Influence of paid work on the perceived health state in women

BACKGROUND: Several studies show that paid work has a positive effect on women's health, although few studies have shown this relationship in Southern-European countries. The aim of this paper was to analyze the self-perceived health status of women of Barcelona, Spain according to their type of work (homemaker or worker). PATIENTS AND METHODS: Cross sectional study using the 1992 Barcelona Health Interview Survey data. Subjects: 1194 women aged 25 to 64 years old. Bivariate analysis of women's perceived health status by all other variables. A logistic regression model was performed with the dependent variable being women's self-perceived health status and the independent variables: type of work (homemaker or worker), age, number of chronic diseases, medical care visits, children under 12 years and elderly over 65 years living at home and social class based on occupation. RESULTS: 15.8% of workers and 31.4% of homemakers reported poor self-perceived health status (p < 0.05). This same distribution was maintained when adjusting for all independent variables. Social class had an important relationship with health, with women from lower social classes reporting poorer self-perceived health status than homemakers from upper social classes. CONCLUSIONS: The 1992 Barcelona Health Interview Survey analysis confirms that in Barcelona as well, paid work has a positive relationship on women's self-perceived health status.     

Effects of alcohol administration on psychophysiological and subjective-emotional responses to aversive stimulation in anxiety-sensitive women.

Examined the effects of anxiety-sensitivity (AS) levels, and 1.00 ml/kg alcohol, on autonomic and subjective-emotional responses to aversive stimulation (i.e., noise bursts). Ss were 30 university women divided into 3 AS groups (high, moderate, and low), on the basis of Anxiety Sensitivity Index (ASI) scores. When sober, high-AS women provided higher emotional arousal ratings while anticipating the noise bursts than did low-AS women. Alcohol dampened the noise burst-anticipation ratings, particularly in the high-AS group. ASI scores were positively correlated with degree of sober skin conductance level (SCL) reactivity and with degree of alcohol dampening of SCL reactivity. Thus, high-AS women may use alcohol to normalize their anticipatory emotional and electrodermal overreactivity to threat. (PsycINFO Database Record (c) 2010 APA, all rights reserved)     

Familial environment associated with Type A behaviors and psychophysiological responses to stress in children.

Studied the characteristics of family environments associated with children"s Type A behaviors, anger frequency and expression, hostile outlook, hostility displayed during an interview, and cardiovascular responses to laboratory stressors. Two measures of family environment, Positive Affiliation and Authoritarianism, were derived by a factor analysis of the Family Environment Scale completed by parents. 66 girls and 48 boys enrolled in Grades 2–12 from 114 families served as Ss. Families scoring low on Positive Affiliation had children who were assessed as more angry and hostile. Boys from these families had a more pronounced heart rate response to all laboratory stressors. High Authoritarianism scores in combination with low Positive Affiliation scores in families predicted a heightened heart rate response in boys. Sex differences in the pattern of associations among family and child characteristics were also found. (PsycINFO Database Record (c) 2010 APA, all rights reserved)     

Acute exercise: Buffering psychosocial stress responses in women.

48 25–40 yr old women participated in 2 counterbalanced experimental conditions: an attention control and a 40-min bout of aerobic exercise (AE) at 70% heart rate (HR) reserve. The attention control and AE treatments were followed by (1) 30 min of quiet rest, (2) exposure to mental and interpersonal threat, and (3) 5 min of recovery. Blood pressure (BP) and HR were monitored at baseline, during the stressors, and throughout recovery. Self-reported distress was assessed before each stressor and upon completion of the recovery period. Results provide clear evidence that exercise dampened BP reactivity to psychosocial stress. Compared with the attention placebo control, AE reduced both the frequency and intensity of anxiety-related thoughts that occur in anticipation of interpersonal threat and challenge. (PsycINFO Database Record (c) 2010 APA, all rights reserved)     

Effect of stress on perceived intoxication and the blood alcohol curve in men and women.

To determine the influence of stress on intoxication and blood alcohol concentration (BAC) 60 healthy male and female volunteers were exposed to a cold pressor test, distressing film, or control condition after consuming a moderate dose of alcohol. Two measures of perceived intoxication suggested a sobering effect of acute stressors. In addition, Ss viewing the distressing film showed longer latency to peak BAC than Ss in the control condition. As BAC began to fall, the cold pressor test initially increased rate of alcohol elimination. These stress-induced changes in intoxication and the BAC curve support a biobehavioral model in which stress may increase alcohol use partly because it attenuates alcohol's psychopharmacological impact. (PsycINFO Database Record (c) 2010 APA, all rights reserved)     

Chronic stress influences cardiovascular and neuroendocrine responses during acute stress and recovery, especially in men.

