The incidence of non-fatal myocardial infarction in Swedish women below age 60 increased during the past 20 years. Standard risk factor change includes a decrease in average systolic blood pressure and S-cholesterol but a moderate increase in smoking and diabetes prevalence. During the same time period Swedish women have 'moved' into the labor market, so that employment rates are now similar in Swedish men and women. However, women have kept the main responsibilities for household and child care. In spite of generous legislation for maternity leave and child care, the strains from multiple roles and responsibilities have probably increased in Swedish women. The study sought to provide an answer to: 1) which factors - biological and behavioral - influenced both the extent of and progress of coronary artery disease, 2) which physiological, biochemical, or neuroendocrine mechanisms participated in the process. In addition to conventional statistical methods, canonical correlations analyses were used to describe direct and indirect pathways of the pathogenesis. Furthermore, by means of the two comparison groups, information was obtained about the specific characteristics of the female psychosocial and behavioral coronary heart disease risk profile.