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
. 2024 Dec:187:111957.
doi: 10.1016/j.jpsychores.2024.111957. Epub 2024 Oct 15.

The psychosocial anti-inflammatories: Sense of control, purpose in life, and social support in relation to inflammation, functional health and chronic conditions in adulthood

Margie E Lachman  1 , Kylie A Schiloski  2
Affiliations

The psychosocial anti-inflammatories: Sense of control, purpose in life, and social support in relation to inflammation, functional health and chronic conditions in adulthood

Margie E Lachman et al. J Psychosom Res. 2024 Dec.

Abstract

Objective: Three psychosocial variables were examined as predictors of chronic inflammation, functional health, and number of chronic conditions.

Methods: This cohort study used the Midlife in the United States biomarker sample. Data were collected in 2004-2009 (M2) and 2013-17 (M3). The sample included 1244 adults ages 34 to 82 (M = 54.50, SD = 11.7), with 57 % women, 79 % white, and education from 6 to 20 years (M = 14.47, SD = 2.65). Sense of control, purpose in life, and social support were included as indicators of a psychosocial latent factor. Inflammation was measured with Interleukin-6, C-reactive Protein, E-Selectin, Fibrinogen, and Intracellular Adhesion Molecule-1. Covariates included age, sex, education, race, and household income. Functional health and chronic conditions were assessed M = 9.27 (SD = 0.78) years after the psychosocial variables and M = 7.06, (SD = 1.47) years after inflammation.

Results: Using a structural equation model and controlling for covariates, higher levels on the psychosocial variables predicted lower inflammation (β = -0.12, 95 % CI -0.22 to -0.02; p = .016), better functional health (β = 0.25, 95 % CI 0.18 to 0.32; p < .001), and fewer chronic conditions (β = -0.22, 95 % CI -0.30 to -0.15; p < .001), with inflammation a mediator (indirect effects: functional health, β = 0.03, 95 % CI 0.00 to 0.05, p = .020 and chronic conditions, β = -0.02, 95 % CI -0.03 to -0.00, p = .036).

Conclusions: Adaptive psychosocial beliefs and supportive relationships are important as they can provide motivation for engaging in health-promoting behaviors and can reduce stress that can lead to chronic inflammation and poor health. The results can inform a psychosocial prescription for health.

Keywords: Chronic health conditions; Functional health; Inflammation; Purpose in life; Sense of control; Social support.

PubMed Disclaimer

Conflict of interest statement

Declaration of competing interest The authors declare that they have no known competing financial interests or personal relationships that could have appeared to influence the work reported in this paper.

References

    1. Loef M, Walach H. The combined effects of healthy lifestyle behaviors on all cause mortality: A systematic review and meta-analysis. Prev Med (Baltim). 2012;55(3):163–170. doi:10.1016/j.ypmed.2012.06.017 - DOI - PubMed
    1. Kim ES, Chen Y, Nakamura JS, Ryff CD, VanderWeele TJ. Sense of Purpose in Life and Subsequent Physical, Behavioral, and Psychosocial Health: An Outcome-Wide Approach. American Journal of Health Promotion. 2022;36(1):137–147. doi:10.1177/08901171211038545 - DOI - PMC - PubMed
    1. Lachman ME, Neupert SD, Agrigoroaei S. The Relevance of Control Beliefs for Health and Aging. In: Handbook of the Psychology of Aging. Elsevier Inc.; 2011:175–190. doi:10.1016/B978-0-12-380882-0.00011-5 - DOI
    1. Holt-Lunstad J, Smith TB, Baker M, Harris T, Stephenson D. Loneliness and Social Isolation as Risk Factors for Mortality: A Meta-Analytic Review. Perspectives on Psychological Science. 2015;10(2):227–237. doi:10.1177/1745691614568352 - DOI - PubMed
    1. Hong JH, Lachman ME, Charles ST, et al. The positive influence of sense of control on physical, behavioral, and psychosocial health in older adults: An outcome-wide approach. Prev Med (Baltim). 2021;149. doi:10.1016/j.ypmed.2021.106612 - DOI - PubMed

LinkOut - more resources