Elsevier

Women's Health Issues

Volume 24, Issue 1, January–February 2014, Pages e43-e52
Women's Health Issues

Original article
Stress, Lifestyle, and Quality of Life in Midlife and Older Australian Women: Results From the Stress and the Health of Women Study

https://doi.org/10.1016/j.whi.2013.11.004Get rights and content

Abstract

Background

Chronic psychological stress may pose a serious threat to health, although the mechanisms are not fully understood. This study examines the impact of stress on modifiable lifestyle factors, depressive symptoms, health-related quality of life (HRQOL) and chronic illness in older Australian women.

Methods

Cross-sectional data were collected from a random sample of 181 older adults aged 60 to 70 years from rural and urban areas of South-East Queensland, Australia. We used structural equation modelling to examine associations between stress, modifiable lifestyle factors, HRQOL, and chronic illness.

Findings

Parameter estimates show that older women who reported life stressors where they felt helpless and feared for their life (high-magnitude stressors) also reported higher body mass index (p = .03) and more chronic illness (p < .01). In contrast, duration of exposure to life stressors was associated with higher depressive symptom scores (Center for Epidemiologic Studies Depression Scale; p = .02) and sleep disturbance scores (p < .01).

Conclusions

Our findings support the link between traumatic personal histories (exposure to high-magnitude stressors) and unhealthy lifestyle factors. Findings highlight the need for more research on how stress reduction, a healthy lifestyle, and positive coping strategies can be used to reduce the effects of high-magnitude stress on HRQOL and chronic illness.

Section snippets

Participants

In 2001, a random sample of 869 women aged 45 to 60 years was selected from the Queensland electoral roll and invited to participate in the longitudinal Healthy Aging of Women study. Participating women were followed up in 2006, 2011, and again in 2012 (further detailed elsewhere). This paper presents cross-sectional data from 181 older women participating in the Stress and the Health of Women study, a study stemming from the Healthy Aging of Women study, in 2012.

Measures

Quantitative data were

Descriptive Statistics

The demographic characteristics of women are presented in Table 1. The average age of women in this study was 66 years (SD = 3.2). Similar proportions of women currently resided in urban (53%; n = 95) and rural/regional (47%; n = 84) areas of Queensland. Most participants were Australian born (91%; n = 162), and the majority of participants (76%; n = 136) were married or living with a partner. Women indicated their highest educational achievement, two thirds of women had completed junior (53%; n

Discussion

This study theorized that exposure to stressful life events increased sleep disturbance and health-compromising behaviors, reduced quality of life, and increased risk of chronic illness. We hypothesized that there may be several pathways by which stress negatively impacts on health and well-being. To some extent, our data support the theory; exposure to one or more stressful life experiences (particularly high-magnitude stressors) was associated with more health-compromising behaviors and worse

Acknowledgments

The authors thank the women who participated in this study.

Charrlotte Seib, PhD, is an early career researcher (ECR) in the Institute of Health and Biomedical Innovation at Queensland University of Technology (QUT). Her primary interest is on the impact of stress on women's health and wellbeing.

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    Charrlotte Seib, PhD, is an early career researcher (ECR) in the Institute of Health and Biomedical Innovation at Queensland University of Technology (QUT). Her primary interest is on the impact of stress on women's health and wellbeing.

    Eliza Whiteside, PhD, is an ECR in the field of biochemistry, cell and molecular biology. Her primary focus is on the effects of altered hormonal milieu on breast cell biology and subsequent breast cancer development.

    Kathryn Lee, RN, CBSM, PhD, FAAN, is a Professor of Nursing, Associate Dean for Research, and the James and Marjorie Livingston Endowed Chair in the Department of Family Health Care Nursing at the University of California, San Francisco.

    Janice Humphreys, PhD, RN, FAAN, is the Associate Dean for Academic Affairs at Duke University School of Nursing. Her research focuses on the health effects of intimate partner violence on women and their children.

    Tiet Hanh Dao Tran, MN, is a PhD student within the Women's Wellness Research Program at QUT. Her research focuses on cross-cultural differences in women's health following exposure to stressful life experiences.

    Lisa Chopin, PhD, is an Associate Professor and the Ghrelin Group Leader within the Cells and Tissues Domain at QUT. Her interests include ghrelin function and signalling mechanisms and the role of the ghrelin axis in breast, ovarian and prostate cancer.

    Debra Anderson, PhD, is a Professor in Nursing, Director of Research, and the Director of the Women's Wellness Research Program at QUT. Her primary focus is in the development, implementation and evaluation of interventions to promote women's health.

    Funding for this research was received from the Institute of Health and Biomedical Innovation Early Career Researcher Grant Scheme (Queensland University of Technology) and Institute of Health and Biomedical Innovation Collaborative Grants scheme (Queensland University of Technology) to CS and EW.

    Disclosure Statement: No competing financial interests exist.

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