Schutte, Nicola

Malouff, John M

2016

Telomeres protect the ends of chromosomes, and short telomere length is associated with poor health and mortality. This study reports a meta-analytic investigation of the relationship between perceived stress and telomere length, including results from eight studies with a total of 1143 participants. A meta-analytic effect size of r = -0.25, p < 0.001, indicated that higher levels of perceived stress were associated with shorter telomere length. Examination of the studies for moderators of effect size identified some significant moderators, such as a difference in effect sizes between samples comprised of only women and mixed-sex samples. These results are only suggestive as they are based on a small set of studies, and funnel plot analyses indicated a publication bias. A significant relationship between more perceived stress and shorter telomere length is consistent with theoretical frameworks positing that stress induces physiological changes that result in shortened telomeres.

Stress and Health, 32(4), p. 313-319

1532-2998

1532-3005

https://hdl.handle.net/1959.11/19584

en

John Wiley & Sons Ltd

The Relationship Between Perceived Stress and Telomere Length: A Meta-Analysis

Journal Article

Publication