Gender Differences In Stress Research Articles

Gender Differences in Stressors Related to Migration and Acculturation in Patients with Psychiatric Disorders and Turkish Migration Background.

Migration, acculturation, and psychiatric disorders may cause stress and adaptation processes differently in men and women, but empirical research is scarce. In a retrospective study n=62 Turkish migrants and n=62 native German inpatients with depressive or anxiety disorders, matched for age, gender, and diagnoses, were compared using a 10-item instrument for the assessment of migration- and acculturation related stressors (MIGSTR10). Gender differences in the prevalence of stressors and in the total sum of stressors were calculated and compared between migrants and indigenous patients. Results showed a higher global stress level in migrants and in women than in men with migration background. Regarding single stressors, the perceived loss of status was significantly more prevalent and more pronounced in men than in women (P<0.05) whereas guilt feelings were more severe in women with Turkish migration background compared to men (P<0.05). Gender differences of perceived stress should be taken into account in migration and acculturation research.

Gender Differences in Stress among Parents of Children with Autism

Background: Researches in the recent years have consistently shown that parents of children with autism experience greater stress than parents of children without autism. There has been enormous understanding into the various challenges that these parents face. However, till date there have been no reported studies on gender differences in stress faced by parents of children with autism, especially in Indian context. Objective: The aim of the present research was to study and compare parenting stress and its domains in parents of children with autism. Participants and Methodology: The study sample consisted of 100 parents of children with autism- 50 mothers and 50 fathers selected using purposive sampling and fulfilling inclusion and exclusion criteria. Parenting Stress Index was used to study the total stress and its domains (child domain and parent domain) in the sample. Descriptive and inferential statistics was applied using SPSS version 17.0. Results showed no significant differences in total stress as well as on both the domains between the two study groups. To conclude, there are no gender differences in parenting stress among parents of children with autism.

Gender roles and traits in stress and health.

Women have a life-expectancy advantage over men, but a marked disadvantage with regards to morbidity. This is known as the female–male health-survival paradox in disciplines such as medicine, medical sociology, and epidemiology. Individual differences in physical and mental health are further notably explained by the degree of stress individuals endure, with women being more affected by stressors than men. Here, we briefly examine the literature on women’s disadvantage in health and stress. Beyond biological considerations, we follow with socio-cognitive explanations of gender differences in health and stress. We show that gender roles and traits (masculinity in particular) explain part of the gender differences in stress, notably cognitive appraisal and coping. Stress in turn degrades health. Implications are discussed. In conclusion, traditional socialization is advantageous for men in terms of health.

Stress and Religious Coping among Flood Victims

This study examined the relationship between stress and coping in a sample of 150 survivals of flood victims. Questionnaire used in this study were Disaster Stress and Coping Skill Inventory. The study also adopted an exploratory qualitative approach where a number of five respondents were interviewed. The result showed that there was a significant relationship between stress and coping, and no significant gender differences in stress and coping among the respondents. The result also showed that the respondents suffered stress and needed strong coping skills. Religion was found to be the most apparent coping skill among the victims. The implication of this study suggests strong religious and social support from people who are knowledgeable and skills in the stress management and religious coping to the flood victims

The Complexity of Stress in Mid-Adolescent Girls and Boys

In many Western countries adolescents, especially girls, report high levels of stress and stress-related health complaints. In this study we investigate the concept of stress in a group of 14–15 year-olds (grade 8 in two Stockholm schools) using a multiple methods approach. The aim is to analyse stress, and gender differences in stress, as indicated by a measure of perceived stress (questionnaires, n = 212), the diurnal variation in the biomarker cortisol (saliva samples, n = 108) and the students’ own accounts of stress (semi-structured interviews, n = 49). The results were generated within the traditional framework of each method and integrated at the point of interpretation. The hypothesis that adolescent girls experience more stress than boys was confirmed by all methods used. In the questionnaire, the most commonly experienced aspects of perceived stress were the same among girls and boys, but girls consistently reported higher frequencies. The saliva samples showed that girls had greater cortisol output in the morning. In the individual semi-structured interviews, girls and boys discussed stress in similar ways but both acknowledged a gender gap to the disadvantage of girls. The results as a whole suggests an interpretation of gender differences that focuses girls’ attitudes, perceived expectations and coping strategies in relation to school performance, with their focus on achievement, marks, hard work, and worries about the future. The findings point to a need of an increased awareness about the role of perceived expectations in the stress process, and that these expectations and their impact on stress may differ by the gender of the student.

