Psychosomatic Medicine 29:572-585 (1967)
© 1967 American Psychosomatic Society

Interaction of Psychologic and Biologic Predisposing Factors in Allergic Disorders

¹ Division of Psychiatry, Boston University School of Medicine, Boston, Mass.

In an attempt to explain the nature of biologic and psychologic predisposing factors in allergic disease, this study compared 3 theoretical models: (1) the reciprocal-interaction, (2) the positive-interaction, and (3) the summation models.

In order to test the relevance of each of these theories, biologic and psychologic batteries, used in our previous research, were revised and applied to a total of 79 male college students. Three groups were examined: 29 allergics, 27 normals, and 23 nonatopic symptomatic subjects evidencing predominantly vasomotor rhinitis.

The best explanation of allergic predisposition seemed to be stated by the summation model. On the basis of this theory, a combined biopsychologic test of vulnerability to allergic illness was used, with the finding that 78.6% (44 in 56 cases) of allergics and normals were accurately differentiated.

The results lent some support to the positive-interaction model; both factors tended to be high concurrently in allergy, but a positive correlation between them was not found. This study found no evidence in support of the reciprocal-interaction theory.

Vasomotor cases were found to be similar to allergies on the psychologic dimension and like normals on measures of biologic predisposition. It was in regard to this group with mild, nonatopic symptoms that the reciprocal model, with its emphasis on mutually exclusive factors, seemed best suited.