Biological costs of economic transition: Stress levels during the transition from communism to capitalism in Poland

- The turn of the 1980s and 1990s was a time of chronic stress for Polish citizens.
- After 1990 significantly higher risk of metabolic dysregulation was observed.
- Level of stress rose along with the worsening of the economic situation of families.
- Changes in the Inflation Rates did not show any relation to the risk of a higher AL.

At the end of the 1980s, Poland began the transformation from an essentially one-party communist system to a politically pluralistic democratic system. These political and economic changes had major social consequences, among others unemployment and a sharp decrease in real personal income. The aim of the study was to investigate the possible relationship between stress in adult men, measured by the Allostatic Load, and the socio-economic deterioration during the first part of the economic transition. The Allostatic Load included eleven markers assessing adverse nutritional intake, cardiovascular activity, inflammatory processes, and lung, hepatic and renal functions. The results indicate a significantly higher risk of metabolic dysregulation in men examined after 1990, compared to men from previous years. After adjustment for socioeconomic variables and lifestyle variables, men examined in 1991 had a 31% greater risk of higher Allostatic Load compared with men examined in 1985 (OR = 1.31; p = 0.0541), in 1992, this risk was 50% greater (OR = 1.50; p < 0.01), and in 1993, the risk was 66% greater (OR = 1.66; p < 0.05). The conclusion is drawn that significantly more stressogenic factors for men were those directly connected with the financial situation of their families, than a sudden but short increase of prices for goods and services.