Life events, mood, mental strain and cardiovascular risk factors in Swedish middle-aged men. Data from the Swedish part of the Renault/Volvo Coeur Study

Abstract

The associations between life events, mood, mental strain and cardiovascular risk factors were investigated in the Renault/Volvo Coeur Study. About 1,000 men, blue-collar and white-collar workers, were asked by means of interview-administered questionnaires about life events experienced during the year preceding the screening, about mood and mental strain and about smoking, alcohol consumption and exercise habits. Blood pressure, concentration of serum lipids and blood glucose, and anthropometric measures were determined in a screening procedure. Negative life events, especially work-related, were associated with depressed mood and mental strain but not with elevation of biological risk factors such as elevated blood pressure and serum lipids. Depressed mood and mental strain were related to increased tobacco consumption in blue-collar workers and increased alcohol consumption in white-collar workers.

The association between adverse life events and body weight change: results of a prospective cohort study

“…Previous studies have shown that the association between weight gain and stress or adverse life events differed between men and women [7,10,22]. In the present study, there were gender differences since women reported a higher impact and slower adaptation to some of the adverse events, and also showed a greater weight change for the same event than men did.…”

“…Differences in reactions to stress leading to variations in impact on body weight may exist between obese and healthy weight adults or between men and women [3-5]. Based on three prospective cohorts, it was shown that the effect of stress on body weight differed according to baseline body mass index (BMI); positive associations were only found among overweight individuals [7-10]. In addition, Harding et al also found differences in the relationships between psychosocial stress including life events and weight change by baseline BMI over a period of five years, emphasizing the role of initial weight status [11].…”

“…Overall, some studies showed associations between life events and body weight in adults [7-10,19], whereas others found no relationship between stressful life events and BMI among African American women [20]. The studies included different life events, or a single life event (i.e.…”

Basic personality traits and coping strategies in relation to health and burnout among members of Slovenian Armed Forces

“…Posebne stresne obremenitve, pomanjkanje socialne podpore (»trdi ma~izem«) in razdra`ljivost kot znak maskirane depresije so dejavniki tveganja za okvare bio-psihosocialno blagostanja (zdravja), ki se lahko ka`e kot izgorelost (37). Delovni pogoji in neustrezna pri~akovanja (ocena finan~nega stanja (Tabela 2)) lahko oja~ajo nekatere znake PTSM (38), ki praviloma ostajajo prezr ti, in se ka`ejo kot tesnobnost, depresivnost in zloraba alkohola (39).…”

Intra- and inter-personal factors of psychosocial status in Slovenian military personnel with regard to their traumatic event experience

“…Stressful life events, lack of social support and depression are thought to influence risks for poor health status (1,2). On the other hand, social support, disclosure of trauma and social acknowledgement are relevant interpersonal factors in trauma recovery (3,4).…”