Observed parent–child relationship quality predicts antibody response to vaccination in children

• Published in: Brain, behavior, and immunity behavior, and immunity, 2015-08, Vol.48, p.265-273
• Main Authors: O’Connor, Thomas G, Wang, Hongyue, Moynihan, Jan A, Wyman, Peter A, Carnahan, Jennifer, Lofthus, Gerry, Quataert, Sally A, Bowman, Melissa, Burke, Anne S, Caserta, Mary T
• Format: Article
• Language: English
• Subjects: Allergy and Immunology; Antibody Formation; Antibody response; Child; Emotions; Female; Humans; Male; Meningococcal conjugate vaccine; Meningococcal Vaccines - immunology; Mental Health; Observation; Parent-Child Relations; Parent–child interaction; Psychiatry; Stress; Vaccination - psychology
• ISSN: 0889-1591; 1090-2139
• DOI: 10.1016/j.bbi.2015.04.002

Highlights • Animal and adult studies suggest that stress exposure history may be associated with weakened immune response; the application to pediatric samples is unclear. • The current study capitalized on the natural experiment provided by the universal administration of the meningococcal conjugate vaccine to children at age 11 years to examine if stress, indexed by quality of parent–child relationships, predicted weaker vaccine response. • Observer reports of more negative, hostile parent–child relationship quality, rated blind to all other study data, was associated with weaker vaccine response in the child at 4-weeks, and 3- and 6-months post vaccination. • The association held after accounting for covariates, and was not accounted for by measures of stress physiology, indexed by cortisol reactivity.