Negative affectivity, interpersonal conflict at work, and immunity: on the importance of considering stress in its complexity

Girardi et al. (2015) examined the mediating role of interpersonal conflict at work in the relationship between negative affectivity and the immune state of the individual, as indexed by pro-inflammatory cytokines Interleukin 1 beta, Interleukin 12, and Interleukin 17. The authors found that interpersonal conflict at work fully mediated the relationship between negative affectivity and each of the three pro-inflammatory cytokines under examination. The mediating effect remained significant after controlling for gender. In my estimation, the authors’ findings should be considered cautiously due to at least two unnoticed, but important, study limitations. …