Skip to main content
SpringerLink
Log in

An empirical study of the diathesis-stress theory of disease

  • Published:
International Journal of Stress Management

Abstract

One thousand, one hundred and twenty-one Jewish concentration camp survivors were compared with 367 Jewish controls who had not been in a concentration camp, and had not lost any family members in such a camp. Of interest was the mortality of camp and comparison groups, on the hypothesis that the stress of being in a camp would adversely affect inmates. It was found that former camp inmates were over twice as likely to die of cancer, coronary heart diesease, or other causes as the comparison subjects of similar age and sex composition, and that severity of stress was correlated with mortality in the expected direction. Diathesis, determined by means of a special interviewer-administrated questionnaire, was found to interact synergistically with stress in producing high mortality.

This is a preview of subscription content, log in via an institution to check access.

Access this article

Log in via an institution

Price excludes VAT (USA)
Tax calculation will be finalised during checkout.

Instant access to the full article PDF.

Institutional subscriptions

Similar content being viewed by others

References

  • Bahnson, C. B. (1969). Psychophysiological complementarity malignancies: Past work and future vistas.Annals of the New York Academy of Sciences, 164, 319–337.

    PubMed  Google Scholar 

  • Bahnson, C. B. (1976). Emotional and personality characteristics of cancer patients. In A. I. Southick & P. Engstrom (Eds.),Oncological medicine (pp. 357–378). Baltimore: University Park Press.

    Google Scholar 

  • Bahnson, C. B. (1980). Stress and cancer: The state of the art.Psychosomatics, 21, 975–981;22, 207–220.

    PubMed  Google Scholar 

  • Bahnson, C. B., & Bahnson, M. B. (1966). Role of ego defences: Denial and repression in the etiology of malignant neoplasms.Annals of the New York Academy of Sciences, 125, 827–845.

    PubMed  Google Scholar 

  • Bolger, N., & Schilling, E. (1992). Personality and the problems of everyday life: The role of neuroticism in exposure and reactivity to daily stress.Journal of Personality, 59, 355–380.

    Google Scholar 

  • Cooper, C. L. (Ed.). (1983).Stress research. New York: Wiley.

    Google Scholar 

  • Cooper, C. L. (Ed.). (1984).Stress, immunity and aging. New York: Dekker.

    Google Scholar 

  • Cooper, C. L., & Watson, M. (Eds.). (1991).Cancer and stress. New York: Wiley.

    Google Scholar 

  • Dalgleish, T., & Watts, F. N. (1990). Biases of attention and memory in disorders of anxiety and depression.Clinical Psychology Review, 10, 589–604.

    Google Scholar 

  • Eaves, L. J., Eysenck, H. J., & Martin, N. (1989).Genes, culture and personality. New York: Academic Press.

    Google Scholar 

  • Eysenck, H. J. (1976).Sexual personality. London: Open Books.

    Google Scholar 

  • Eysenck, H. J. (1980).The causes and effects of smoking. London: Maurice Temple Smith.

    Google Scholar 

  • Eysenck, H. J. (1988). The respective importance of personality, cigarette smoking and interaction effects for the genesis of cancer and coronary heart disease.Personality and Individual Differences, 9, 453–464.

    Google Scholar 

  • Eysenck, H. J. (1990). Type A behavior and coronary heart disease: The third stage.Journal of Social Behavior and Personality, 5, 25–44.

    Google Scholar 

  • Eysenck, H. J. (1991).Smoking, personality and stress: Psychosocial factors in the prevention of cancer and coronary heart disease. New York: Springer Verlag.

    Google Scholar 

  • Eysenck, H. J. (1993). Prediction of cancer and coronary heart disease mortality by means of a personality inventory: Results of a 15-year follow-up study.Psychological Reports, 72, 499–516.

    PubMed  Google Scholar 

  • Eysenck, H. J., & Martin, I. (Eds.). (1987).Theoretical foundations of behavior therapy. New York: Plenum Press.

    Google Scholar 

  • Eysenck, H. J., Grossarth-Maticek, R., & Everitt, B. (1991). Personality, stress, smoking and genetic predisposition as synergistic risk factors for cancer and coronary heart disease.Integrative Physiological and Behavioural Sciences, 26, 309–322.

