Stress - Risk Factors

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It may be helpful to keep in mind that bosses are also victimized by the same stressful conditions they are imposing. For example, in a 2001 study of male managers in three Swedish companies, those who worked in a bureaucracy had greater stress-related heart risks than those who worked in companies with social supports.

Caregiving

Caregivers of Family Members. Studies show that caregivers of physically or mentally disabled family members are at risk for chronic stress. Furthermore, a 1999 study reported that overall mortality rates were over 60% higher in caregivers who were under constant stress. Spouses caring for a disabled partner are particularly vulnerable to a range of stress-related health threats, including influenza, depression, heart disease, and even poorer survival rates. Caring for a spouse with even minor disabilities can induce severe stress.

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Specific risk factors that put caregivers at higher risk for severe stress, or stress-related illnesses, include:

• Caregiving wives: Some studies suggest that wives experience significantly greater stress from caregiving than husbands do. In a 2000 study, caregiving wives tended to feel more negative about their husbands than caregiving husbands felt about their wives.
• Having a low income
• Being African-American: African-American people tend to be in poorer physical health, and have lower incomes, than Caucasians. They therefore face greater stress as caregivers to their spouses than their white counterparts.
• Living alone with the patient
• Helping a highly dependent patient
• Having a difficult relationship with the patient

Intervention programs that are aimed at helping the caregiver approach the situation positively can reduce stress, and help the caregiver maintain a positive attitude. A 2002 program also demonstrated that moderate-intensity exercise was very helpful in reducing stress and improving sleep in caregivers.

Health Professional Caregivers. Caregiving among the health professionals is also a high risk factor for stress. One 2000 study, for example, found that registered nurses with low job control, high job demands, and low work-related social support experienced very dramatic health declines, both physically and emotionally.

Anxiety Disorders

People who are less emotionally stable or have high anxiety levels tend to experience specific events as more stressful than others. Some experts describe an exaggerated negative response to stress as "catastrophizing" the event (turning it into a catastrophe). Nevertheless, a 2003 study of patients with anxiety disorder did not find any differences in actual physical response to stress (heart rate, blood pressure, release of stress hormones) compared to people without anxiety.

Lacking a Social Network

The lack of an established network of family and friends predisposes one to stress disorders and stress-related health problems, including heart disease and infections. A 2000 study, meanwhile, reported that older people who maintain active relationships with their adult children are buffered against the adverse health effects of chronic stress-inducing situations, such as low income or lower social class. One study suggested this may be because people who live alone are unable to discuss negative feelings as a means to relieve their stress.

Studies of people who remain happy and healthy despite many life stresses conclude that most have very good networks of social support. One study indicated that support even from strangers reduced blood pressure surges in people undergoing a stressful event. Many studies suggest that having a pet helps reduce medical problems aggravated by stress, including heart disease and high blood pressure.

Review Date: 10/25/2006
Reviewed By: Harvey Simon, M.D., Editor-in-Chief, Associate Professor of Medicine, Harvard Medical School; Physician, Massachusetts General Hospital

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