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Updated: Aug 26, 2026

The Social Dimension of Stress: Experimental Manipulations of Social Support and Social Identity in the Trier Social Stress Test
Published on: November 19, 2015
Stress, health and the benefit of social support
1Health Statistics Division, Statistics Canada, Ottawa, Ontario, K1A 0T6. Margot.Shields@statcan.ca
Objectives:
This article describes stress exposure among Canadians aged 18 or older and analyzes short- and long-term associations with psychological distress and chronic conditions. The buffering role of emotional support is also explored.
Data Sources:
Data are from the household cross-sectional (1994/95) and longitudinal (1994/95 to 2000/01) components of Statistics Canada's National Population Health Survey. Supplemental data are from the 2000/01 Canadian Community Health Survey.
Analytical Techniques:
Exposure rates to stress were calculated by sex, age group and socio-economic characteristics. Multivariate analyses were used to examine associations between stress and mental and physical health in 1994/95, and between stress and changes in health by 2000/01, controlling for other possible confounders.
Main Results:
Women reported more stress than did men. For both sexes, stress levels were higher among the less educated, less affluent, and previously married. The level of psychological distress in 1994/95 and the prevalence of chronic conditions were related to stress, as were increases in distress over the next six years and the likelihood of having been diagnosed with chronic conditions.
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