Final answer:
Chronic stress can inhibit immune responses, especially in long-term stress situations. The field of psychoneuroimmunology is studying how the nervous, endocrine, and immune systems interact.
Step-by-step explanation:
Chronic stress, unlike short-term stress, may inhibit immune responses even in otherwise healthy adults. The suppression of both innate and adaptive immune responses is clearly associated with increases in some diseases, as seen when individuals lose a spouse or have other long-term stresses, such as taking care of a spouse with a fatal disease or dementia. The new science of psychoneuroimmunology, while still in its relative infancy, has great potential to make exciting advances in our understanding of how the nervous, endocrine, and immune systems have evolved together and communicate with each other.