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Stressful life events and health among elderly women in Vietnam
Conference presentation

Stressful life events and health among elderly women in Vietnam

Tiet-Hanh Dao-Tran, Debra Anderson and Charrlotte Seib
Aging and Society: The Fifth Interdisciplinary Conference (Washington, USA , 05/11/2015–06/11/2015)
06/11/2015

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Abstract

Aged care nursing Mental health nursing
Background: Exposure to stressful life events has been linked with poor lifestyle behaviours and decrements in health status. Despite improvements in our understanding of the potential impacts of stress on health, knowledge about the sequelae of stressful life events in some population groups, particularly among older women from Southeast Asia, remains limited. This study examines the prevalence and correlates of stressful life events in women aged 60 years and older from Vietnam. Methods: A total of 440 women aged 60 years and older in Vietnam participated in this cross-sectional study. A questionnaire was used to collect data on stressful life events, vegetable and fruit consumption, physical activity, sleeping disturbance, depression, and mental and physical health from older women in Vietnam. Descriptive analysis was used to describe the prevalence of stressful life events, and structural equation modelling statistical analysis was used to model the impact of stressful life events on health among women aged 60 years and older in Vietnam. Findings: This study found that older women in Vietnam experienced a variety of stressful life events, including loss of a loved person, miscarriage, serious money problems, and caring for someone with a serious health issue, etc. Event exposure not only directly influenced mental health (β = -0.12, p <0.05) but also indirectly influenced both mental and physical health by increasing physical activity level (β = 0.13, p <0.05) and depression level (β = 0.25, p <0.05). Conclusions: This study suggested that stress is likely to impact women’s health through a variety of pathways, and further research and service provision are necessary to promote Vietnamese women’s health.

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