Gender differences in stress and academic performance in medical students

Aim: To investigate the gender differences in stress and academic performance in first year medical students

Blood pressure among rural Montenegrin children in relation to poverty and gender

Health inequalities may begin during childhood. The aim of this study was to investigate the main effect of poverty and its interactive effect with gender on children's blood pressure. The study was performed in two elementary schools from a rural region near Podgorica, the capital of Montenegro. A questionnaire including questions on family monthly income, children's physical activity and the consumption of junk food was self-administered by parents of 434 children (223 boys and 211 girls) aged 6-13 years. Children's poverty level was assessed using the recommendations from the National Study on Poverty in Montenegro. Children's body weight and height were measured and body mass index-for-gender-and-age percentile was calculated. An oscillometric monitor was used for measurement of children's resting blood pressure in school. A two-factorial analysis of variance with body mass index percentile, physical activity and junk food as covariates showed an interaction of gender and poverty on children's blood pressure, pointing to synergy between poverty and female gender, with statistical significance for raised diastolic pressure (F = 5.462; P = 0.021). Neither physical activity nor the consumption of junk food explained the interactive effect of poverty and gender on blood pressure. We show that poverty is linked to elevated blood pressure for girls but not boys, and this effect is statistically significant for diastolic pressure. The results are discussed in the light of gender differences in stress and coping that are endemic to poverty.

Gender differences in stress, appraisal, and coping during golf putting

Gender differences in coping in sport have received increased attention, but cross-sectional and retrospective designs of studies have provided equivocal results and limited conclusions in the area. To address this gap, two studies were conducted investigating stress, appraisal and coping in males and females when executing a golf-putting task. The two studies were conducted under controlled laboratory settings, including a control and an experimental condition. Participants performed the same golf-putting task in both conditions. In the experimental condition, stress was induced using a combination of evaluation apprehension, funny putter, monetary inducement (Study 1), and ego-threatening feedback (Study 2). Stress appraisal (type of stressor and its frequency) and coping (strategies used and their frequency) were assessed online using the think aloud protocol. Stress responses were assessed using self-report, physiological, and behavioral measures. Both studies found similar stress responses for males and females (e.g. increased heart rate, task completion time, and cognitive state anxiety) in the experimental condition. However, significant gender differences were found in relation to the frequency of stressors cited and coping strategies used for these particular stressors. Across both studies, females reported being more often concerned with task execution and males with the outcome. Differences in coping strategies observed between the genders were likely to be a consequence of different stress appraisals, in particular the frequency of particular stressors appraised. Findings provide tentative support for the situational hypothesis as males and females have a tendency to use similar coping strategies if they appraise the same stressors within the same situation.

Stress among Parents of Children with Mental Retardation

Mental retardation is one of the most prevalent developmental disabilities of the children globally. Family is the main source of support for those disable children in any society. Parents experience enormous physical and mental stress to tackle the mentally retarded children. This present comparative cross-sectional study tried to compare difference of mental and physical stress between the parents of children with mental retardation and the parents of children with no mental retardation. It included 220 parents, 110 of whom had children with mental retardation and another 110 parents of children with no mental retardation. To assess stress, A Quick Stress Assessment Test (QSAT) (Vaz, 1995) was used, which comprised two parts: physical and mental, former with 19 items and latter with 21 items. Data were collected with a self-administered questionnaire and analyzed by using SPSS software. To check differences of stress scores and gender differences of stress,‘t’ test and ‘?2’ tests were applied as required. The study revealed that the parents of children with mental retardation (PCMR) shared significantly greater stress score (34.27) than the parents of children with no mental retardation (PCNR) (21.66), [t(218)= 2.63, p=0.001]. Mental stress score was significantly higher among PCMR (33.57) than the PCNR (26.46) [t(218)= 3.87; p=0.002] while physical stress score was insignificantly higher among PCMR (20.43) than the PCNR (18.66). Majority of the parents with mentally retarded children (71.4% mothers and 67.5% fathers) had higher mental stress than physical stress [?2 (1)=22 43, p=0.024]. Mothers had significantly higher mental stress score than the fathers of mentally retarded children [‘t’(109), p=0.025]. Special measures like early diagnosis, prompt treatment and counseling for mental and physical stress of the parents along with provision of need based rehabilitation services for the mentally retarded children at different levels to reduce the stress burden of their parents. DOI: http://dx.doi.org/10.3329/bjms.v12i1.13354 Bangladesh Journal of Medical Science Vol. 12 No. 01 January’13 pp.74-80

