Perceived Stress in a Gender Perspective: A Survey in a Population of Unemployed Subjects of Southern Italy

Abstract

Stressful life events, are differently handled by women and men. This study evaluates gender differences in perceived stress and health status among a sample of subjects going through a transition period from unemployment to work. This cross-sectional study enrolled 395 participants, 245 men (62%) and 150 (38%) women, between 19 and 67 years, that were going to be hired for a 6-month contract. Before being employed, all participants underwent a mandatory protocol consisting in a general medical check. Stress assessment was performed by using the Perceived Stress Scale (PSS). Most of the participants (68%) showed normal to low perceived stress level. But dividing the sample by gender, out of the remaining 32% with medium to high stress level, 11% male subjects and 22.7% females reported high perceived stress values. We found mean PSS values that are overlapping with those in the general population of developed countries. This study does not suggest an association between perceived stress and health or social parameters. However, our results highlight that the female gender is associated with higher stress level, pointing out the relevance of specific and designed interventions in the context of health promotion programs, especially in order to mitigate stress in more susceptible subjects.

Gender Differences in Psychological Stress Factors of Physical Therapy Degree Students in the COVID-19 Pandemic: A Cross-Sectional Study

“…In our study, higher perceived stress was observed among female physical therapy students. Although these gender differences could be related with the effect of the pandemic, they converge with those previously described in the general population samples [ 34 ], university students [ 35 ], and, more specifically, health science students [ 36 ]. Subsequent studies should clarify the relationship between the perceived stress and the COVID-19 pandemic in this population.…”

“…Of those, most are stress-related problems, which are caused by accumulation of damage. Therefore, even if this population is young, it is expected that women will develop stress-related health problems over time [ 34 ].…”

Sleep Quality and Mood State in Resident Physicians during COVID-19 Pandemic

“…Moreover, precisely owing to these working conditions, healthcare workers are more likely to report a high prevalence of sleep disturbances with consequential psychological disorders affecting daily activities [7]. Therefore, it is possible to observe a reduction in professional performance among medical staff with severe consequences, such as mistakes due to fatigue leading to adverse clinical outcomes [8,9].…”

Quality of Life, Insomnia and Coping Strategies during COVID-19 Pandemic in Hospital Workers. A Cross-Sectional Study

“…Though it has been demonstrated that the trend of contagion has differently affected the mental health status of HCWs working in areas with dissimilar incidences of COVID-19 cases [ 23 , 24 ], it is also true that regional differences in stress perception and coping strategies also depend on cultural factors, home/work interface, social support, and economic environment [ 25 , 26 ]. In a Chinese study, comparing subjects coming from Hubei and from non-endemic provinces, health workers in the endemic region showed lower anxiety levels about the COVID-19 epidemic [ 23 ].…”