Stress and IllnessStress and Illness
Stress, on its own, does not make you illStress, on its own, does not make you ill
It may increase your risk of illnessIt may increase your risk of illness
Stress has been linked to:Stress has been linked to:
Cardiovascular disordersCardiovascular disorders
Immune depressionImmune depression
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Stress and IllnessStress and Illness
Stress
Direct biological effectse.g. physical strain,hormonal changes
Maladaptive copingbehaviour e.g. smoking,drinking alcohol
Emotionally mediatedeffects on diet andactivity level
Increased Risk of Disease
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Heart Disease – Risk FactorsHeart Disease – Risk Factors
Fixed
Genetics
Ethnicity
Sex
Age
Variable
High LDL cholesterol
Hypertension
Inactivity
Obesity
Diabetes
High c-reactive protein
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Stress & Heart DiseaseStress & Heart Disease
Friedman & Rosenman (1974)Friedman & Rosenman (1974)
Assessed 3200 healthy American men.Assessed 3200 healthy American men.
Stress-prone individuals (Type As) wereidentified:Stress-prone individuals (Type As) wereidentified:
Anger & hostilityAnger & hostility
CompetitivenessCompetitiveness
Time-urgencyTime-urgency
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Stress & Heart DiseaseStress & Heart Disease
After 8½ years, men were reassessedAfter 8½ years, men were reassessed
257 had developed CHD257 had developed CHD
Of these, 70% were Type AsOf these, 70% were Type As
Association remained when smoking andother lifestyle factors were accounted forAssociation remained when smoking andother lifestyle factors were accounted for
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Stress & Heart DiseaseStress & Heart Disease
Kivimaki et al (2002)Kivimaki et al (2002)
Highly stressed workers were 2x as likely todie from heart problemsHighly stressed workers were 2x as likely todie from heart problems
Sheps et al (2002)Sheps et al (2002)
Stress-prone individuals with heart problems3x more likely to die from heart attackStress-prone individuals with heart problems3x more likely to die from heart attack
Steptoe et al (2005)Steptoe et al (2005)
Stress-prone individuals more likely toaccumulate LDL ‘bad’ blood cholesterolStress-prone individuals more likely toaccumulate LDL ‘bad’ blood cholesterol
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Stress & Heart DiseaseStress & Heart Disease
Stress increases risk of cardiovascular disease –but is not a direct causal factorStress increases risk of cardiovascular disease –but is not a direct causal factor
Effect is mediated by personality (stress prone-ness)Effect is mediated by personality (stress prone-ness)
The mechanism is complexThe mechanism is complex
Direct effects and lifestyle-mediated ones are bothlikely to be importantDirect effects and lifestyle-mediated ones are bothlikely to be important
Stress effects are clearest with pre-existing CHDStress effects are clearest with pre-existing CHD
If you have CHD stress will probably make it worseIf you have CHD stress will probably make it worse
But we still don’t know if stress causes CHD initiallyBut we still don’t know if stress causes CHD initially
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