Gender Differences of Stress in the Farming Sector

This article examines gender differences in psychological distress from the impact of stressors. Stress-related illnesses, in particular suicide attempts/successes, are now of major concern in agriculture and attract increased interest from scholars. Many farmers and farm employees have first-hand experience of fatalities, injuries and ill health where stress and fatigue are major contributors. The study was developed through a questionnaire survey, interviews and farm visits. Results from the hierarchical regression models indicated significant gender differences after severity of stressors were taken into account. Male farmers were experienced the impact of psychological strain, whereas the female farmers reported a slightly higher impact of farm stressors. The demographic variables such as marital status, age group, occupational status and size of the farm were not significant factors for contributing toward stressors-strains relationships. This outcome will encourage practitioners who provide services to confront the impact of stressors directly to reduce psychological strain, which likely enhances satisfaction and performance. This research highlights the need to incorporate the frequency and severity of stressors in the work place to understand fully the stressor-strain relationship on individual differences.

Influence of task demands on occupational stress: Gender differences

IntroductionOccupational stress is a common phenomenon in our society, and generates problems for both workers' health and the functioning of organizations. Over past decades numerous studies have examined occupational stress from the perspective of gender, offering somewhat contradictory results. Some of them found no differences and others indicated that either men or women suffer from greater amounts of occupational stress. MethodThe purpose of this study was to analyze gender differences in stress in situations that involve certain occupational demands. The data used were taken from a random sample population of 11,054 (5,917 men and 5,137 women) from the VI National Survey on Working Conditions (NSWC) which was conducted in Spain in 2007. To carry out this study, a probabilistic model was constructed using Bayesian networks, with the following variables related to task demands: working with tight deadlines, quick work, intellectually demanding work, complicated tasks, repetitive tasks, excessive work, and work demanding high attention levels. ResultsThe results of this study reveal that: the indicators studied significantly increased stress levels; women initially had higher stress levels than men; and when exposed to determined task demands, stress differences between genders tended to increase. Impact on IndustryCompanies need to consider the gender of their workers when assigning tasks in high demand/stress jobs.

A Study on Gender Differences in Stress Faced by Life Insurance Marketing Employees

Stress is a universal element in work and all human beings have to face stress in all walks of life. Currently, business establishments are critically analysing the stress management disputes that contribute to lower job performance of employees originating from dissatisfaction and high turnover, ultimately affecting organisational goals and objectives. In life insurance business, the employees involved in the selling of life insurance policies may face several stresses due to varied reasons. This can be grouped under five heads: superior’s behaviour, personal grumbles, job-specific factors, work policy of the company and external forces. Put together, 46 sub-variables are considered as responsible stress factors in the case of life insurance marketing employees. This study consists of 100 employees working in private life insurance companies in mid-western part of Tamil Nadu. A detailed structured questionnaire has been used for collecting data from the respondents. The questionnaire was pre-tested and consists of two parts: the first part focuses on the collection of socio-economic background, and the second part collects data for various sources of stress. Simple random sampling method has been adopted and data collected from the respondents are properly analysed with the help of simple percentage analysis, mean and standard deviation. Gender difference with regard to various sources of stress factors could be tested by using t-test analysis. This study concluded that there is a similarity in the stress level between male and female employees.

