Psychosocial Risk Factors for Upper Respiratory Infection: An Exploratory Study

Abstract

Previously reported correlates of upper respiratory infections (URIs) were studied in an initial attempt to develop a risk profile for URIs. The criterion was the number of upper respiratory infections during military basic training. URIs were more frequent among recruits reporting a past history of frequent colds, frequent cold sores, and who were white (R2 = .176). Alcohol consumption was a significant bivariate predictor of URIs, but did not add significantly to the prediction of URIs controlling for these other factors. Smoking history, age, and neurotic tendencies did not significantly predict URIs in this sample. The results demonstrated the feasibility of a psychosocial risk profile for URIs, but more satisfactory profile should be possible with improved measurement of URIs and potential predictors such as smoking as well as consideration of other possible risk factors not included in this study. Keywords: Infectious Disease, Risk Factors, Demographic Characteristics, Personality, Alcohol, Coffee.

Open PDF

Document Details

Document Type
Technical Report
Publication Date
Sep 01, 1986
Accession Number
ADA183015

Entities

People

  • Earl A. Edwards
  • Linda K. Hervig
  • Ross R. Vickers

Organizations

  • Naval Health Research Center

Tags

DTIC Thesaurus Topics

  • Alcohol Consumption
  • Basic Training
  • Diseases And Disorders
  • Health Services
  • Human Behavior
  • Infection
  • Infectious Diseases
  • Internal Medicine
  • Medical Personnel
  • Psychology
  • Public Health
  • Regression Analysis
  • Respiratory Tract Diseases
  • Social Psychology
  • Surveys
  • United States
  • Wound Infections

Fields of Study

  • Medicine
  • Psychology

Readers

  • Infectious Disease/Epidemiology
  • Mental Health of Military Veterans with Posttraumatic Stress Disorder (PTSD): Risk Factors, Prevalence, Symptoms, and Treatment.
  • Psychometric Testing or Psychological Assessment.