Age differences in strain and emotional reactivity to stressors in professional careers

While age differences of workers gain increasing importance because of demographic changes in most industrialized countries, age differences in stress experience and resistance have been rarely addressed. In this initial empirical study, we explore the general relationship of age and strain as a function of three processes: (1) older workers might experience less strain because of better coping strategies; (2) older workers might experience more strain because of higher vulnerability; or (3) age and strain might be curvilinearly related with highest strain reported by middle-age workers. Using both general and experience-based measures, strain and emotional reactivity to stressful job events were reported by 274 workers aged between 18 and 65 years. Results showed an inverted U-shaped relationship between age and strain experience.