This study tests the influence of chronic stress on cardiovascular and neuroendocrine responses to and recovery from acute stressors and whether the effects are gender specific. Sixty-two healthy, middle-aged persons (50% women) performed mental-arithmetic and public-speaking tasks and relaxed thereafter for 1 hr while their cardiovascular and neuroendocrine functions were measured. Participants with higher levels of chronic stress showed lower systolic blood pressure (SBP) and epinephrine (E; men only) and marginally lower levels of norepinephrine (NE) responses to the tasks and showed lower levels of cortisol and marginally lower NE responses during recovery. Relative to women, men had high diastolic blood pressure (DBP) responses to the tasks and high SBP, DBP, and E responses during recovery. Gender differences in cardiovascular disease in midlife may be due to gender differences in inability to recover quickly, in addition to enhanced acute-stress response. (PsycINFO Database Record (c) 2010 APA, all rights reserved)     

Haredi women, haredi men, stress and distress

This report examines data from interviews with 179 strictly-orthodox Jews living in London. The impetus was a debate in this journal on the question whether men or women in the strictly-orthodox (haredi) community are more stressed. Many of the observations made in this journal on the quality of life among haredi men and women in Israel were borne out among the strictly-orthodox London Jews interviewed. Quantitatively, severe stress and clinical levels of depression and anxiety were similar among the men and women studied, but women had overall more eventful lives than men, and were more likely to suffer from borderline depression and anxiety--though these differences were only marginally significant. It is suggested that the London sample studied were probably similar to haredim in Israel, and that the findings might therefore be applicable.     

Marital satisfaction, recovery from work, and diurnal cortisol among men and women.

Design: Multilevel modeling was used to model relationships between salivary cortisol, daily diary ratings of work experiences, and Marital Adjustment Test scores (Locke & Wallace, 1959), in a sample of 60 adults who sampled saliva 4 times per day over 3 days. Results: Among women but not men, marital satisfaction was significantly associated with a stronger basal cortisol cycle, with higher morning values and a steeper decline across the day. For women but not men, marital satisfaction moderated the within-subjects association between afternoon and evening cortisol level, such that marital quality appeared to bolster women's physiological recovery from work. For both men and women, evening cortisol was lower than usual on higher-workload days, and marital satisfaction augmented this association among women. Men showed higher evening cortisol after more distressing social experiences at work, an association that was strongest among men with higher marital satisfaction. Conclusion: This work has implications for the study of physiological recovery from work, and also suggests a pathway by which marital satisfaction influences allostatic load and physical health. (PsycINFO Database Record (c) 2010 APA, all rights reserved)     

Time-of-day effects on response of natural killer cells to acute stress in men and women.

Diurnal influences on natural killer (NK) cell changes to acute stress were assessed in 21 men and 21 women assigned to either an acute stress (mental arithmetic) or control task condition. Sessions began at either 8 a.m. or 2 p.m. Number of NK (CD3–CD56+) cells and NK activity were measured at baseline, during the 5-min task, and 60 and 90 min after the task. Both morning and afternoon stress participants had elevated NK cell numbers during the task. After the task, number of NK cells decreased in morning stress participants but remained significantly above baseline levels 60 and 90 min posttask. NK cell numbers in afternoon stress participants decreased to below baseline levels 60 and 90 min after the task. Changes in NK activity were driven primarily by diurnal influences. NK activity increased in all morning participants and stayed increased 60 and 90 min posttask. NK activity of all afternoon participants also increased during the task but dropped below baseline 60 and 90 min later. Greater increases in NK levels and activity during the task were associated with greater heart rate changes. (PsycINFO Database Record (c) 2010 APA, all rights reserved)     

Effects of acute progesterone administration upon responses to acute psychosocial stress in men.

