Sex differences in health effects of family death or illness: are women more vulnerable than men?
OBJECTIVE
To study sex differences in health after stressful life events in the family.


METHODS
We examined the association between a serious event (death or severe illness of spouse, death or severe illness of other family member, death of close relative) and health among 6,095 male and 21,217 female public sector employees in Finland by repeated measures Poisson regression analysis with the generalized estimating equations method. The longitudinal data comprised self-reports of 3,556 events and their timing in 2000 or 2001, monthly sickness absences between 1997 and 2003, and psychiatric morbidity and suboptimal health 0 to 3 months, 4 to 6 months, or 7 to 12 months after the event. Adjustments were made for age, education, and marital status.


RESULTS
Exposure to stressful events was associated with a greater increase in sickness absence and a longer recovery period among women than among men. For the women, death or illness in the family was also associated with self-reported health problems irrespective of the time lag between the event and the measurement of health, whereas for the men, this association was found only in the first months after the event.


CONCLUSIONS
Our findings suggest that women are more vulnerable than men in the aftermath of a death or illness in their extended family.
Finnish Institute of Occupational Health, Turku, Finland. jussi.vahtera@ttl.fi
Jussi
J
Vahtera
Mika
M
Kivimäki
Ari
A
Väänänen
Anne
A
Linna
Jaana
J
Pentti
Hans
H
Helenius
Marko
M
Elovainio
D000041:Absenteeism; D000223:Adaptation, Psychological; D005260:Female; D005387:Finland; D006262:Health; D006304:Health Status; D006801:Humans; D007398:Interpersonal Relations; D008016:Life Change Events; D008137:Longitudinal Studies; D008297:Male; D016012:Poisson Distribution; D012737:Sex Factors; D013315:Stress, Psychological / Q000523:psychology*; D013997:Time Factors