Stress and Health: A Review of Psychobiological Processes

O'Connor, Daryl B.; Thayer, Julian F.; Vedhara, Kavita

Abstract

The cumulative science linking stress to negative health outcomes is vast. Stress can affect health directly, through autonomic and neuroendocrine responses, but also indirectly, through changes in health behaviors. In this review, we present a brief overview of (a) why we should be interested in stress in the context of health; (b) the stress response and allostatic load; (c) some of the key biological mechanisms through which stress impacts health, such as by influencing hypothalamic-pituitary-adrenal axis regulation and cortisol dynamics, the autonomic nervous system, and gene expression; and (d) evidence of the clinical relevance of stress, exemplified through the risk of infectious diseases. The studies reviewed in this article confirm that stress has an impact on multiple biological systems. Future work ought to consider further the importance of early-life adversity and continue to explore how different biological systems interact in the context of stress and health processes.

Citation

O'Connor, D. B., Thayer, J. F., & Vedhara, K. (2021). Stress and Health: A Review of Psychobiological Processes. Annual Review of Psychology, 72(1), 663-688. https://doi.org/10.1146/annurev-psych-062520-122331

• Journal Article Type: Article
• Acceptance Date: Jul 1, 2020
• Online Publication Date: Sep 4, 2020
• Publication Date: Jan 4, 2021
• Deposit Date: Oct 29, 2020
• Publicly Available Date: Nov 20, 2020
• Journal: Annual Review of Psychology
• Print ISSN: 0066-4308
• Electronic ISSN: 1545-2085
• Publisher: Annual Reviews
• Peer Reviewed: Peer Reviewed
• Volume: 72
• Issue: 1
• Pages: 663-688
• DOI: https://doi.org/10.1146/annurev-psych-062520-122331
• Keywords: General Psychology
• Public URL: https://nottingham-repository.worktribe.com/output/4941672
• Publisher URL: https://www.annualreviews.org/doi/abs/10.1146/annurev-psych-062520-122331