Animal studies suggest that neuroactive steroids, in particular progesterone and its metabolites, have stress-dampening effects. However, few studies have explored these effects in humans. In this study, we investigated the effects of acute progesterone administration on responses to the Trier Social Stress Test (TSST). Healthy men participated in the TSST 3.5 hrs after intramuscular injection of 0, 50, or 100 mg progesterone (N = 16, 14, and 14). We measured cardiovascular (heart rate, blood pressure), hormonal (plasma adrenocorticotrophic hormone, cortisol, and noradrenaline), and subjective (e.g., anxiety, arousal) responses to stress in the three groups. Before the TSST, progesterone injections increased plasma levels without altering physiological or subjective states. Stress produced its expected physiological and subjective effects among placebo-treated individuals. Progesterone 50 mg attenuated peak increases in plasma cortisol and reduced changes in negative mood and alertness after stress, yet it increased plasma noradrenaline and systolic blood pressure. Progesterone 100 mg also attenuated stress-induced increases in alertness and arousal, yet it potentiated stress-induced increases in diastolic pressure. Thus, progesterone dampened some of the psychological effects of stress but produced inconsistent effects on physiological stress responses. (PsycINFO Database Record (c) 2010 APA, all rights reserved)     

A prospective study of psychophysiological arousal, acute stress disorder, and posttraumatic stress disorder.

This study investigated the role of acute arousal in the development of posttraumatic stress disorder (PTSD). Hospitalized motor-vehicle-accident survivors (n?=?146) were assessed for acute stress disorder (ASD) within 1 month of the trauma and were reassessed (n?=?113) for PTSD 6 months posttrauma. Heart rate (HR) and blood pressure (BP) were assessed on the day of hospital discharge. Participants with subclinical ASD had higher HR than those with ASD and no ASD. Participants who developed PTSD had higher HR in the acute posttrauma phase than those without PTSD. Diagnosis of ASD and resting HR accounted for 36% of the variance of the number of PTSD symptoms. A formula composed of a diagnosis of ASD or a resting HR of >90 beats per minute possessed strong sensitivity (88%) and specificity (85%) in predicting PTSD. These findings are discussed in terms of acute arousal and longer term adaptation to trauma. (PsycINFO Database Record (c) 2010 APA, all rights reserved)     

Routine psychophysiological screening of 384 men with erectile dysfunction

BACKGROUND AND OBJECTIVE: To determine the efficacy of combined phacoemulsification--trabeculectomy in preventing early postoperative increases in intraocular pressure (IOP). PATIENTS AND METHODS: Eighty patients were enrolled in a prospective cohort study. Thirty-six patients with cataracts and uncontrolled glaucoma underwent combined phacoemulsification--trabeculectomy, and 44 patients with cataracts underwent phacoemulsification alone. The operations were performed in a standardized manner by one surgeon. IOP was measured at 4 hours, 1 day, and 7 days after surgery. The need for intervention (digital massage, medications) and the presence of complications were documented. RESULTS: Four hours after surgery, 5.5% of patients undergoing the combined procedure had IOPs greater than 30 mm Hg, compared with 22.7% of phacoemulsification patients (P < .05). No significant difference in IOP was found between the groups at postoperative day 1 or day 7. CONCLUSION: These results suggest that combined phacoemulsification-trabeculectomy protects against early postoperative elevations in IOP. This finding may influence the surgical management of cataracts in patients with poorly controlled glaucoma and significant compromise of visual field or optic nerve.     

Subjective responses to intravenous nicotine: Greater sensitivity in women than in men.

Although approximately 45% of smokers in the United States are women, the influence of sex on nicotine dependence remains incompletely understood. Evidence from preclinical and clinical studies has indicated that there are significant sex differences in nicotine's effects. The authors' goal in this report was to determine whether men and women differ in their acute response to intravenous nicotine, which has not been examined in previous studies. Twelve male and 12 female smokers received saline followed by 0.5 mg/70 kg and 1.0 mg /70 kg nicotine intravenously. In response to nicotine, women, as compared with men, had enhanced ratings for drug strength, head rush, and bad effects. Women and men experienced similar suppression of smoking urges by nicotine as assessed by the Brief Questionnaire on Smoking Urges. Nicotine-induced heart rate and systolic and diastolic blood pressure increases were also similar in magnitude in men and women. The findings, consistent with those of several previous studies, support greater sensitivity of female smokers to some but not all of the subjective effects of nicotine. Further studies are warranted to examine the role of this differential nicotine sensitivity to development of nicotine dependence and response to nicotine replacement treatments in men and women. (PsycINFO Database Record (c) 2010 APA, all rights reserved)     

Cognitive coping strategies and blood pressure responses to real-life stress in healthy young men.

