@article{ref1,
title="Sex differences and psychological stress: responses to the COVID-19 pandemic in China",
journal="BMC public health",
year="2021",
author="Luo, Dan and Kavcic, Voyko and Stratton, Terry D. and Xu, Rui and Yan, Shiyan and Jiang, Yang and Song, Kangxing and Jiao, Rong and Bi, Fengying and Hou, Fengsu",
volume="21",
number="1",
pages="e79-e79",
abstract="BACKGROUND: About 83,000 COVID-19 patients were confirmed in China up to May 2020. Amid the well-documented threats to physical health, the effects of this public  health crisis - and the varied efforts to contain its spread - have altered  individuals' &quot;normal&quot; daily functioning. These impacts on social, psychological, and  emotional well-being remain relatively unexplored - in particular, the ways in which  Chinese men and women experience and respond to potential behavioral stressors. Our  study investigated sex differences in psychological stress, emotional reactions, and  behavioral responses to COVID-19 and related threats among Chinese residents. <br><br>METHODS: In late February (2020), an anonymous online questionnaire was disseminated  via WeChat, a popular social media platform in China. The cross-sectional study  utilized a non-probabilistic &quot;snowball&quot; or convenience sampling of residents from  various provinces and regions of China. Basic demographic characteristics (e.g., age  and gender) - along with residential living arrangements and conditions - were  measured along with psychological stress and emotional responses to the COVID-19  pandemic. <br><br>RESULTS: Three thousand eighty-eight questionnaires were returned: 1749  females (56.6%) and 1339 males (43.4%). The mean stress level,as measured by a  visual analog scale, was 3.4 (SD = 2.4) - but differed significantly by sex. Besides  sex, factors positively associated with stress included: age (< 45 years),  employment (unsteady income, unemployed), risk of infection (exposureto COVID-19,  completed medical observation), difficulties encountered (diseases, work/study,  financial, mental), and related behaviors (higher desire for COVID-19 knowledge,  more time concerning on the COVID-19 outbreak). &quot;Protective&quot; factors included  frequent contact with colleagues, calmness of mood comparing with the pre-pandemic,  and psychological resilience. Males and females also differed significantly in  adapting to current living/working, conditions, responding to run a fever, and  needing psychological support services. <br><br>CONCLUSIONS: The self-reported stress of  Chinese residents related to the COVID-19 pandemic was significantly related to sex,  age, employment, resilience and coping styles. Future responses to such public  health threats may wish to provide sex- and/or age-appropriate supports for  psychological health and emotional well-being to those at greatest risk of  experiencing stress.<p /> <p>Language: en</p>",
language="en",
issn="1471-2458",
doi="10.1186/s12889-020-10085-w",
url="http://dx.doi.org/10.1186/s12889-020-10085-w"
}