Perceived stress and biological risk: is the link stronger in Russians than in Taiwanese and Americans?

Abstract

Allostatic load theory implies a relationship between exposure to psychological stress and multi-system physiological dysregulation. We used data from population-based samples in Russia (Moscow), Taiwan, and the United States (US)—which are likely to vary widely with respect to levels of stress exposure and biological markers—to determine the magnitude of the association between perceived stress and physiological dysregulation. The measure of overall dysregulation is based on 15 markers including standard cardiovascular/metabolic risk factors as well as markers of inflammation and neuroendocrine activity. Subjective psychological stress was measured by the perceived stress scale. Only the Moscow sample demonstrated a positive association with overall dysregulation in both sexes. In the US, we found an association among women but not men. Among the Taiwanese, who report the lowest perceived stress, there was no association in women but an unexpected inverse relationship in men. The effects also varied across system-level subscores: the association with perceived stress was most consistent for standard cardiovascular/metabolic factors. Perceived stress was associated with inflammation and neuroendocrine activity in some samples. Although the evidence that exposure to stressors or perceived stress is the primary source of physiological dysregulation is generally modest, it is stronger in Russia where the level of perceived stress is particularly high. For Russia only, we also have information about heart function based on a 24h ambulatory electrocardiogram; perceived stress was consistently associated with heart rate dysregulation in Russian men and women.

Sociodemographic, behavioral and genetic determinants of allostatic load in a Swiss population-based study

“…Moreover, other Asian studies have shown similar or different tendencies for the determinants of AL (Hu et al, 2007). However, at this point, it remains difficult to determine whether the similarities or differences in the associations between SES or lifestyle behaviors and AL are due to the genetic background or to cultural factors (Glei et al, 2013), and additional studies focusing on different ethnicities shall be conducted to clarify this point.…”

The role of perceived stress and cognitive function on the relationship between neuroticism and depression among the elderly: a structural equation model approach

“…Perceived stress involves the feelings or thoughts that individuals have regarding the extent of the stress they are experiencing at a given time. Perceived stress is significant for its biological, emotional, and physical consequences, including cardiovascular disorders, diseases related to poor immunological function, sleep problems and depression [8][9][10][11][12][13][14][15][16][17][18].…”

Why are well-educated Muscovites more likely to survive? Understanding the biological pathways

“…Low SES has been linked to greater exposure to acute and chronic stressors and to greater perceived stress (Cohen and Janicki-Deverts, 2012), and stress has been found to be related to inflammation in numerous studies (Black and Garbutt, 2002; Hänsel et al, 2010). Perceived stress has been found to be associated with biological dysregulation in this sample (Glei et al, 2013b), and the strength of this association appears to be higher than in other countries; future work on stress and mortality is planned by the SAHR team.…”