How Social Stress and Your Connections Affect Your Health
Allostatic load, stress Response to Social Stress, frequency of Stress Exposure, and social Network structure/function (ARSEN)
This project explores how daily social stress and severe experiences like violence impact your body's 'wear and tear' and how your social connections might help or hinder this process.
Quick facts
| Grant type | R01 grant |
|---|---|
| Study type | NIH-funded research |
| Funding institution | University of Nebraska Lincoln NIH-funded |
| Lab location | 1 site (Lincoln, United States) |
| Project ID | NIH-10996109 on NIH RePORTER |
What this research studies
We want to understand how different kinds of social stress, from daily interactions to serious events, affect your body over time. This 'wear and tear,' called allostatic load, is linked to chronic conditions like heart disease and diabetes. We are also looking at how your social network, including friends and family, might either protect you from stress or, in some cases, spread stress among people. Our goal is to uncover the specific ways these social factors influence your long-term health.
Who could benefit from this research
Good fit: Individuals experiencing various forms of social stress, from daily interactions to more severe events, who are interested in understanding how these experiences affect their health and social networks.
Not a fit: Patients seeking immediate medical treatment for existing conditions would not directly benefit from this foundational research.
Why it matters
Potential benefit: If successful, this work could help us develop better ways to manage stress and leverage social support to prevent chronic diseases like heart disease and diabetes.
How similar studies have performed: This project is among the first to explore the specific mechanisms by which social stress contributes to allostatic load and how stress might spread within social networks.
Where this research is happening
Lincoln, United States
- University of Nebraska Lincoln — Lincoln, United States (Active)
Researchers
- Principal investigator: Andrews, Arthur — University of Nebraska Lincoln
- Study coordinator: Andrews, Arthur
About this research
- This is an active NIH-funded research project — typically early-stage science, not a clinical trial accepting patient enrollment.
- Some NIH-funded labs run parallel clinical studies or seek volunteers for related work. To check, contact the principal investigator or institution listed above.
- For full project details, budget, and progress reports, visit the official NIH RePORTER page below.