Skip to main page content
U.S. flag

An official website of the United States government

Dot gov

The .gov means it’s official.
Federal government websites often end in .gov or .mil. Before sharing sensitive information, make sure you’re on a federal government site.

Https

The site is secure.
The https:// ensures that you are connecting to the official website and that any information you provide is encrypted and transmitted securely.

Access keys NCBI Homepage MyNCBI Homepage Main Content Main Navigation
. 2012 Jan;31(1):11-9.
doi: 10.1037/a0025599. Epub 2011 Oct 17.

Social support and socioeconomic status interact to predict Epstein-Barr virus latency in women awaiting diagnosis or newly diagnosed with breast cancer

Christopher P Fagundes  1 , Jeanette M Bennett, Catherine M Alfano, Ronald Glaser, Stephen P Povoski, Adele M Lipari, Doreen M Agnese, Lisa D Yee, William E Carson 3rd, William B Farrar, William B Malarkey, Min Chen, Janice K Kiecolt-Glaser
Affiliations

Social support and socioeconomic status interact to predict Epstein-Barr virus latency in women awaiting diagnosis or newly diagnosed with breast cancer

Christopher P Fagundes et al. Health Psychol. 2012 Jan.

Abstract

Objective: Both higher socioeconomic status (SES) and supportive personal relationships confer health benefits, including better immune function. This study assessed the joint impact of SES and social support on the expression of a latent herpesvirus, Epstein-Barr virus (EBV), in a group of highly stressed women.

Methods: Two-hundred and twenty four women either awaiting further evaluation following an abnormal mammogram or newly diagnosed with breast cancer completed questionnaires and provided blood samples to assess EBV viral capsid antigen (VCA) IgG antibody titers.

Results: More highly educated women with more support from friends had lower EBV VCA antibody titers, reflecting a stronger cellular immune response to the latent virus; however, among less educated women, friend support was not associated with EBV antibody titers. As revealed in an ancillary analysis, more highly educated women with more friend support had lower systolic blood pressure (SBP); however, friend support was not associated with SBP among less educated women. Neither depression nor perceived stress mediated these associations. Neither cancer status nor cancer stage among those diagnosed with cancer was significantly related to these outcomes.

Conclusion: Lower SES women may not reap the same immunological benefits from friend support when experiencing a stressful life event as their higher SES counterparts.

PubMed Disclaimer

Figures

Figure 1
Figure 1
The moderating role of education in the relationship between friend support and EBV antibody titers and systolic blood pressure
See this image and copyright information in PMC

Similar articles

See all similar articles

Cited by

See all "Cited by" articles

References

    1. Adler N, Boyce T, Chesney M, Cohen S, Folkman S, Kahn R, et al. Socioeconomic status and health. American Psychologist. 1994;49:15–24. - PubMed
    1. Adler N, Rehkopf D. Us disparities in health: Descriptions, causes, and mechanisms. Public Health. 2008;29(1):235. - PubMed
    1. Arora N, Finney Rutten L, Gustafson D, Moser R, Hawkins R. Perceived helpfulness and impact of social support provided by family, friends, and health care providers to women newly diagnosed with breast cancer. Psycho Oncology. 2007;16(5):474–486. - PubMed
    1. Basco MR, Krebaum SR, Rush AJ. Outcome measures of depression. In: Strupp HH, Horowitz LM, Lambert MJ, editors. Measuring patient changes in mood, anxiety, and personality disorders. Washington D. C: American Psychological Association; 1997. pp. 207–245.
    1. Bastien CH, Vallieres A, Morin CM. Validation of the insomnia severity index as an outcome measure for insomnia research. Sleep Medicine Reviews. 2001;2(4):297–307. - PubMed

Publication types

MeSH terms