Giving to Others and the Association Between Stress and Mortality

Bibliographic Data

ID11022678
AuthorsMichael J Poulin (0000-0002-4182-4837, Michael J. Poulin is with the Department of Psychology, University at Buffalo, Buffalo, NY. Stephanie L. Brown and Dylan M. Smith are with the Department of Preventive Medicine, Stony Brook University, Stony Brook, NY. Amanda J. Dillard is with the Department of Psychology, Grand Valley State University, Allendale, MI.), Stephanie L Brown (0000-0001-7117-679X, Michael J. Poulin is with the Department of Psychology, University at Buffalo, Buffalo, NY. Stephanie L. Brown and Dylan M. Smith are with the Department of Preventive Medicine, Stony Brook University, Stony Brook, NY. Amanda J. Dillard is with the Department of Psychology, Grand Valley State University, Allendale, MI.), Amanda J Dillard (0000-0002-1946-6420, Michael J. Poulin is with the Department of Psychology, University at Buffalo, Buffalo, NY. Stephanie L. Brown and Dylan M. Smith are with the Department of Preventive Medicine, Stony Brook University, Stony Brook, NY. Amanda J. Dillard is with the Department of Psychology, Grand Valley State University, Allendale, MI.), Dylan M Smith (0000-0003-3303-4840, Michael J. Poulin is with the Department of Psychology, University at Buffalo, Buffalo, NY. Stephanie L. Brown and Dylan M. Smith are with the Department of Preventive Medicine, Stony Brook University, Stony Brook, NY. Amanda J. Dillard is with the Department of Psychology, Grand Valley State University, Allendale, MI.)
Year2013
Volume103
Issue9
Pages1649-1655
Publication date2013-09-01
Peer ReviewedYes
Open AccessNo
TypeARTICLE
VenueAmerican Journal of Public Health (JOURNAL)
Journal identifiersISSN: 0090-0036 • E-ISSN: 1541-0048
PublisherAmerican Public Health Association (PUBLISHER • US)
DOI10.2105/ajph.2012.300876
PMID23327269
PMCIDPMC3780662
OpenAlexW2139344121
LanguageEN
Citations received43
References cited44

Objectives. We sought to test the hypothesis that providing help to others predicts a reduced association between stress and mortality. Methods. We examined data from participants (n = 846) in a study in the Detroit, Michigan, area. Participants completed baseline interviews that assessed past-year stressful events and whether the participant had provided tangible assistance to friends or family members. Participant mortality and time to death was monitored for 5 years by way of newspaper obituaries and monthly state death-record tapes. Results. When we adjusted for age, baseline health and functioning, and key psychosocial variables, Cox proportional hazard models for mortality revealed a significant interaction between helping behavior and stressful events (hazard ratio [HR] = 0.58; P Conclusions. Helping others predicted reduced mortality specifically by buffering the association between stress and mortality

Association (psychology) · Confidence interval · Hazard ratio · Proportional hazards model · Psychiatry · Psychosocial · Cardiac Health and Mental Health · Death Anxiety and Social Exclusion · Demography · Health disparities and outcomes · Internal Medicine · Medicine · Psychology · Gerontology

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