Stressful Life Events, Social Support, and Mortality in Men Born in 1933

Overview

Journal BMJ

Specialty General Medicine

Date 1993 Oct 30

PMID 8251807

Citations 47

Authors

A Rosengren

K Orth-Gomer

H Wedel

L Wilhelmsen

Affiliations

Soon will be listed here.

Abstract

Objective: To examine relations between stressful life events and mortality in middle aged men.

Design: Prospective population study. Data on stressful life events, social network, occupation, and other psychosocial factors derived from self administered questionnaires. Mortality data obtained from official registers.

Setting: City of Gothenburg, Sweden.

Subjects: 752 men from a random population sample of 1016 men aged 50.

Main Outcome Measure: Mortality from all causes during seven years' follow up.

Results: Life events which had occurred in the year before the baseline examination were significantly associated with mortality from all causes during seven years' follow up. Of the men who had experienced three or more events during the past year 10.9% had died compared with 3.3% among those with no life events (odds ratio 3.6; 95% confidence interval 1.5 to 8.5). The association between recent life events and mortality remained true after smoking, self perceived health, occupational class, and indices of social support were controlled for. Many of the deaths were alcohol related, but the number of deaths was too small to allow for analyses of specific causes of death. The association between life events and mortality was evident only in men with low emotional support.

Conclusion: Stressful life events are associated with high mortality in middle aged men. Men with adequate emotional support seem to be protected.

Citing Articles

Stay social, stay young: a bioanthropological outlook on the processes linking sociality and ageing.

Iannuzzi V, Narboux-Neme N, Lehoczki A, Levi G, Giuliani C Geroscience. 2024; 47(1):721-744.

PMID: 39527178 PMC: 11872968. DOI: 10.1007/s11357-024-01416-5.

Predicting perinatal health outcomes using smartphone-based digital phenotyping and machine learning in a prospective Swedish cohort (Mom2B): study protocol.

Bilal A, Fransson E, Brann E, Eriksson A, Zhong M, Giden K BMJ Open. 2022; 12(4):e059033.

PMID: 35477874 PMC: 9047888. DOI: 10.1136/bmjopen-2021-059033.

Spinal mobility and muscle function in middle-aged patients treated for early onset idiopathic scoliosis: compared with untreated and treated adolescent onset patients.

Romberg K, Danielsson A, Fagevik Olsen M, Kjellby-Wendt G Spine Deform. 2022; 10(5):1085-1095.

PMID: 35320580 PMC: 9378330. DOI: 10.1007/s43390-022-00487-8.

Social influence of adult children on parental health behavior among South Asian immigrants: findings from the MASALA (Mediators of Atherosclerosis in South Asians Living in America) study.

Ram A, Dave S, Lancki N, Moran M, Puri-Taneja A, Mammen S Ethn Health. 2020; 27(3):639-657.

PMID: 32122159 PMC: 8040023. DOI: 10.1080/13557858.2020.1734779.

Social Support and Subclinical Coronary Artery Disease in Middle-Aged Men and Women: Findings from the Pilot of Swedish CArdioPulmonary bioImage Study.

Djekic D, Fagman E, Angeras O, Lappas G, Toren K, Bergstrom G Int J Environ Res Public Health. 2020; 17(3).

PMID: 32012689 PMC: 7037076. DOI: 10.3390/ijerph17030778.

References

Holmes T, RAHE R . The Social Readjustment Rating Scale. J Psychosom Res. 1967; 11(2):213-8. DOI: 10.1016/0022-3999(67)90010-4. View

Winsa B, Adami H, Bergstrom R, Gamstedt A, Dahlberg P, Adamson U . Stressful life events and Graves' disease. Lancet. 1991; 338(8781):1475-9. DOI: 10.1016/0140-6736(91)92298-g. View

RAHE R, Paasikivi J . Psychosocial factors and myocardial infarction. II. An outpatient study in Sweden. J Psychosom Res. 1971; 15(1):33-9. DOI: 10.1016/0022-3999(71)90071-7. View

Thiel H, Parker D, BRUCE T . Stress factors and the risk of myocardial infarction. J Psychosom Res. 1973; 17(1):43-57. DOI: 10.1016/0022-3999(73)90086-x. View

RAHE R, Bennett L, Romo M, SILTANEN P, Arthur R . Subjects' recent life changes and coronary heart disease in Finland. Am J Psychiatry. 1973; 130(11):1222-6. DOI: 10.1176/ajp.130.11.1222. View

RAHE R, Romo M, Bennett L, SILTANEN P . Recent life changes, myocardial infarction, and abrupt coronary death. Studies in Helsinki. Arch Intern Med. 1974; 133(2):221-8. View

Cassel J . The contribution of the social environment to host resistance: the Fourth Wade Hampton Frost Lecture. Am J Epidemiol. 1976; 104(2):107-23. DOI: 10.1093/oxfordjournals.aje.a112281. View

Goldberg E, Comstock G . Life events and subsequent illness. Am J Epidemiol. 1976; 104(2):146-58. DOI: 10.1093/oxfordjournals.aje.a112285. View

COBB S . Presidential Address-1976. Social support as a moderator of life stress. Psychosom Med. 1976; 38(5):300-14. DOI: 10.1097/00006842-197609000-00003. View

10.

Berkman L, Syme S . Social networks, host resistance, and mortality: a nine-year follow-up study of Alameda County residents. Am J Epidemiol. 1979; 109(2):186-204. DOI: 10.1093/oxfordjournals.aje.a112674. View

11.

Holme I, Helgeland A, Hjermann I, Leren P, Lund-Larsen P . Four-year mortality by some socioeconomic indicators: the Oslo study. J Epidemiol Community Health. 1980; 34(1):48-52. PMC: 1052040. DOI: 10.1136/jech.34.1.48. View

12.

Helsing K, Szklo M . Mortality after bereavement. Am J Epidemiol. 1981; 114(1):41-52. DOI: 10.1093/oxfordjournals.aje.a113172. View

13.

Kobasa S, MADDI S, Courington S . Personality and constitution as mediators in the stress-illness relationship. J Health Soc Behav. 1981; 22(4):368-78. View

14.

Theorell T . Review of research on life events and cardiovascular illness. Adv Cardiol. 1982; 29:140-9. DOI: 10.1159/000406209. View

15.

House J, Robbins C, Metzner H . The association of social relationships and activities with mortality: prospective evidence from the Tecumseh Community Health Study. Am J Epidemiol. 1982; 116(1):123-40. DOI: 10.1093/oxfordjournals.aje.a113387. View

16.

Mellstrom D, Nilsson A, Oden A, Rundgren A, Svanborg A . Mortality among the widowed in Sweden. Scand J Soc Med. 1982; 10(2):33-41. DOI: 10.1177/140349488201000201. View

17.

McFarlane A, Norman G, Streiner D, Roy R . The process of social stress: stable, reciprocal, and mediating relationships. J Health Soc Behav. 1983; 24(2):160-73. View

18.

Marmot M, Shipley M, Rose G . Inequalities in death--specific explanations of a general pattern?. Lancet. 1984; 1(8384):1003-6. DOI: 10.1016/s0140-6736(84)92337-7. View

19.

Kasl S . Stress and health. Annu Rev Public Health. 1984; 5:319-41. DOI: 10.1146/annurev.pu.05.050184.001535. View

20.

RUBERMAN W, WEINBLATT E, Goldberg J, Chaudhary B . Psychosocial influences on mortality after myocardial infarction. N Engl J Med. 1984; 311(9):552-9. DOI: 10.1056/NEJM198408303110902. View