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Sex Differences in Health Effects of Family Death or Illness: Are Women More Vulnerable Than Men?

From the Finnish Institute of Occupational Health, Turku, Finland (J.V., A.L., J.P.); Finnish Institute of Occupational Health, Department of Psychology, Helsinki, Finland (M.K., A.V.); University of Helsinki, Department of Psychology, Finland (M.K.); University of Turku, Department of Biostatistics, Turku, Finland (H.H.); Research and Development Centre for Health and Welfare, Helsinki, Finland (M.E.).

Address correspondence and reprint requests to Jussi Vahtera, Finnish Institute of Occupational Health, Hämeenkatu 10, FIN-20500 Turku, Finland. E-mail: jussi.vahtera{at}ttl.fi

Objective: To study sex differences in health after stressful life events in the family.

Method: 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.

Conclusion: Our findings suggest that women are more vulnerable than men in the aftermath of a death or illness in their extended family.

Key Words: sex • life event • sickness absence • health • vulnerability • recovery

Abbreviations: CI = confidence interval; GEE = generalized estimating equations.

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