10 high- and 10 low-self-focused-coping (SFC) male college students (aged 18–22 yrs) were tested with ambulatory blood pressure (BP) monitoring on 2 typical schooldays, one of which included an examination. The high-SFC Ss (those who tend to keep to themselves and/or blame themselves in stressful situations) showed higher BP responses on the exam day, not only during the exam, but also during other activities throughout the same day, including evening rest. Results are discussed in terms of the relation between psychological and physiological responding. (PsycINFO Database Record (c) 2010 APA, all rights reserved)     

Differential subjective and psychophysiological responses to socially and nonsocially generated emotional stimuli.

Sociality may determine the subjective experience and physiological response to emotional stimuli. Film segments induced socially and nonsocially generated emotions. Comedy (social positive), bereavement (social negative), pizza scenes (nonsocial positive), and wounded bodies (nonsocial negative) elicited four distinct emotional patterns. Per subjective report, joy, sadness, appetite, and disgust were elicited by the targeted stimulus condition. The social/nonsocial dimension influenced which emotional valence(s) elicited a skin conductance response, a finding that could not be explained by differences in subjective arousal. Heart rate deceleration was more responsive to nonsocially generated emotions. Taken together, these findings suggest that sociality affects the physiological profile of responses to emotional valence. (PsycINFO Database Record (c) 2010 APA, all rights reserved)     

Impact of work on women at midlife.

Examined the impact of employment status on the self-esteem, psychological well-being, and physical health of 389 middle-aged (40–59 yrs old) women (206 employed outside the home and 183 homemakers). Ss completed a number of scales of psychological well-being (including the Rosenberg Self-Esteem Scale and the Lack of Depression Scale) from the national survey, The Survey of Modern Living, conducted in 1976. Results indicate that working Ss at midlife had higher self-esteem and less psychological anxiety than homemakers. Working Ss also reported being in better physical health than homemakers. Findings suggest that work may act as a stabilizing force for women during critical periods throughout the life cycle. (14 ref) (PsycINFO Database Record (c) 2010 APA, all rights reserved)     

Muscle oxygenation trends during constant work rate cycle exercise in men and women

Chronic bacterial colonization of the lungs, with an excessive inflammatory response, is the major cause of morbidity and mortality in cystic fibrosis. Lung surfactant exhibits a spectrum of potential immunomodulatory properties: phospholipid components inhibit cellular inflammatory responses, whereas the hydrophilic surfactant proteins A (SP-A) and D (SP-D) are integral components of the innate host defense response of the lungs against bacterial infection. Consequently, alteration to the relative proportions of lung surfactant components may alter the susceptibility of the lungs to bacterial colonization. In this study, bronchoalveolar lavage (BAL) samples were collected at diagnostic fiberoptic bronchoscopy from 11 control children, 13 children with cystic fibrosis, and 11 children with acute lung infection. Electrospray ionization mass spectrometry analysis demonstrated negligible changes to the molecular species or total BAL concentrations of phosphatidylcholine, phosphatidylglycerol, or phosphatidylinositol among the three subject groups. In contrast, median SP-A concentration was decreased (P < 0.001) in the cystic fibrosis group (2.65 microg/ml) compared with control (12.35 microg/ml) and infection (9.76 microg/ml) groups. Median SP-D was also decreased (P < 0.05) in the infection (12.17 ng/ml) compared with the control group (641 ng/ml), and was below assay limits for the majority of cystic fibrosis children (P < 0. 001). This dramatic decrease of hydrophilic surfactant proteins in the presence of normal surfactant phospholipid may be one mechanism underlying the relative ineffectiveness of the cellular inflammatory response in killing invading bacteria in the lungs of patients with cystic fibrosis.     

Patterns of cardiovascular responses to stress as a function of race and parental hypertension in men.

Investigated cardiovascular responses to 12 stressors known to elicit either beta-adrenergic (mental arithmetic) or alpha-adrenergic (forehead cold pressor) reactivity in 27 Black and 29 White normotensive male college undergraduates. Ss in each group were selected for presence or absence of parental hypertension. Based on previous research (e.g., F. M. Abboud and J. W. Eckstein [1966], H. Barcroft et al [1960]) Blacks were expected to show smaller cardiovascular responses to the beta-adrenergic mental arithmetic task and greater responses to the alpha-adrenergic cold pressor relative to the Whites. Unlike previous findings, no significant racial differences in cardiovascular responses were found during either task. However, Black participants had significantly higher systolic blood pressure and diastolic blood pressure levels throughout the cold pressor periods. (PsycINFO Database Record (c) 2010 APA, all rights reserved)