Stress across the lifecourse and adult mental and physical health outcomes.

Introduction: Economic, social, and traumatic stressors have been shown to impact mental and physical health. Few studies have considered whether different domains of stressors have a differential effect on health outcomes or have considered stressors across the lifecourse. We characterize stress cumulatively (life stress) and across different domains and examine their relation to adult mental and physical health using prospectively collected data from the DISPAR study.

Methods: At 4 timepoints (birth, age 9, 15, and 50), economic, relational, and traumatic stressors were assessed, and interviews were conducted between 1959 and 2012. Experiences of major discrimination were assessed at age 50. Life stress scores and domain-specific stress scores, (occurring in either childhood or adulthood), were created. The Kessler distress scale, self-reported health, and objective measured allostatic load (AL) were assessed at age 50.

Results: Adjusting for race and sex, life stress was associated with all 3 outcomes. Domain-specific analysis showed that only SES stressors impacted all outcomes (poorer self-rated health, higher distress, and higher AL). Relational stress was associated with distress only; experiences of discrimination were associated with poor self-rated health and distress.

Conclusion: Stressors across the lifecourse have been proposed to affect wear and tear on multiple bodily systems and to affect multiple health outcomes. Our empirical test supported this hypothesis in a 50-year old cohort and in particular the impact of economic stress across physical and mental health outcomes.