    Google Scholar 

  • Friedman, H. S., & Booth-Kewley, S. (1987a). The “disease-prone personality”.American Psychologist, 42, 534–555.

    Google Scholar 

  • Friedman, H. S., & Booth-Kewley, S. (1987b). Personality, Type A behavior, and coronary heart disease. The role of emotional expression.Journal of Personality and Social Psychology, 53, 783–792.

    PubMed  Google Scholar 

  • Friedman, M., & Rosenman, R. H. (1959). Association of specific overt behavior patterns with blood and cardiovascular findings.Journal of the American Medical Association, 169, 1286–1296.

    PubMed  Google Scholar 

  • Gottesman, I. I. (1991).Schizophrenia genesis: The origins of madness. New York: W.H. Freeman.

    Google Scholar 

  • Grossarth-Maticek, R. (1979).Soziales Verhalten und die Krebserkrankung. Basel: Beltz.

    Google Scholar 

  • Grossarth-Maticek, R. (1980). Synergistic effects of cigarette smoking, systolic blood pressure, and psychosocial risk factors for lung cancer, cardiac infarct and Apoplexy Cerebris.Psychotherapy and Psychosomatics, 34, 267–272.

    PubMed  Google Scholar 

  • Grossarth-Maticek, R. (1986). Psychosoziale Verhaltenstypen und chronische Erkrankungen.Der Kassenarzt, 39, 26–35.

    Google Scholar 

  • Grossarth-Maticek, R. (1989). Disposition, Exposition, Verhaltensmuster, Organverschaedigung und Stimulierung des zentralen Nervensystems in der Aetilogie des Bronchial-, Magen- und Leber Karzinoma.Deutsche Zeitschrift fuer Onkologie, 21, 62–78.

    Google Scholar 

  • Grossarth-Maticek, R., & Eysenck, H. J. (1989). Is media information that smoking causes illness a self-fulfilling prophecy?Psychological Reports, 65, 177–178.

    PubMed  Google Scholar 

  • Grossarth-Maticek, R., & Eysenck, H. J. (1990). Personality, stress and disease: Description and validation of a new inventory.Psychological Reports, 66, 355–373.

    PubMed  Google Scholar 

  • Grossarth-Maticek, R., & Eysenck, H. J. (1991). Personality, stress, and motivational factors in drinking as determinants of risk for cancer and coronary heart disease.Psychological Reports, 69, 1027–1043.

    PubMed  Google Scholar 

  • Grossarth-Maticek, R., Eysenck, H. J., & Vetter, H. (1988). Personality type, smoking habit and their interaction as predictors of cancer and coronary heart disease.Personality and Individual Differences, 9, 479–495.

    Google Scholar 

  • Grossarth-Maticek, R., Eysenck, H. J., Uhlenbruck, G., Rieder, H., Vetter, H., Freeseman, C., Rakic, L., Gallasch, G., Kanazir, D. T., & Liesen, N. (1990). Sport activity and personality as elements in preventing cancer and coronary heart disease.Perceptual and Motor Skills, 71, 199–209.

    PubMed  Google Scholar 

  • Henry, J. P. (1992). Biological basis of the stress response.Integrative Physiological and Behavioral Science, 27, 66–83.

    PubMed  Google Scholar 

  • Herbert, T. B., & Cohen, S. (1993). Depression and immunity: A meta-analytic review.Psychological Bulletin, 113, 472–486.

    PubMed  Google Scholar 

  • Jerusalem, M. (1993). Personal resources, environmental constraints, and adaptation of processes: The predictive power of a theoretical stress model.Personality and Individual Differences, 14, 15–24.

    Google Scholar 

  • Kendler, K. S., & Eaves, L. (1986). Models for the joint effect of genotype and environment on liability to psychiatric illness.American Journal of Psychiatry, 143, 279–289.

    PubMed  Google Scholar 

  • Kendler, K. S., Kessler, R. C., Heath, A. C., Neale, M. C., & Eaves, L. (1991). Coping: A genetic epidemiological investigation.Psychological Medicine, 21, 337–376.

