Stressed people 'may be at risk'
Stress has long been linked with various medical problems and the global financial crisis has seen tension levels rise at an unprecedented rate.
Now, new research suggests that people whose personality traits are associated with chronic worrying and stress may be at risk of suffering an earlier death.
Healthcare specialists at Purdue University in West Lafayette, Indiana, have found that people who tend to stress and worry are placing themselves in danger, mainly because the condition may make them take part in risky activities.
The researchers claim that these individuals are more likely to take up health-damaging habits such as smoking, excessive drinking and other unhealthy behaviour.
Only last week, experts at Cancer Research UK stated that cigarettes and alcohol have played a key role in the rise of deadly mouth cancer cases.
Dr Daniel Mroczek, a professor of child development and family studies at Purdue University, said that private health insurance holders should aim to avoid stressful situations and attempt to resolve issues before they get out of hand.
"Research shows that higher levels of neuroticism can lead to earlier mortality and we wanted to know why. We found that having worrying tendencies or being the kind of person who stresses easily is likely to lead to bad behaviours," he elaborated.
He added that the work is a vital reminder that "high levels of some personality traits can be hazardous to one's physical health".
The specialist gained the results from analysing 1,788 men and their smoking behaviour and personality traits over a 30-year period from 1975 and found that anxiety was a key factor in them taking up the habit and therefore increasing their mortality risk.
Dr Mroczek added that the results of the study may now enable them to ascertain whether affordable health insurance holders with other personality traits are at risk.
"It also may be possible to use personality traits to identify people who, because of their predispositions, are at risk for engaging in poor health behaviours such as smoking or excessive drinking," he explained.
By Stephen Tate
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