Stress and illness in American and Russian college students

The differences in perceptions of potentially stressful events among 139 college students from Russia and USA were investigated in relation to somatic illness. Individual interpretations were assessed using the Life Events Survey. The instrument was administered in conjunction with the State-Trait Anxiety Index. Results indicated more perceived stress by the Russian student sample but more frequent incidence of reported illness in the American student sample. American female college students showed greater anxiety levels and more perceived stress in comparison to male students. Females also reported a greater number of illness occurrences.