Stress and Strain : How Women And Men React Differently

It would be tough for people of our generation who have lived through COVID-19 to forget those difficult times. The Covid measures by the different governments are now over, but they have caused enormous stress for many of us. The worry about sick near and dear ones, strain due to overcrowding, or fear of a job loss had stressed us.

Many scientists have also studied the influence of psychosocial factors, such as social support from friends and relatives during professional financial or personal issues, on stressful conditions. Yet data on the correlation among these factors, if gender neutral, is missing. Widening the research upon past studies, researchers in Würzburg universities in Germany have now examined the effect of these factors in relation to gender.

The study method:

The research team got the information from a large group of weight, 90 people (1370 men and 1520 women) – the participants of the STAAB cohort study. The participants for a representative are a gender-stratified sample of the general population of Würzburg, Germany. Using psychometric networks, the researchers established “the relation between personal social support, personal and work-related concerns and the interaction with anxiety, depression, and health-related quality of life.”

The study proved that the interplay of psychosocial factors with mental health and health-related quality of life depends on gender.

What is the Significance of the study?

The findings are significant for developing gender-specific mental health interventions to increase resilience in times of crisis. Men usually feel more affected by the job, insecurity, and unemployment, which leads to high psychological strain. On the other hand, women experience more stress if they feel that they are neglecting their family. It is also probable that women with mental stress feel better when they have support from family and friends. It conforms with the traditional role of females in the family, which includes a strong tendency to maintain close social contact and see social support as a defense against stress.