Study shows differences between men and women's reaction to stress

Published

2 years ago

July 31, 2023

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Reviewed by Danielle Ellis, B.Sc. Jul 31 2023

Does anyone still remember the initial phase of the Corona pandemic in 2020? When shops, restaurants, cinemas, and theatres remained closed. When meetings with friends and relatives were prohibited. When school lessons had to take place at home in the children's rooms. When there was no question of traveling.

Presently, most people seem to have long forgotten these times. Yet, the various corona measures taken by politicians are likely to have caused enormous stress for many. The fear for the job, the worry about sick relatives, the nervous strain when parents and children sit together in a small apartment and have to reconcile home office and homeschooling: All this has not remained without effects, as numerous studies show. The crucial factor is anxiety

How and to what extent have these experiences affected the mental health and quality of life of women and men in the first year of the COVID-19 pandemic? This has been investigated by a research team of the University and the University Hospital Würzburg.

In detail, the scientists were interested in the relationship between worries about the workplace and about other people with a person's own mental health problems such as anxiety and depression and with their quality of life in general, how these are influenced by the support from friends or at work – and whether the results show differences between men and women.

The findings are unambiguous: in this complex of different variables and influencing factors, anxiety plays a central part. There are, however, distinct gender-specific differences: In men, anxiety increases along with concerns about the job, an effect which does not show in women. On the other hand, we were able to register an increase in anxiety levels in women parallel to an increase in their worries about family and friends."

Grit Hein, Professor of Translational Social Neuroscience, Clinic and Polyclinic for Psychiatry, Psychosomatics and Psychotherapym, University Hospital

In addition, the study shows that women in such times respond positively to support from friends and family by experiencing enhanced quality of life. In men, this phenomenon did not manifest itself. Data on the influence of gender were lacking

Grit Hein is Professor of Translational Social Neuroscience at the Clinic and Polyclinic for Psychiatry, Psychosomatics and Psychotherapy at the University Hospital. She and her postdoc Martin Weiβ led the study, the results of which have now been published in the journal Scientific Reports.

"In the past, numerous studies have investigated the influence of psychosocial factors such as support from friends and colleagues and financial, professional or personal worries on mental health and the quality of life. Yet, data on whether these correlations are the same for men and women were lacking," says Grit Hein, explaining the background to the study. Broadening earlier studies, the Würzburg research team has therefore now examined the influence of these factors in relation to gender. A study with around 2,900 participants

The team obtained the relevant information from a large group of test subjects: the participants of the so-called STAAB study. This study comprises a cohort of around 5,000 randomly selected volunteers from the general population of Würzburg and originally focused on the development of cardiovascular diseases. During the COVID-19 pandemic, the program was spontaneously expanded to include the psychosocial impacts of the pandemic, the lockdown, and other side effects. Related StoriesBlack individuals who experience racial discrimination more likely to crave alcoholBirth control pills disrupt women's stress response, study showsBreakthrough stress sensor discovery reveals new mechanism of antimicrobial resistance

A total of 2,890 people (1,520 women and 1,370 men) took part in the survey. Their ages ranged from 34 to 85 years, with a median of 60 years. Between June and October 2020, they had to fill out an extensive questionnaire about their mental health. Among other things, they were asked to provide information about how strongly they felt supported by their social environment, their colleagues and superiors, and whether they had someone with whom they could discuss their problems.

They were also asked to what extent bans on the contact with parents and grandparents burdened them and how much stress they felt at work or at school. Financial problems or worries about them were the subject of further questions.

To evaluate the data, Hein and her team used a special method: the so-called network analysis. "Analyses based on a network approach enable a graphical representation of all variables as individual nodes," Hein explains. Thus, it is possible to identify variables that are particularly related to other variables. The network can, for example, show complex relationships between symptoms of different mental disorders and thus explain possible comorbidities. Results fit traditional gender norms

Grit Hein and Martin Weiβ were hardly surprised by the results. "The observation that men are more strongly associated with work and women more strongly with family and friends can be traced back to traditional gender norms and roles," Hein explains. Hence, men usually feel more affected by job insecurity and unemployment, which leads to higher psychological stress. Women, on the other hand, experience more strain when they feel that they are neglecting their family.

It is also plausible that women cope better psychologically when they receive support from friends and family: "This is in line with the traditional female family role, which includes a stronger tendency to maintain close social contacts and to seek social support in order to reduce stress and increase well-being," says Hein.

Even though these findings are unambiguous, the study leaders point to a number of limitations. The most important: "Since the COVID-19 pandemic presented a very specific context, it remains to be clarified whether our results are transferable to general pandemic-independent situations." One finding, however, is indisputable: "Our results underline the need to consider social aspects in therapeutic interventions in order to improve the mental health of women and men." Source:

Julius-Maximilians-Universität Würzburg

Environment

Podcast: Electricity is the base currency, Tesla Robotaxi crashes, new Porsche Cayenne EV, and more

Published

34 mins ago

November 21, 2025

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Podcast: Electricity is the base currency, Tesla Robotaxi crashes, new Porsche Cayenne EV, and more

In the Electrek Podcast, we discuss the most popular news in the world of sustainable transport and energy. In this week’s episode, we discuss electricity becoming the base currency, Tesla Robotaxi crashes, the new Porsche Cayenne EV, and more.

The show is live every Friday at 4 p.m. ET on Electrek’s YouTube channel.

As a reminder, we’ll have an accompanying post, like this one, on the site with an embedded link to the live stream. Head to the YouTube channel to get your questions and comments in.

After the show ends at around 5 p.m. ET, the video will be archived on YouTube and the audio on all your favorite podcast apps:

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Here are a few of the articles that we will discuss during the podcast:

Here’s the live stream for today’s episode starting at 4:00 p.m. ET (or the video after 5 p.m. ET:

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Environment

Wallbox pushes new wave of EV chargers across the Mountain West

Published

59 mins ago

November 21, 2025

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Wallbox pushes new wave of EV chargers across the Mountain West

Wallbox is ramping up its partnership with distributor Codale Electric Supply to roll out more EV chargers across the Mountain West, a region that’s seeing a rapid escalation of electrification programs and regional highway corridor build-outs.

Codale has become one of Wallbox’s most active distributors over the past two years, helping contractors, developers, and fleet operators procure Wallbox gear while also providing technical support and logistics. Now the two companies are scaling both AC and DC fast charging across Utah, Idaho, Wyoming, and Nevada.

Under the new agreement, Codale will prioritize Wallbox Supernova DC fast chargers and Pulsar Family AC chargers. Codale is already coordinating upgrades of older charging systems and installing new ones across public, commercial, and multifamily sites. Early projects include collaborations with several charge point operators and large commercial portfolios, some of which are rolling out Supernova units in Q4.

The Mountain West has become a hotspot for charging expansion, and Wallbox and Codale say their partnership is designed to keep pace by streamlining installation and improving network reliability.

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Ignasi Alastuey, Wallbox’s chief business officer, said, “This partnership combines Wallbox’s innovation with Codale’s on-the-ground capabilities to rapidly scale charging networks across the Mountain West and set a new benchmark for EV infrastructure growth.”

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