    PubMed  Google Scholar 

  • Kissen, D. M. (1964a). Relationship between lung cancer, cigarette smoking, inhalation and personality.British Journal of Medical Psychology, 37, 203–216.

    PubMed  Google Scholar 

  • Kissen, D. M. (1964b). Lung cancer, inhalation and personality. In D. M. Kissen & L. L. Le Shan (Eds.),Psychosomatic aspects of neuroplastic disease. New York: Macmillan.

    Google Scholar 

  • Kissen, D. M., & Eyseck, H. J. (1962). Personality in male lung cancer patients.Journal of Psychosomatic Research, 6, 123–137.

    PubMed  Google Scholar 

  • Lazarus, R. S., & Folkman, S. (1984).Stress, approach, and coping. New York: Springer.

    Google Scholar 

  • Le Shan, L. (1961). A basic psychological orientation apparently associated with neoplastic disease.Psychiatric Quarterly, 35, 314–330.

    PubMed  Google Scholar 

  • Le Shan, L. (1977).You can fight for your life: Emotional factors in the causation of cancer. New York: M. Evans.

    Google Scholar 

  • McGuigan, F. J., Sime, W. E., & Wallace, J. M. (1984).Stress and tension control (Vol. 2). New York: Plenum.

    Google Scholar 

  • Metalsky, G. I., & Joiner, T. E. (1992). Vulnerability to depressive symptomatology: A prospective test of the diathesis-stress and causal mediation components of the hopelessness theory of depression.Journal of Personality and Social Psychology, 63, 667–675.

    PubMed  Google Scholar 

  • Norfolk, D. (1977).Executive stress. London: Executive Business Programmes.

    Google Scholar 

  • Perrewe, P. (Ed.). (1991). Job stress.Journal of Social Behaviour and Personality, 6 (Special Issue).

  • Plomin, R., Lichtenstein, P., Pedersen, N., & McClean, G. (1990). Genetic influence on life events.Psychology and Ageing, 5, 25–30.

    Google Scholar 

  • Price, V. A. (1982).Type A behavior patterns. New York: Academic Press.

    Google Scholar 

  • Rende, R., & Plomin, R. (1992). Diathesis-stress model of psychopathology: A quantitative genetic perspective.Applied and Preventive Psychology, 1, 177–182.

    Google Scholar 

  • Roger, D., Jarvis, G., & Najarian, B. (1993). Detachment and coping: The construction and validation of a new scale for measuring coping strategies.Personality and Individual Differences, 15, 619–626.

    Google Scholar 

  • Schmale, A. H., & Iker, N. (1971). Hopelessness as a predictor of cervical cancer.Social Science and Medicine, 5, 95–100.

    Google Scholar 

  • Schmitz, P. G. (1992). Personality, stress-reactions and disease.Personality and Individual Differences, 13, 683–691.

    Google Scholar 

  • Temoshok, L., & Dreher, H. (1992).The Type C connection. New York: Random House.

    Google Scholar 

  • Torgersen, S. (1979). The nature and origin of common phobic fears.British Journal of Psychiatry, 134, 343–351.

    PubMed  Google Scholar 

Download references

Author information

Authors and Affiliations

  1. Institute for Preventive Medicine, European Centre for Peace & Development (University for Peace, established by the United Nations), Heidelberg, Germany

    R. Grossarth-Maticek

  2. Institute of Psychiatry, University of London, Denmark Hill, SE5 8AF, London, England

    H. J. Eysenck

  3. Bond University, Goldcoast, Queensland, Australia

    G. J. Boyle

Authors
  1. R. Grossarth-Maticek
    View author publications

    You can also search for this author in PubMed Google Scholar

  2. H. J. Eysenck
    View author publications

    You can also search for this author in PubMed Google Scholar

  3. G. J. Boyle
    View author publications

    You can also search for this author in PubMed Google Scholar

Rights and permissions

Reprints and permissions

About this article

Cite this article

Grossarth-Maticek, R., Eysenck, H.J. & Boyle, G.J. An empirical study of the diathesis-stress theory of disease. Int J Stress Manage 1, 3–18 (1994). https://doi.org/10.1007/BF01857280

Download citation

  • Issue Date:

  • DOI: https://doi.org/10.1007/BF01857280

Key Words

Search

Navigation