while still catching-up to men in some spheres of modern life, women appear to be way ahead in at least one undesirable category. “women are particularly susceptible to developing depression and anxiety disorders in response to stress compared to men,” according to dr. yehuda, chief psychiatrist at new york’s veteran’s administration hospital.
尽管女性在线代生活中的某些领域仍然在努力追赶男性,但是至少在一个不利的方面,女性似乎远远超越了男性。纽约市退伍军人管理医院的精神科主任医师耶胡达博士表示,面对压力时,女性比男性更容易患抑郁症和焦虑症。
studies of both animals and humans have shown that sex hormones somehow affect the stress response, causing females under stress to produce more of the trigger chemicals than do males under the same conditions. in several of the studies, when stressed-out female rats had their ovaries (the female reproductive organs) removed, their chemical responses became equal to those of the males.
对动物和人类的研究均表明:性激素会以某种方式影响两性对压力的反应,在同等压力条件下,它会使雌性比雄性分泌出更多诱发不良反应的化学物质。其中几项研究表明,压力过大的雌性老鼠在摘除卵巢(雌性生殖器官)后,它们身体内的化学反应变得与雄性老鼠相同。
adding to a woman’s increased dose of stress chemicals, are her increased “opportunities” for stress. “it’s not necessarily that women don’t cope as well. it’s just that they have so much more to cope with,” says dr. yehuda. “their capacity for tolerating stress may even be greater than men’s,” she observes, “it’s just that they’re dealing with so many more things that they become worn out from it more visibly and sooner.”
加重女性体内更多压力化学物质剂量的,是他们增多的压力“机会”。“这并不是说女性不会像男性那样应对压力。只是她们有更多的压力要应对,”耶胡达博士说。她还表示,“女性可能比男性更能忍受压力,只是她们需要应对太多的事情,因而会更明显也会更快变得疲惫不堪。”
dr. yehuda notes another difference between the sexes. “i think that the kinds of things that women are exposed to tend to be in more of a chronic or repeated nature. men go to war and are exposed to combat stress. men are exposed to more acts of random physical violence. the kinds of interpersonal violence that women are exposed to tend to be in domestic situations, by, unfortunately, parents or other family?members, and they tend not to be one-shot deals. the wear-and-tear that comes from these longer relationships can be quite devastating.”
耶胡达博士还指出两性之间的另一个不同之处。“我认为女性接触的事情往往更具有长期性或重复性。男性上战场,面临战斗的压力。他们面临更多的是偶然的身体包里。女性所面临的的各种人际关系暴力往往发生在家庭内部,不幸的是,这些暴力通常来自父母或者其他家庭成员,而且往往不是一次性的。这种长期人际关系带来的折磨可能是极具毁灭性的。”
adeline alvarez married at 18 and gave birth to a son, but was determined to finish college. “i struggled a lot to get the college degree. i was living in so much frustration that that was my escape, to go to school, and get ahead and do better.” later, her marriage ended and she became a single mother. “it’s the hardest thing to take care of a teenager, have a job, pay the rent, pay the car payment, and pay the debt. i lived from paycheck to paycheck.”
阿德琳·阿尔瓦雷兹女士18岁结婚,并生有一子,但她决心要读完大学。“为了获得大学文凭,我拼尽全力。我的生活中挫折不断,以至于上学、上进、做的更好都成了我逃避的方式。”后来,她离了婚,变成了单身母亲。“既要照料一个十几岁的孩子,还要工作,支付房租,偿还车贷以及债务,这是最艰难的事情。我的收入勉强够养家糊口。”
not everyone experiences the kinds of severe
chronic stresses alvarez describes. but most women today are coping with a lot of obligations, with few breaks, and feeling the strain. alvarez’s experience demonstrates the importance of finding ways to diffuse stress before it threatens your health and your ability to function.
并不是所有人都会经理阿尔瓦雷兹女士所描述的那种沉重的长期压力。但是如今大多数女性都要承担很多责任,几乎没有休息时间,因此感到焦虑。阿尔瓦雷兹的经历表明:在压力威胁到你的健康和身体机能之前,寻找途径缓解压力非常重要。
?