Gender differences in stressors and reactions to stressors among Jordanian university students

Stress among university students has been a topic of interest for researchers and teachers for many years because it affects not only their academic performance but also their physiological and psychological health. Male and female students perceive and react to stressors differently due to their differences in appraising stressful situations. The aims of this study were to examine differences in the perception of stressors and reactions to stressors between male and female Jordanian university students, and to identify the best predictors of stressors among them. Descriptive cross-sectional design was employed. The Student-Life Stress Inventory was used to measure stressors and reactions to stressors of 465 male and 485 female Jordanian university students recruited through stratified random sampling. There were statistical differences between male and female students regarding their perception and reactions to stressors. Female students reported a higher perception of stressors in frustrations, conflict, pressures and changes, as well as emotional reactions to stressors. Male students reported higher behavioural and cognitive reactions to stressors than female students. Participation in stress workshops, perception of general health, and perception of stress level in general were found to predict stressors among male students, while mother's educational level, perception of general health, and perception of stress level in general were found to predict stressors among female students. This study showed that gender differences in perception of stressors and reactions to stressors are similar to previous studies conducted all over the world. Interventions can be developed to help students better cope with stress. Conducting specific stress-training programmes for male and female students will help in reducing stress levels.

Predeployment gender differences in stressors and mental health among U.S. National Guard troops poised for Operation Iraqi Freedom deployment

Increased exposure of women soldiers to combat in current conflicts heightens interest in the question of whether risk and resilience factors differ for female and male military personnel prior to deployment. The authors examined this question in a panel of 522 National Guard soldiers (462 men and 60 women) poised for deployment to Iraq. Soldiers completed a battery of self-report measures, including the PTSD Checklist, Beck Depression Inventory-II, and scales from the Deployment Risk and Resilience Inventory. Modest differences were observed between women and men on predeployment risk factors and some risk-related correlations with PTSD and depression measures; however, gender did not moderate the associations between hypothesized risk/resilience factors and baseline mental health. Implications for interventions and future research are discussed.

Tracking biocultural pathways in population health: The value of biomarkers

Background: Cultural factors and biomarkers are emerging emphases in social epidemiology that readily ally with human biology and anthropology. Persistent health challenges and disparities have established biocultural roots, and environment plays an integral role in physical development and function that form the bases of population health. Biomarkers have proven to be valuable tools for investigating biocultural bases of health disparities.Aims: We apply recent insights from biology to consider how culture gets under the skin and evaluate the construct of embodiment. We analyse contrasting biomarker models and applications, and propose an integrated model for biomarkers. Three examples from the Great Smoky Mountains Study (GSMS) illustrate these points.Subjects and methods: The longitudinal developmental epidemiological GSMS comprises a population-based sample of 1420 children with repeated measures including mental and physical health, life events, household conditions, and biomarkers for pubertal development and allostatic load.Results: Analyses using biomarkers resolved competing explanations for links between puberty and depression, identified gender differences in stress at puberty, and revealed interactive effects of birthweight and postnatal adversity on risk for depression at puberty in girls.Conclusion: An integrated biomarker model can both enrich epidemiology and illuminate biocultural pathways in population health.

Gender Differences in Stress and Coping among Elderly Patients on Hemodialysis

The study investigated whether gender differences in the stressor, coping strategies, and how they associate stress and copings among 875 elderly patients undergoing hemodialysis in Taiwan. Chi-square tests, MANOVA and Structural Equation Modeling were used to attain the research purposes. The results found that the women had reported higher stress in response to physical and vessel problems and higher scores in using emotion-oriented and support-seeking coping strategies, while the men reported higher stress in reproductive system functioning and higher score in using avoidance as a coping strategy. Furthermore, the results from SEM demonstrated that after controlling for patient characteristics, no statistical difference was found between the two groups with regard to their linking of stress and coping strategies.

Stress, coping, and health behaviors

Abstract. Research of the Division of Educational Psychology and Health Psychology has four main topics: 1. Analysis of processing of threat-related information in children is seen as a step towards a better understanding and assessment of vigilant and avoidant coping strategies. 2. Findings concerning gender differences in stress and coping in children and adolescents show that girls in early and middle adolescence display a more favorable coping pattern in social relations than their male peers. Therefore, a focus on the gender-specific development of coping strategies is needed when tailoring programs in stress prevention. 3. Social influences in the context of health behavior change are studied in adults. Cross-sectional and longitudinal studies focus on risk perception, intention formation, and behavior adoption. 4. Aims of the network of school based health promotion are implementation and evaluation of health promoting activities along with the opportunity for networking and training possibilities for schools.

