Psychosocial cardiovascular risks--on the double loads in women.

The author discusses gender differences in the psychosocial correlates of cardiovascular risk. A moderate amount of overtime work was associated with a decreased risk of myocardial infarction in men but a corresponding increased risk in women. The reason for this difference may be the double role (home and paid work) of women. Emotional states in diaries differed between men and women in the same occupations, and these differences seemed to some extent to be occupation specific.