Psychological Stress and its Related Health Outcomes
The aim of my research is to study the health impact of severe psychological stress, especially for severely stressful life events focusing on bereavement and cancer diagnosis, as two major life events specifically.
Research description
Psychological stress is a powerful determinant of human behavior, physiology and health. Traditionally, studies have fairly consistently indicated that an experience of a traumatic life event significantly increases risks of various adverse health outcomes, both in the short and long term. Although a possible relationship between psychological stress and cancer risk has been a topic of interest since long, evidence remains rather inconclusive. Meanwhile, more compelling data have accumulated regarding the potential modifying effect of psychological stress on cancer progression.
Project leader
Fang Fang
ProfessorResearch group
Our team was constructed in 2008 and has since been focusing on the dual relationship between psychological stress and cancer. First we are interested in the impact of cancer diagnosis, as a traumatic life event, on the well-being of the patients and their beloved ones. Second, we are interested in the roles of severe psychological stress, such as bereavement and other traumatic events, on cancer risk and prognosis. We are widely collaborating with researchers from Sweden, Iceland, United States, etc., on these research topics.
Qing Shen
Affiliated to ResearchQianwei Liu
Affiliated to ResearchFormer PhD students in the project
Ruoqing Chen:
Donghao Lu:
Ongoing projects
Our research work is supported by the European Research Council (ERC), Swedish Research Council (VR), Swedish Research Council for Health, Working Life, and Welfare (Forte), Swedish Cancer Society (Cancerfonden), Swedish Society for Medical Research (SSMF), China Scholarship Council, and 探花精选.
Selected publications
Fang F, Keating NL, Mucci LA, Adami HO, Stampfer MJ, Valdimarsd贸ttir U, et al
J. Natl. Cancer Inst. 2010 Mar;102(5):307-14
Fang F, Fall K, Mittleman MA, Spar茅n P, Ye W, Adami HO, et al
N. Engl. J. Med. 2012 Apr;366(14):1310-8
Huang J, Valdimarsd贸ttir U, Fall K, Ye W, Fang F
Am. J. Epidemiol. 2013 Aug;178(4):582-9
Lu D, Fall K, Spar茅n P, Ye W, Adami HO, Valdimarsd贸ttir U, et al
Ann. Oncol. 2013 Dec;24(12):3112-7
Kennedy B, Valdimarsd贸ttir U, Sundstr枚m K, Spar茅n P, Lambe M, Fall K, et al
Cancer Causes Control 2014 Apr;25(4):499-506