Attachment Anxiety Is Linked to Alterations in Cortisol Production and Cellular Immunity
Lisa M. Jaremka, Ronald Glaser, Timothy J. Loving, William B. Malarkey, Jeffrey R. Stowell, Janice K. Kiecolt-Glaser
Psychological Science · 2013 · Volume 24 · Issue 3
Abstract
Although evidence suggests that attachment anxiety may increase risk for health problems, the mechanisms underlying these effects are not well understood. In the current study, married couples ( N = 85) provided saliva samples over 3 days and blood samples on two occasions. Participants with higher attachment anxiety produced more cortisol and had fewer numbers of CD3 + T cells, CD45 + T cells, CD3 + CD4 + helper T cells, and CD3 + CD8 + cytotoxic T cells than participants with lower attachment anxiety. Higher cortisol levels were also related to fewer numbers of CD3 + , CD45 + , CD3 + CD4 + , and CD3 + CD8 + cells, which is consistent with research showing that cortisol alters the cellular immune response. These data suggest that attachment anxiety may have physiological costs, and they provide a glimpse into the pathways through which social relationships affect health. The current study also extends attachment theory in an important new direction by demonstrating the utility of a psychoneuroimmunological approach to the study of attachment anxiety, stress, and health.
Keywords
attachment theory, attachment anxiety, marriage, chronic stress, cortisol, psychoneuroimmunology, psychoneuroendocrinology, interpersonal relationships, individual differences, neuroendocrinology, health
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