January 1, 1995
View Full PaperState and trait negative affect as predictors of objective and subjective symptoms of respiratory viral infections.
Key Result
Baseline trait and state negative affect were associated with increased numbers of subsequent subjective health complaints during induced respiratory viral infections.
Study Design
Type
Observational
Structured PICO
Do state and trait negative affect predict objective and subjective symptoms of respiratory viral infections in healthy people?
P
Population
Healthy people exposed to a respiratory virus to induce illness.
E
Exposure
Exposure to a respiratory virus to induce illness
O
Outcome
Disease-specific health complaints (e.g., runny nose, congestion, and sneezing) and an associated objective marker of disease severity (mucus secretion weights)patient reported
Trait negative affect predicts subjective health complaints during respiratory viral infection independent of objective disease severity.
Abstract
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.