The effect of daily hassles on salivary IgA: experimental evidence.

The study aimed at evidencing the suppressive effect of daily hassles on salivary immunoglobulin A (S-IgA); in fact, previous research did not detect a clear relationship between the two variables. Twenty-four subjects were tested as to the hassles that had occurred in their recent life and to S-IgA; the tests were repeated three times, with an interval of four weeks between each. The results show that the variation of S-IgA values between times 2 and 3 is associated with the variation of hassles between times 1 and 2 (r = -.46, p < .01).