Centre for Policy on Ageing



Stress in the life course — a life history approach
Author(s)	Walter M Ensel, M Kristen Peek, Nan Lin
Journal title	Journal of Aging and Health, vol 8, no 3, August 1996
Pages	pp 389-416
Keywords	Anxiety ; Depression ; Stress ; Health [elderly] ; Life span ; Longitudinal surveys ; United States of America.
Annotation	The study of the relationship between stress and distress has grown significantly in the last three decades, and more recently, attention has focused on measurement issues in life event research. This study examined the effects of stressors, occurring over a 15-year period, on psychological distress in three age groups, using a life course perspective. Stressors were conceptualised as either distal or proximal based on how recently they occurred. Results showed that life events, such as divorce, occurring as long as 15 years earlier can still have a significant and independent impact on current states of well-being. Other events, such as health events, were found to have short incubation periods with regard to their impact on psychological distress. The study concluded that reactions to life events vary across the life course, and that the significance of stressors in explaining depression increases with ageing.
Accession Number	CPA-980116405 A
Classmark	ENP: ENR: QNH: CC: BG6: 3J: 7T
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...from the Ageinfo database published by Centre for Policy on Ageing.