According to a meta-analysis published in the journal JAMA Psychiatry, psychosocial interventions were reported to significantly affect immune system functioning.

“Our results were most consistent for interventions that included CBT [cognitive-behavioral therapy] and multiple psychotherapies,” wrote Grant Shields, Ph.D., of the University of California, Davis, and colleagues. “Furthermore, the findings did not differ by participant age, gender, or duration of intervention. Finally, we found that these associations persisted for at least six months after treatment discontinuation.”

How was the study carried out?

Shields and colleagues reviewed placebo-controlled studies that examined the effects of a psychosocial intervention on some degree of immune health. Most of the studies tested psychosocial interventions in people with cancer or HIV.

After applying the exclusion and inclusion criteria, 56 studies covering eight types of therapy were included in the analysis. The eight interventions included: behavior therapy, which aims to help patients understand and change problematic behaviors; cognitive therapy, which teaches patients how to change negative thoughts or mindsets; cognitive behavioral therapy, which combines elements of cognitive and behavioral therapies; CBT; CBT plus supportive interventions such as telephone follow-up; bereavement or supportive therapy; psychoeducation; other psychotherapy (such as stress management); or multiple interventions.

The studies also included seven immune system biomarkers: proinflammatory cytokine levels, anti-inflammatory cytokine levels, antibody levels, white blood cell counts, white blood cell activity, viral load (for example, HIV levels), and other outcomes such as postoperative infections.

What are the findings?

Overall, participants who received any psychosocial intervention experienced a 14.7% increase in positive immune outcomes, such as lower viral load, and an 18.0% decrease in harmful outcomes, such as proinflammatory cytokines, compared to those who did not receive psychosocial intervention. Improvements in immune markers were particularly strong among patients who received CBT or multiple psychosocial interventions. Among biomarkers, reductions in proinflammatory cytokines were the strongest associated with psychosocial interventions.

How are the results interpreted?

“Given the efficacy and relative affordability of psychosocial interventions to treat chronic diseases, we propose that psychosocial interventions may represent a valid strategy for reducing disease burden and improving human health. Moving forward, additional research is needed to elucidate the mechanisms by which psychosocial interventions exert relatively long-lasting, beneficial effects on the immune system and health,” the authors noted.

SOURCE:

– Shields, G. S., Spahr, C. M., & Slavich, G. M. Psychosocial interventions and immune system function: a systematic review and meta-analysis of randomized clinical trials. JAMA psychiatry, 77(10), 1031-1043. – Psychiatric News Alert . “Psychosocial Therapies Found to Boost Immune Function”