Research ArticleAssociation of Psychosocial Factors With Risk of Chronic Diseases: A Nationwide Longitudinal Study
Section snippets
INTRODUCTION
Noncommunicable diseases (NCDs) are the leading cause of morbidity, mortality, and economic burden worldwide. NCDs are responsible for 40 million deaths each year, equivalent to 70% of all deaths.1 Conventional risk factors for NCDs, including smoking, high blood pressure, and unhealthy diet, may not fully account for the burden of NCDs.2,3 There is an increasing body of evidence linking psychosocial factors to the onset of cardiovascular disease (CVD), cancer, type 2 diabetes mellitus (T2DM),
Study Sample
This study used data from the Household, Income and Labour Dynamics in Australia (HILDA) survey. The HILDA survey commenced in 2001 with a national probability sample of 13,969 individuals residing in 7,682 private dwellings. All members of those households aged ≥15 years constituted the basis of the panel to be interviewed in subsequent waves. Those living in institutions were excluded from the initial survey, but people who move into institutions in subsequent years remain in the sample. The
RESULTS
Table 1 presents a summary of participant characteristics. The mean age at Waves 3 and 13 was 43.9 (SD=15.6) and 45.4 (SD=16.6) years, respectively, in men, and 44.3 (SD=15.9) and 45.0 (SD=16.5) years in women. Of Wave 3 respondents, 25% were born overseas. The incidence of onset of NCDs at Waves 3, 7, 9, and 13 is presented in Table 2.
Tables 3 and 4 show the association between longitudinal change in psychosocial factors and onset of NCDs. In the model adjusted for sociodemographics (Model 2),
DISCUSSION
This study shows that several adverse psychosocial risk factors have sex-specific independent contribution to the onset of NCDs. This study adds to the few large-scale studies on psychosocial factors for NCDs but is unique in that it examines the longitudinal associations of psychosocial factors with NCDs while considering the effect of several other risk factors potentially linked to NCDs.
The results complement findings from previous studies9,12,21 that reported a significant inverse
CONCLUSIONS
The findings suggest that several psychosocial factors have sex-specific associations with NCDs, independent of health and lifestyle factors. SSI, psychological distress, financial stress, personal and parenting stress, and positive life events are significantly associated with the onset of NCDs. The benefits from interventions targeting psychosocial risk factors in terms of reducing the burden of NCDs require further investigation.
ACKNOWLEDGMENTS
This study is based on data set from the Household, Income and Labour Dynamics in Australia (HILDA) survey. The HILDA project was initiated and is funded by the Australian Government Department of Families, Housing, Community Services and Indigenous Affairs and is managed by the Melbourne Institute of Applied Economic and Social Research.
This research received no specific grant from any funding agency in the public, commercial, or not-for-profit sectors.
No financial disclosures have been
REFERENCES (54)
- et al.
The Global Burden of Disease Study and the preventable burden of NCD
Glob Heart
(2016) - et al.
The epidemiology, pathophysiology, and management of psychosocial risk factors in cardiac practice: the emerging field of behavioral cardiology
J Am Coll Cardiol
(2005) Behavioral cardiology: current advances and future directions
J Am Coll Cardiol
(2014)- et al.
Contribution of risk factors to excess mortality in isolated and lonely individuals: an analysis of data from the UK Biobank cohort study
Lancet Public Health
(2017) - et al.
Financial hardship, socio-economic position and depression: results from the PATH Through Life Survey
Soc Sci Med
(2009) - et al.
Social relationships, loneliness, and mental health among older men and women in Ireland: a prospective community-based study
J Affect Disord
(2016) Excess weight and multimorbidity: putting people's health experience in risk factor epidemiology
Lancet Public Health
(2017)- et al.
An overview of systematic reviews on the public health consequences of social isolation and loneliness
Public Health
(2017) - et al.
Social relations, depressive symptoms, and incident type 2 diabetes mellitus: the English Longitudinal Study of Ageing
Diabetes Res Clin Pract
(2017) - et al.
Psychological distress and premature mortality in the general population: a prospective study
Ann Epidemiol
(2004)
Association of psychosocial risk factors with risk of acute myocardial infarction in 11,119 cases and 13,648 controls from 52 countries (the INTERHEART study): case-control study
Lancet
Psychological distress across the life course and cardiometabolic risk: findings from the 1958 British Birth Cohort Study
J Am Coll Cardiol
Bidirectional associations between clinically relevant depression or anxiety and COPD: a systematic review and meta-analysis
Chest
Excess heart-disease-related mortality in a national study of patients with mental disorders: identifying modifiable risk factors
Gen Hosp Psychiatry
Global, regional, and national life expectancy, all-cause mortality, and cause-specific mortality for 249 causes of death, 1980–2015: a systematic analysis for the Global Burden of Disease Study 2015
Lancet
Psychosocial factors and risk of hypertension: the Coronary Artery Risk Development in Young Adults (CARDIA) study
JAMA
Psychological distress and incidence of type 2 diabetes in high-risk and low-risk populations: the Whitehall II Cohort Study
Diabetes Care
Psychosocial risk factors for cardiovascular disease: more than one culprit at work
JAMA
Psychosocial risk factors in relation to other cardiovascular risk factors in coronary heart disease: results from the EUROASPIRE IV survey. A registry from the European Society of Cardiology
Eur J Prev Cardiol
Psychological distress, physical illness, and risk of coronary heart disease
J Epidemiol Commun Health
Psychological distress as a risk factor for coronary heart disease in the Whitehall II Study
Int J Epidemiol
Socially isolated individuals are more prone to have newly diagnosed and prevalent type 2 diabetes mellitus - the Maastricht study
BMC Public Health
Gender-related differences in the association between socioeconomic status and self-reported diabetes
Int J Epidemiol
Longitudinal and cross-sectional weighting methodology for the HILDA survey, HILDA project technical paper series no. 2/12
Impact of physical activity on psychological distress: a prospective analysis of an Australian national sample
Am J Public Health
National strategic framework for chronic conditions
Cited by (12)
Network Support and Negative Life Events Associated With Chronic Cardiometabolic Disease Outcomes
2022, American Journal of Preventive MedicineCitation Excerpt :Ample evidence of plausible biological pathways links post-traumatic stress with premature onset of CMDs via inflammation and accelerated aging.7–9 In addition to more severe forms of trauma and distress, research underscores the potential for stress from common sources, including work and family strain,10–12 financial stress,13 and loss of a spouse,14 to contribute to CMDs, especially among older adults. Yet, psychosocial distress and negative life stressors occur often among younger adults as well.15
Health-related quality of life in patients with inborn errors of immunity: a bibliometric analysis
2024, Frontiers in ImmunologyDepression and Anxiety Trajectories in Chronic Disease: A Systematic Review and Meta-Analysis
2023, Psychotherapy and PsychosomaticsPrevalence of Substance Use Disorders in Sickle Cell Disease Compared to Other Chronic Conditions: a Population-Based Study of Black American Adults
2023, Journal of General Internal MedicineAre social isolation, lack of social support or loneliness risk factors for cardiovascular disease in Australia and New Zealand? A systematic review and meta-analysis
2022, Health Promotion Journal of Australia