Chronic Social Stress and Psychological Distress in Russia: Risk and Protective Factors for Mental Health

The socio-economic changes in Russia during the last two decades have been associated with a sharp decline of the health indicators in general population. Consequently, a number of national and international research studies have turned the attention to the determinants of health in post communist transition. Despite the stress-poor health relationship identified, studies which have examined the link between chronic social stress and mental health in Russian population are scarce. The current study is part of an international research project on chronic social stress and psychological distress, which was initiated at the University of Bergen, Norway. The main aim of the Russian study was to explore the relationship between chronic social stress, social support, coping resources and distress among Russian adults. This book provides information on the study background and its theoretical framework, the hypotheses and methodology of the investigation. The findings of the research were discussed and compared with the results of the previous investigations in Norway and Romania.