Men and Women React Differently to Stress and Strain

How did the epidemic and the efforts made to manage it influence men and women’s quality of life and mental stress and strain? A team from the University Hospital Würzburg studied this question. The findings have been published in the journal Scientific Reports.

Is anyone still remembering the initial phase of the pandemic in 2020, when shops, restaurants, cinemas, and theaters were closed; when meetings with friends and relatives were forbidden; when school lessons had to be held at home in children’s rooms; and when there was no way to travel?

Most people today appear to have long forgotten these times. Nonetheless, the many public health initiatives implemented by politicians are likely to have caused significant stress for many. Fear for one’s career, worry about sick relatives, the nervous strain when parents and children share a small apartment and must combine home office and homeschooling: all of this had long-term consequences, as countless studies demonstrate.

Anxiety is the most important component

The researchers were interested in the relationship between workplace and other people worries and a person’s own mental health problems—such as anxiety and depression—and their overall quality of life, how these are influenced by support from friends or at work, and whether the results differ between men and women.

The findings are unambiguous. In this complex of different variables and influencing factors, anxiety plays a central part. There are, however, distinct gender-specific differences. “In men, anxiety increases along with concerns about the job, an effect which does not show in women. On the other hand, we were able to register an increase in anxiety levels in women parallel to an increase in their worries about family and friends,” says researcher Grit Hein.

Furthermore, the study found that during such moments, women respond positively to support from friends and family by enjoying an improved quality of life. This phenomena did not manifest in men.

There was a scarcity of data on the impact of gender

Hein is a Professor of Translational Social Neuroscience at the University Hospital’s Clinic and Polyclinic for Psychiatry, Psychosomatics, and Psychotherapy. The work was led by her and her postdoc Martin Weiß.

“In the past, numerous studies have investigated the influence of psychosocial factors such as support from friends and colleagues and financial, professional or personal worries on mental health and the quality of life. Yet, data on whether these correlations are the same for men and women were lacking,” says Hein, explaining the background to the study. Broadening earlier studies, the Würzburg research team has therefore now examined the influence of these factors in relation to gender.

A study involving approximately 2,900 participants

The team gathered the necessary data from a large set of test subjects: the STAAB study participants. This study, which originally focused on the development of cardiovascular disorders, includes a cohort of approximately 5,000 randomly selected volunteers from the general population of Würzburg. The program was spontaneously expanded during the COVID-19 pandemic to incorporate the emotional consequences of the pandemic, the lockdown, and other side effects.

The survey included 2,890 respondents (1,520 women and 1,370 men). Their ages ranged from 34 to 85 years old, with a median age of 60.

They have to take out a lengthy questionnaire regarding their mental health between June and October 2020. They were questioned, among other things, how strongly they felt supported by their social surroundings, coworkers and superiors, and whether they had someone with whom they could discuss their problems. They were also questioned how much stress they felt at work or school because of bans on contact with parents and grandparents. More questions were asked about financial troubles or concerns about them.

To evaluate the data, Hein and her team used network analysis. “Analyses based on a network approach enable a graphical representation of all variables as individual nodes,” Hein explains. Thus, it is possible to identify variables that are particularly related to other variables. The network can, for example, show complex relationships between symptoms of different mental disorders and thus explain possible comorbidities.

The findings correspond to traditional gender standards

The results came as no surprise to Hein and Weiß. “The observation that men are more strongly associated with work while women are more strongly associated with family and friends can be traced back to traditional gender norms and roles,” Hein says. As a result, men are more affected by job insecurity and unemployment, which leads to increased psychological stress.

Women, on the other hand, experience more strain when they feel that they are neglecting their family. It is also plausible that women cope better psychologically when they receive support from friends and family. “This is in line with the traditional female family role, which includes a stronger tendency to maintain close social contacts and to seek social support in order to reduce stress and increase well-being,” says Hein.

Even though these findings are unambiguous, the study leaders point to a number of limitations. The most important, they note, is: “Since the COVID-19 pandemic presented a very specific context, it remains to be clarified whether our results are transferable to general pandemic-independent situations.”

One finding, however, is indisputable, they say, “Our results underline the need to consider social aspects in therapeutic interventions in order to improve the mental health of women and men.”

Source Link