Gender Differences in Perceived Stress and Its Relationship to Telomere Length in Costa Rican Adults

Ericka Méndez-Chacón

doi:10.3389/fpsyg.2022.712660

Abstract

IntroductionStress is associated with disease and reduced leukocyte telomere length (LTL). The objective of this research is to determine if self-perceived stress is associated with telomere length in Costa Rican adults and the gender differences in this association. Findings may help explain how some populations in apparent socioeconomic disadvantage and with limited access to specialized medical services have a remarkably high life expectancy.MethodologyData come from the pre-retirement cohort of the Costa Rican Longevity and Healthy Aging Study (CRELES), a population based survey conducted in the households to 2,327 adults aged 53 to 66 years. The DNA to measure LTL was extracted from blood cells in laboratories of the University of Costa Rica whereas the Blackburn laboratory at the University of California performed the telomere length measurement applying the quantitative polymerase chain reaction (Q-PCR). The relationship between telomere length and perceived stress was measured using least-squares multiple regression. Perceived stress was measured by a set of questions about family, job, finances and, health reasons to be stressed. Models included the control variables: (1) age and sex of the participant, (2) whether he or she resides in the Nicoya area, a “blue zone” known for its high longevity, and (3) the aforementioned sociodemographic, health and lifestyles characteristics.ResultsStress perception and LTL are significantly different by sex. Women perceived higher stress levels than men in almost all aspects studied, except work. Women have significantly longer telomeres. Shorter telomeres are significantly associated with caregiving stress in men and with parental health concerns in women. Counter-intuitive telomere lengthenings were observed among women who feel stressed about caring for family members; and among men who feel stressed due to their family relationships as well as concerns about their own health.DiscussionResults confirm that people with self-perceived stress due to caregiving or health issues have shorter telomeres. The relationship between stress and telomere length differs between men and women. Gender relations exert a strong modifier effect on the relationship between stress and LTL: gender is related to perceived stress, telomere length, and apparently also to the way stress and LTL are related.

Highlights

Stress is associated with disease and reduced leukocyte telomere length (LTL)
Hypothesis 1 that people with self-perceived stress have shorter telomeres, was corroborated with data only for men who feel stressed about caring for sick relatives and for women who feel stressed due to their own health issues and the health condition of parents or relatives
Hypothesis 2, which states that the relationship between stress and telomere length differs between men and women, was confirmed by the data, both by the differences noted in the previous paragraph and by the fact that significant relationships between perceived stress and telomere length emerge only by performing the analysis disaggregated by sex

Summary

Introduction

Stress is associated with disease and reduced leukocyte telomere length (LTL). The objective of this research is to determine if self-perceived stress is associated with telomere length in Costa Rican adults and the gender differences in this association. Findings may help explain how some populations in apparent socioeconomic disadvantage and with limited access to specialized medical services have a remarkably high life expectancy. Unraveling the mechanisms by which stress influences people’s health would help to understand how certain populations with apparent socioeconomic disadvantages and limited access to specialized medical services have a high life expectancy, as it is the case of the Hispanic population in the United States, in what is known as the Hispanic paradox (Ruiz et al, 2013), or that of the exceptional longevity region of Nicoya in Costa Rica. Chronic exposure to stress hormones, called catecholamines, such as adrenaline and cortisol, during some period of life development, has been found to harm the brain structures involved in cognition and physical and mental health (Lupien et al, 2009). Shorter telomere lengths have been linked to cellular aging and the development of numerous diseases such as diabetes, cancer, heart disease, and depression (Price et al, 2013; Ridout et al, 2015)

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