Spouses of frequent business travellers are three times as likely to suffer mental health problems as those whose partners stay at home, according to research published today.

An audit of medical insurance claims at the World Bank, which employs 8,500 staff based at its headquarters in Washington, DC, has shown a strong link between assignments overseas and the likelihood of a spouse developing a stress-related disorder.

For those who travelled four or more times a year, there were triple the number of claims for stress illnesses in spouses compared with those who did not have to travel abroad on business. One-third of World Bank employees travel overseas more than four times a year.

The authors of the research are occupational physicians at the World Bank, who have previously identified an increase in psychological problems among business travellers themselves.

Dr Leonard Dimberg and his colleagues speculate that the stresses of frequent travel for employees may spill over to affect the physical and psychological health of their spouses.

"Repeated, intermittent absences may be more detrimental than occasional prolonged separations," they said, citing a disruption to family routines and roles.

The research, which is published today in the Journal of Occupational and Environmental Medicine, also showed an increase in intestinal diseases and malignancies in the spouses of frequent travellers.

Stress has been linked to intestinal problems such as gastritis, irritable colon and inflammatory bowel disease. However, the authors say they cannot explain the link with cancer, which was a finding among male spouses in particular.

Because of the likelihood of decreased work effectiveness and productivity among employees, they conclude that "it should be a priority for companies with international travellers to find ways to ease the impact of frequent travel on employees and their families".