Do you get stressed about your social status? If so, your stroke risk may be higher

Embargoed until: Publicly released: 2022-12-10 03:00

Australia; International; WA

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If you suffer from psychosocial stress, which happens when we believe our social staus is being threatened, you may have an increased risk of having a stroke, according to international scientists, including an Australian. The researchers looked at the health records of 26,812 people from 32 countries, 13,462 of whom had suffered a stroke. Several periods of stress and permanent stress were reported by 2,745 of the stroke patients (20.5%) but by just 1,933 people in the non-stroke group (14.4%). Increased stress at home and at work and recent stressful life events were all linked with an increased risk of stroke, the researchers found. Of the countries investigated, psychosocial stress levels were lowest in China and highest in South East Asia, they say. People who felt the most in control of their lives, both at home and at work, were the least likely to have a stroke, and feeling in control helped offset the risk of stroke from psychosocial stress, the authors say.