Baseline trait and state negative affect were associated with increased numbers of subsequent subjective health complaints during induced respiratory viral infections.
Observational
Do state and trait negative affect predict objective and subjective symptoms of respiratory viral infections in healthy people?
Trait negative affect predicts subjective health complaints during respiratory viral infection independent of objective disease severity.
State and trait negative affect (NA) were measured in healthy people immediately before an illness was induced through exposure to a respiratory virus. State NA, disease-specific health complaints (e.g., runny nose, congestion, and sneezing), and an associated objective marker of disease severity (mucus secretion weights) were assessed daily during the illness. Baseline trait and state NA were both associated with increased numbers of subsequent complaints. Although greater numbers of complaints among people high in state NA were explicable in terms of greater disease severity, the association of trait NA and symptoms was independent of objective disease. The trait NA complaint association was also independent of state NA and hence not attributable to trait-elicited state affect. Greater trait NA was associated with biases in complaining during but not before illness. This suggested failure to discriminate between symptoms rather than increased sensitivity or hypochondriacal response.
Cohen et al. (1995) conducted an observational in Respiratory viral infections. State and trait negative affect was evaluated on Disease-specific health complaints and mucus secretion weights. Baseline trait and state negative affect were associated with increased numbers of subsequent subjective health complaints during induced respiratory viral infections.