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Six-Year Study Links Stress To Serious Illness:

Six-Year Study Links Stress
To Serious Illness
By Oliver Moore
The Globe and Mail
28 January 2004

Stress has been linked to serious chronic diseases in a new report from Statistics Canada.

A six-year study found a direct correlation between increased levels of stress and the likelihood of developing a host of debilitating illnesses, including emphysema and heart disease.

The average Canadian adult reported five "stressors" (sources of stress) when asked in a large-scale study in 1994 and 1995. At that point, about 10 per cent of Canadians reported suffering from 10 or more stressors.

Revisiting the same subjects over the years showed that each additional stressor led to a 6-per-cent increase in the chances of a man's reporting a chronic condition and an 8-per-cent increase for women.

For both sexes, these conditions included arthritis and rheumatism, back problems, chronic bronchitis or emphysema, and stomach or intestinal ulcers. Unique to men were increased levels of heart disease. Specific to women were higher chances of developing asthma and migraines.

"These relationships suggest that, at least in some cases, stress is a precursor of poor health," Statscan writes. Of the various sources of stress "... [chronic strains] appeared to be the most potent."

Chronic strains - defined as problems that may not be major but persist over time - were the most common stresses reported. Examples include trying to do too much at once, not having enough money, marital problems and concerns about children.

Time pressures were particularly acute, with almost half of Canadians saying that they try to do too much at once. Financial problems were reported by more than one-third, and the sense that others expect too much of them was reported by slightly less than one-third.

Women were more likely than men to report stress, and they reacted to a wider range of stressors. Women tended to report higher levels of chronic strains stemming from time constraints, others' expectations, marital relationships, children and family health.

Other stressors were more common among men, who were more likely to report employment-related stress - a demotion, pay cut or a sense of not having enough money.

Like many previous studies, this one showed that levels of stress decrease with age, and increase at lower income levels.

Data was extracted from the National Population Health Survey and the Canadian Community Health Survey. Researchers used a sample of 10,151 people, aged 15 or older when first approached.

© 2004 Bell Globemedia Publishing Inc. All Rights Reserved.

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