War Study Sheds Light On Stress and Gender

A study on citizens who lived through the Croation war may shed light on differences on how men and women respond to stress and uncertainty.

University of Michigan researchers analyzed data on Croatian male and female civilians collected between 1998 and 2002 and found that mortality rates of civilian men peaked dramatically one year after the most intense warfare. The increase was most dramatic among men aged 35 to 44, who died at 4.5 times the rate of their female peers. This rise was attributed to a jump in accidents, homicides and suicides, suggesting males act more aggressively and less cautiously in the face of stress and uncertainty.

Stress was also found to hit men harder physiologically. Researchers rationalize these findings along old biological justifications, saying this is "because the male body invests more in competition than it does in preserving and maintaining itself, [and] because males have historically faced greater competition for mates." Meanwhile, they suggest women are better equipped for self-preservation, allowing them to stick around and care for offspring.

Press release: The stress of war harms civilian men more than women