Department of Psychology, University of Kentucky, 005 Kastle Hall, Lexington, KY 40506-0044, USA.
Br J Health Psychol. 2013 May;18(2):420-38. doi: 10.1111/j.2044-8287.2012.02085.x. Epub 2012 Aug 22.
A body of evidence indicates that women value relationship-centred aspects of well-being more than men do, while men value autonomy-centred aspects of well-being more than women do. The current study examined whether gender moderates relations between autonomy and positive relationships and interleukin-6 (IL-6), a cytokine associated with inflammatory processes. Aspects of well-being consistent with gender-linked values were expected to be most health protective such that positive relationships would predict lower IL-6 only or more strongly in women, and autonomy would predict lower IL-6 only or more strongly in men.
In the first study, a sample of 119 older adults (55% female) living in Kentucky were visited in their homes for interviews and blood draws. In the second study, a sample of 1,028 adults (45% female) living across the United States underwent a telephone interview followed by a visit to a research centre for blood draws.
In the Kentucky sample, autonomy was quadratically related to IL-6 such that moderate autonomy predicted higher IL-6; this effect was stronger in men. In the US national sample, more positive relationships were associated with lower IL-6 in women only. When the national sample was restricted to match the Kentucky sample, moderate autonomy was again associated with higher IL-6 in men only.
Results provide preliminary evidence for gender-specific effects of positive relationships and autonomy on IL-6. Further work is needed to establish the generalizability of these effects to different ages, cultures, and health statuses.
What is already known on this subject? A host of previous work indicates that women value relationship-centred aspects of well-being more than men, while men value autonomy-centred aspects of well-being more than women. Further, there is some evidence suggesting that well-being consistent with gender-linked values is more health protective, such that relationships are more protective for women than for men, while autonomy is more protective for men than for women. What does this study add We provide preliminary support for the hypothesis that gender moderates the associations of autonomy and positive relationships with IL-6. Specifically, higher levels of positive relationships may be associated with lower IL-6 in women only, whereas moderate levels of autonomy may be associated with higher IL-6 in males only, particularly among older adults.
大量证据表明，女性比男性更重视幸福感中以关系为中心的方面，而男性则比女性更重视幸福感中以自主为中心的方面。本研究旨在检验性别是否调节自主与积极关系和白细胞介素-6（IL-6）之间的关系，白细胞介素-6 是一种与炎症过程相关的细胞因子。与性别相关的价值观相一致的幸福感方面预计将具有最大的健康保护作用，即积极的关系仅在女性中或在女性中更强烈地预测较低的 IL-6，而自主仅在男性中或在男性中更强烈地预测较低的 IL-6。
在第一项研究中，对肯塔基州 119 名（55%为女性）居住在其家中的老年人进行了家访访谈和血液抽取。在第二项研究中，来自美国各地的 1028 名成年人（45%为女性）接受了电话访谈，随后前往研究中心进行血液抽取。
在肯塔基州的样本中，自主与 IL-6 呈二次关系，即适度的自主预测 IL-6 更高；这种效应在男性中更强。在美国全国样本中，仅在女性中，更多的积极关系与较低的 IL-6 相关。当全国样本被限制以匹配肯塔基州的样本时，适度的自主再次与男性的更高 IL-6 相关。
结果为积极关系和自主对 IL-6 的性别特异性影响提供了初步证据。需要进一步的工作来确定这些影响在不同年龄、文化和健康状况下的普遍性。
关于这个主题，已经知道了什么？大量先前的工作表明，女性比男性更重视幸福感中以关系为中心的方面，而男性则比女性更重视幸福感中以自主为中心的方面。此外，有一些证据表明，与性别相关的价值观相一致的幸福感更具健康保护作用，例如，关系对女性的保护作用大于男性，而自主对男性的保护作用大于女性。本研究有何补充？我们初步支持假设，即性别调节自主与积极关系与 IL-6 之间的关联。具体而言，较高水平的积极关系可能仅与女性的较低 IL-6 相关，而适度的自主水平可能仅与男性的较高 IL-6 相关，尤其是在老年人群中。
