The Impact That Psychosocial Stressors Have On Immunity in the Elderly

Subject: Immunology
Pages: 2
Words: 294
Reading time:
< 1 min

Psychosocial stressors may be of different forms, including a number of factors like working conditions, decision-making processes, or even the level of social support. This type of stress takes place as soon as a person understands what some threats to self-esteem or self-respect are possible, and these threats influence considerably the human body. The point is that the immunity in the adults undergoes certain changes as a result of psychosocial stress so that some capabilities of the system are diminished. In other words, the impact of the psychosocial stressors is huge indeed, as the adult immune system cannot function properly as the autonomic nervous system is activated too often.

The researches show that different stressors block the ability of the immune system to respond to infections and promote the development of a new illness in the body. Adults are at risk to get a disease. This is why it does not actually matter what the health condition of a person is at the moment, because some stressors may change the situation within a short period of time. It is necessary to admit that even less dangerous problems with human health may determine human mood and decrease the possibility of the immune system working properly and fighting off the disease when it is necessary.

However, there is also a possibility to overcome the challenges caused by psychosocial stressors and focus more on social support, for example. In fact, positive relations with society regulate blood pressure and reduce the possibility of getting some heart or similar types of disease. This is why there is no need to neglect the importance of psychosocial stressors for those who aim at developing a powerful and properly functioning immune system.