HOW MULTIPLE TYPES OF STRESSORS IMPACT ON HEALTH

Objective: Although many studies have focused on the relationship betw een stress and health, few have examined the impact of multiple types of stressors. The current study investigated the health impact of four stressors: sexual and physical abuse history, lifetime losses and tra umas, turmoil in childhood family, and recent stressful life events. M ethod: The sample included 239 female patients from a referral-based g astroenterology clinic. Results: We found that the four stressors (abu se history, lifetime traumas, turmoil in childhood family, and recent stressful life events) were related to poor health status (eg, more pa in, symptoms, bed disability days, physician visits, functional disabi lity, and psychological distress); together, these stressors accounted for 32% of the variance in overall current health. Furthermore, women who scored high on one type of stressor also tended to have experienc ed other types. Unlike many previous studies, we did not find that soc ial support buffered the effects of stress. Conclusions: This study pr ovides evidence that many different types of stressors independently c ontribute to poor health outcome. Such findings suggest that health pr actitioners and researchers should question patients about histories o f traumatic events, in addition to the examination of the biological a spects of illness, inasmuch as both may have notable effects on health status.