Work Stress and Chest Pain in Men and Women Under Age 65

Abstract

The object of the present study was to examine the work stress profiles of men and women suffering from angina-like chest pain previous to retirement. The study was performed in Sweden, where 48% of the working population are women. Twins were observed so that the contribution of psychosocial variables could be examined after the removal of the variance in angina-like chest pain accounted for by heredity. However, no evidence of heritability was found. Three different measures of occupational strain were employed in order to obtain both subjective and objective measures of career strain. With respect to traditional ischemie heart disease risk factors, both men and women with angina smoked more than those without it, and women with angina had a higher body mass index than those without. Both men and women with angina also had higher Type A scores. However, both subjectively- and objectively-defined occupational Stressors were much more prominent in the profiles of men who had angina. These data suggest that traditional sex roles are important in mediating the consequences of occupational Stressors.