Stress among national politicians elected to Parliament for the first time

Previous research has shown that levels of stress among national politicians are higher than among workers in comparable management jobs. The election of 236 new Members of Parliament (MPs) in the 1997 UK General Election permitted longitudinal study. The General Health Questionnaire-12 and Occupational Stress Indicator measured psychological and physical stress in comparable groups at pre-election (T1; n = 29) or 3-month post-election (T2; n = 66) time-points and at 1-year follow-up (T3; n = 66). Stress increased from T1 to T2 and was predicted by factors at the home–work interface (p < 0.001). Politicians in poor psychological health reported long working hours and no emotional support (p < 0.05). At T3 psychological symptoms returned to T1 levels, while physical stress remained elevated for male MPs, those with children and those in the party in Government (p < 0.05)