ABSTRACT

Some of the earliest observations describing a link between psychosocial stressors and poor health were based on infectious disease outcomes. With the emergence and identification of infectious organisms as causative agents for chronic health outcomes, research on the role of the immune system and infections as a pathway linking psychosocial stressors and health has grown. In this chapter, we provide an overview of how psychosocial and socioeconomic stressors influence immunity and susceptibility to infection across the life course, including new evidence describing how stressors may influence the microbial ecology of the body. We conclude with our perspective on current research gaps and future opportunities, including the need to better elucidate the modifying role that psychosocial and social environments may have on susceptibility to infection and the human microbiome.