Gender Differences in Stress and Coping Among Adults Living in Hawai`i

Background and purpose. Stress has been recognized as a public health problem. However, little research has been done on gender differences in sources of stress and coping strategies in Hawaii. In this study, we hypothesized that: 1) women will report higher levels of stress than men; 2) women will report being stressed by family and health related stressors while men will report stress related to finances and work-related issues; 3) women will report using adaptive coping strategies more frequently while men will report using maladaptive and avoidance strategies more frequently; 4) there will be no gender differences in the readiness to use stress management strategies. Method. A statewide cross-sectional telephone-survey of 1518 participants was conducted during the spring and summer of 2006. Results. Women reported higher overall perceived stress levels, but there was no difference in the experienced social stressors and health stressors between genders. Men perceived more stress from personal factors. There were no gender differences in the perceived ability to cope with stress. However, women were more likely to use adaptive coping strategies, whereas men were more likely to use maladaptive and avoidance coping strategies. There were no significant gender differences in stages of change for stress management. Conclusion. Based on this study, interventions can be developed to help people better cope with stress. Interventions for women may focus on increasing the use of adaptive strategies such as praying and talking to friends and family, while interventions for men may introduce the use of adaptive coping strategies such as exercise and actively fighting causes of stress. This study shows that gender differences in stress levels and coping in Hawaii are similar to previous studies conducted on the mainland. More research into specific stressors and coping strategies may help tailor interventions that are more effective and comprehensive.

When does the Gender Difference in Rumination Begin? Gender and Age Differences in the Use of Rumination by Adolescents

A cross-sectional non-clinical sample of 1,218 adolescents, aged 10–17 years, completed measures of stress, rumination, and depression to allow tests of the response style theory of S. Nolen-Hoeksema [J Res Adolesc 4:519–534, 1994] in adolescents, in particular whether increasing levels of stress and rumination in early adolescence are predictive of the onset of the gender difference in depression. Overall, females reported higher levels of stress, rumination, and depression than males. The onset of the gender differences in stress and depression occurred at age 13 years, and for rumination one year earlier at 12 years. Significantly, also from 13 years, rumination explained the gender difference in depression by showing that it significantly mediated the effect of gender on depression. Gender moderated the rumination to depression relationship; specifically the association was stronger for females than males. Developmental differences were noted in that rumination significantly mediated between stress and depression earlier in the age range for females than males. Results supported many of the predictions of Nolen-Hoeksema’s model of the emergence of a gender difference in adolescent depression.

Gender differences in the predictors of police stress

PurposeThe research compared the predictors of work‐related stress for policemen and policewomen. Stressors included workplace problems, token status in the organization, low family and coworker support, and community and organizational conditions.Design/methodology/approachIn 11 police departments, racial and ethnic minorities were oversampled. Of 2,051 officers sampled, 46.2 percent responded. Questions and scales were adapted from prior research on both males and females. Regression analysis revealed the strength of individual predictors of stress, the variance explained by workplace problems, and the additional variance explained by social support, token status, and community and organizational context.FindingsWorkplace problems explained more male's than female's stress. Regardless of gender, the strongest predictor of stress was bias of coworkers, and a weaker predictor was language harassment. Just for males, lack of influence over work and appearance‐related stigmatization were additional predictors. Workplace problems explained gender differences in stress that were related to token status as a female.Research limitations/implicationsThe sample was not representative of all police in the USA. Measures of community and organizational characteristics were highly intercorrelated, so they could not be examined separately. Especially, for women, there is a need to identify additional sorts of influence on stress.Practical implicationsAlthough individual interventions and coping strategies are important for reducing police officer stress, changes in the organizational context also deserve attention. There is a need to develop and test interventions to reduce bias among coworkers, to contain language harassment, and to provide police with an increased sense of control over their work.Originality/valueThe paper focuses on stress within the policing environment.