-
International Journal of General Medicine
- About Dovepress
Open access peer-reviewed scientific and medical journals.
- Open Access
Dove Medical Press is now a member of the Open Access Initiative
- An Author's Guide
A guide to help authors get their paper published.
- Advocacy
Support Open Access and Dove Press
- Reprints
Promotional Article Monitoring - further details
- Favored Author Program
Real benefits for authors, including fast-track processing of papers.
Perceived mental stress in women associated with psychosomatic symptoms, but not mortality: observations from the Population Study of Women in Gothenburg, Sweden
Original Research
(3467) Total Article Views
Authors: Hange D, Mehlig K, Lissner L, Guo X, Bengtsson C, Skoog I, Björkelund C
Published Date April 2013 Volume 2013:6 Pages 307 - 315
DOI: http://dx.doi.org/10.2147/IJGM.S42201
Received: | 31 December 2012 |
---|---|
Accepted: | 05 February 2013 |
Published: | 24 April 2013 |
1Department of Public Health and Community Medicine/Primary Health Care, 2Department of Public Health and Community Medicine/Public Health Epidemiology, 3Institute of Neuroscience and Physiology, Section of Psychiatry and Neurochemistry, Neuropsychiatric Epidemiology Unit, The Sahlgrenska Academy, University of Gothenburg, Gothenburg, Sweden
†Calle Bengtsson passed away on 23rd March 2013
Purpose: To investigate possible association between mental stress and psychosomatic symptoms, socioeconomic status, lifestyle, as well as incident mortality in a middle-aged female population followed over 37 years.
Methods: A prospective observational study initiated in 1968–1969, including 1462 women aged 60, 54, 50, 46, and 38 years, with follow-ups in 1974–1975, 1980–1981, and 2000–2001, was performed. Measures included self-reported mental stress as well as psychosomatic symptoms and smoking, physical activity, total cholesterol, S-triglycerides, body mass index, waist–hip ratio, blood pressure, socioeconomic status and mortality.
Results: Smoking, not being single, and not working outside home were strongly associated with reported mental stress at baseline. Women who reported high mental stress in 1968–1969 were more likely to report presence of abdominal symptoms (odds ratio [OR] = 1.85, 95% confidence interval [CI]: 1.39–2.46), headache/migraine (OR = 2.04, 95% CI: 1.53–2.72), frequent infections (OR = 1.75, 95% CI: 1.14–2.70), and musculoskeletal symptoms (OR = 1.70, 95% CI: 1.30–2.23) than women who did not report mental stress. Women without these symptoms at baseline 1968–1969, but with perceived mental stress were more likely to subsequently report incident abdominal symptoms (OR = 2.15, 95% CI: 1.39–3.34), headache/migraine (OR = 2.27, 95% CI: 1.48–3.48) and frequent infections (OR = 2.21, 95% CI: 1.12–4.36) in 1974–1975 than women without mental stress in 1968–1969. There was no association between perceived mental stress at baseline and mortality over 37 years of follow-up.
Conclusion: Women reporting mental stress had a higher frequency of psychosomatic symptoms than women who did not report these symptoms. Not working outside home and smoking rather than low socioeconomic status per se was associated with higher stress levels. Perception of high mental stress was not associated with increased mortality.
Keywords: cardiovascular disease, mental stress, mortality, psychosomatic symptoms, population study, women
Post to:
Cannotea Citeulike Del.icio.us Facebook LinkedIn Twitter
Other articles by Dr Dominique Hange
Readers of this article also read:
- Testimonials
"I was impressed at the rapidity of publication from submission to final acceptance." Dr Edwin Thrower, PhD, Yale University.
- Diagnosis of depression by MRI scans with the use of VSRAD – a promising auxiliary means of diagnosis: a report of 10 years research
- Effects of selective serotonin reuptake inhibitors on motor neuron survival
- Review of evidence for immune evasion and persistent infection in Lyme disease
- Amino acid management of Parkinson’s disease: a case study