 18 14%
Unknown 38 29%
Attention Score in Context

Attention Score in Context

This research output has an Altmetric Attention Score of 370. This is our high-level measure of the quality and quantity of online attention that it has received. This Attention Score, as well as the ranking and number of research outputs shown below, was calculated when the research output was last mentioned on 14 March 2023.
All research outputs
#85,718
of 25,481,734 outputs
Outputs from Brain, Behavior & Immunity
#29
of 3,467 outputs
Outputs of similar age
#694
of 322,925 outputs
Outputs of similar age from Brain, Behavior & Immunity
#2
of 41 outputs
Altmetric has tracked 25,481,734 research outputs across all sources so far. Compared to these this one has done particularly well and is in the 99th percentile: it's in the top 5% of all research outputs ever tracked by Altmetric.
So far Altmetric has tracked 3,467 research outputs from this source. They typically receive a lot more attention than average, with a mean Attention Score of 21.9. This one has done particularly well, scoring higher than 99% of its peers.
Older research outputs will score higher simply because they've had more time to accumulate mentions. To account for age we can compare this Altmetric Attention Score to the 322,925 tracked outputs that were published within six weeks on either side of this one in any source. This one has done particularly well, scoring higher than 99% of its contemporaries.
We're also able to compare this research output to 41 others from the same source and published within six weeks on either side of this one. This one has done particularly well, scoring higher than 97% of its contemporaries.