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Updated: Jul 19, 2026

Therapeutic Massage for Psychological Well-being in Geriatric Oncology
Published on: May 22, 2026
Psychological distress and mortality: are women more vulnerable?
Kenneth F Ferraro1, Tariqah A Nuriddin
1Center on Aging and the Life Course, Department of Sociology, Purdue University, 700 W. State St., West Lafayette, IN 47907-2059, USA. ferraro@purdue.edu
Abstract:
Does psychological distress increase mortality risk? If it does, are women more vulnerable than men to the effect of distress on mortality? Drawing from cumulative disadvantage theory, these questions are addressed with data from a 20-year follow-up of a national sample of adults ages 25-74. Event history analyses were performed to examine mortality from general and specific causes for men and women. Findings reveal that the effect of psychological distress on all-cause mortality was nonlinear for men. Moderate amounts of distress were associated with lower mortality risk, but high levels of distress raised men's mortality risk. Moreover the curvilinear relationship between distress and mortality varied by cause of death for men and women. Men with high levels of psychological distress were more vulnerable to ischemic heart disease mortality. Women with high levels of distress were more vulnerable to cancer mortality.
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