2022-07-272022-07-272020-10-01Moriarity, D. P., & Alloy, L. B. (2020). Beyond diagnoses and total symptom scores: Diversifying the level of analysis in psychoneuroimmunology research. Brain, Behavior, and Immunity, 89, 1–2. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.bbi.2020.07.0020889-1591http://dx.doi.org/10.34944/dspace/7911http://hdl.handle.net/20.500.12613/7939Psychoneuroimmunology is a rapidly advancing field that investigates immunological processes (at numerous levels of measurement) as risk factors, mechanisms, and sequelae of psychological phenomena. However, the majority of psychopathology-focused psychoneuroimmunology research to date has analyzed differences in immunological characteristics between those with vs. without a disorder (i.e., case-control studies), and/or relationships between immune markers and total scores on self-report symptom measures associated with a specific diagnostic category (e.g., depression). Although these approaches are important for studying psychopathology at the level at which mental health is typically conceptualized (both in research and clinical work), there are inherent limitations to these methods that limit their utility in studying the associations between immune functioning and mental health. The example of inflammation and depression will be used throughout this viewpoint to illustrate these limitations and highlight arguments for diversifying the level of analysis of psychopathology in psychoneuroimmunology research.4 pagesengAttribution-NonCommercial-NoDerivs CC BY-NC-NDhttps://creativecommons.org/licenses/by-nc-nd/4.0/PsychiatrySocial and behavioral sciencesClinical psychologyNeuroscienceClinical neuroscienceHealth psychologyMental healthText