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Psychological distress, gender, and health lifestyles in Belarus, Kazakhstan, Russia, and Ukraine

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  • Cockerham, William C.
  • Hinote, Brian P.
  • Abbott, Pamela

Abstract

This paper examines the relationship between psychological distress, gender, and health lifestyles in Belarus, Kazakhstan, Russia, and Ukraine. These countries have been subjected to highly stressful and extensive social change associated with the transition out of communism. Data were collected by face-to-face interviews (n=10,406) in November 2001. Distress was measured by 12 psychological distress symptoms. Health lifestyles focused on measures of alcohol consumption, smoking and diet. We found that females carried a much heavier burden of psychological distress than males, but this distress did not translate into greater alcohol consumption and smoking for these women or for men. The greatest influence of distress on health lifestyle practices was on daily diets in that both less distressed females and males consumed a more balanced diet than more distressed persons. Our findings suggest that it is the normative demands of a particular lifestyle, rather than distress, that principally shapes the pattern of heavy male drinking. This is an important finding as some sources indicate heavy drinking is largely responsible for the health crisis in the former socialist states.

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  • Cockerham, William C. & Hinote, Brian P. & Abbott, Pamela, 2006. "Psychological distress, gender, and health lifestyles in Belarus, Kazakhstan, Russia, and Ukraine," Social Science & Medicine, Elsevier, vol. 63(9), pages 2381-2394, November.
    • Handle: RePEc:eee:socmed:v:63:y:2006:i:9:p:2381-2394
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    3. de Goeij, Moniek C.M. & Suhrcke, Marc & Toffolutti, Veronica & van de Mheen, Dike & Schoenmakers, Tim M. & Kunst, Anton E., 2015. "How economic crises affect alcohol consumption and alcohol-related health problems: A realist systematic review," Social Science & Medicine, Elsevier, vol. 131(C), pages 131-146.
    4. Tamar Khitarishvili, 2016. "Gender Dimensions of Inequality in the Countries of Central Asia, South Caucasus, and Western CIS," Economics Working Paper Archive wp_858, Levy Economics Institute.
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    6. Moniek C. M. Goeij & Jan-Willem Bruggink & Ferdy Otten & Anton E. Kunst, 2017. "Harmful drinking after job loss: a stronger association during the post-2008 economic crisis?," International Journal of Public Health, Springer;Swiss School of Public Health (SSPH+), vol. 62(5), pages 563-572, June.
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    15. Hinote, Brian Philip & Cockerham, William C. & Abbott, Pamela, 2009. "The specter of post-communism: Women and alcohol in eight post-Soviet states," Social Science & Medicine, Elsevier, vol. 68(7), pages 1254-1262, April.
    16. Pavel Grigoriev & Olga Grigorieva, 2011. "Self-perceived health in Belarus: Evidence from the income and expenditures of households survey," Demographic Research, Max Planck Institute for Demographic Research, Rostock, Germany, vol. 24(23), pages 551-578.
    17. Stickley, Andrew & Koyanagi, Ai & Roberts, Bayard & Rotman, David & McKee, Martin, 2013. "Criminal victimisation and health: Examining the relation in nine countries of the former Soviet Union," Social Science & Medicine, Elsevier, vol. 91(C), pages 76-83.
    18. De, Prabal K. & Segura-Escano, Raul, 2021. "Drinking during downturn: New evidence from the housing market fluctuations in the United States during the Great Recession," Economics & Human Biology, Elsevier, vol. 43(C).
    19. Lackó, Mária, 2010. "A magyarországi rossz egészségi állapot lehetséges magyarázó tényezői. Összehasonlító makroelemzés magyar és osztrák adatok alapján, 1960-2004 [The poor health status of Hungarians: a comparative m," Közgazdasági Szemle (Economic Review - monthly of the Hungarian Academy of Sciences), Közgazdasági Szemle Alapítvány (Economic Review Foundation), vol. 0(9), pages 753-778.
    20. Alexi Gugushvili & Martin McKee & Michael Murphy & Aytalina Azarova & Darja Irdam & Katarzyna Doniec & Lawrence King, 2019. "Intergenerational Mobility in Relative Educational Attainment and Health-Related Behaviours," Social Indicators Research: An International and Interdisciplinary Journal for Quality-of-Life Measurement, Springer, vol. 141(1), pages 413-441, January.
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    24. Staudigel, Matthias, 2016. "A soft pillow for hard times? Economic insecurity, food intake and body weight in Russia," Journal of Health Economics, Elsevier, vol. 50(C), pages 198-212.
    25. Jukkala, Tanya & Mäkinen, Ilkka Henrik & Kislitsyna, Olga & Ferlander, Sara & Vågerö, Denny, 2008. "Economic strain, social relations, gender, and binge drinking in Moscow," Social Science & Medicine, Elsevier, vol. 66(3), pages 663-674, February.

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