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In America, where happiness is a pursuit protected by the Constitution, something few nations have, does stress mess with that pursuit and other features of our life and leave some of us miserable and stressed-out? Who is getting stressed out? Where do they live? Is stress going up or down in recent years in America? Why are we stressed and what kind of stress are we talking about? These are significant questions and no one source has all the answers, but an annual national survey of "Stress in America" (apa.org) by the American Psychological Association (APA) is very helpful.
The APA's 2012 online survey asked 2020 adults (18 and over) a range of questions about stress and breaks the answers down by demographics (e.g., age, sex of respondent, State of residency, etc.), what participants feel are the levels and sources of their stress, have they pursued stress management or how else are they dealing with it, what trends are evident year-to-year, and so on.Results were weighted reflecting the U.S. population as needed, including age, sex, ethnicity, household income, education, and region of the country. Some oversampling was done in selected cities of interest. Because of the online sampling (those who were invited via Harris Interactive surveys and agreed to participate), propensity score weighting was employed in adjusting for participants' propensity to be online. Results were broken down into four age groups: 18-33 years ("Millennials"); 34-47 years ("Generation X"); 48-66 years ("Boomers"); and 67+ years ("Matures"). Personal health issues of each respondent were requested. Responding included 1-10 point Likert scales.It is the best current national source of information on stress with the caveat that it was not based on a strict probability sample representative of the nation, so generalizations need to be tempered by that design issue. What I will note about the results should be interpreted with that in mind.
WHO? AGE: Millennials (18-33) and Gen Xers (34-47) report the highest average level of stress, with the Matures (67+) showing the lowest level.This makes a lot of sense, as youth through middle-age have all those major decisions to make and actions to take (e.g., education, employment, marriage and family, etc.) that to some extent are past for many seniors. All age groups estimated their stress level was above a healthy ideal, but Matures less so, seeing on average their stress level being closer to a healthy ideal. The younger respondents were more likely to say they engage in unhealthy behaviors due to stress, and to express anger or irritability due to stress. Not sleeping due to perceived stress? Definitely the younger respondents. The Matures get their zzz's! Besides solid sleep, the self-management of stress is also better among the oldest group. Healthy lifestyle is more elusive for the younger groups, including eating, alcohol and smoking among their means of stress management, with religious service commitment being lower for younger respondents but shopping being higher! 19% of Millennials reported they have been diagnosed with depression and 12% with anxiety disorders, higher than the older participants, with Matures showing the lowest percentages.SEX: As in previous APA stress surveys, women report higher stress levels than men, and both sexes see their stress levels as above a healthy amount. At the extremely high levels of stress, women predominate. This is interesting given the longer life-span of women. Exercise and listening to music are the top stress management activities for both sexes. Women's methods of managing stress beyond the foregoing tended to be more social or sedentary than men's, including reading, time with family or friends, shopping, and over-eating including unhealthy foods. Men reported less depression, anxiety, feeling overwhelmed, etc.. Social networks were particularly helpful for women in working on lifestyle changes. Importantly, both sexes had a low incidence of seeking professional help in managing their stress.
WHERE? Personal stress is highest in the Eastern states compared to the Midwest, South and West, and easterners report a slightly greater increase in stress since 2011. But don't move westward if you're not there now! The differences aren't large enough!
WHEN? Since 2007 self-reported stress levels have declined. On a 1-10 point scale, 10 being "a great deal of stress", the 2007 mean was 6.2, 2012 was 4.9. Overall, 3.6 was seen as a healthy level of stress, indicating a serious, consistent elevation of perceived personal stress over a healthy standard. Despite the general decline in self-reported stress, about 1 in 5 continue to report very high levels. A positive note lies in changes in the way people are managing their stress, with increases in exercise, and declines in alcohol use and eating as stress management strategies.
WHY and WHAT? The three main sources of stress identified in the study overall are money (69%), work issues(65%), and the economy (61%). Relationships and family responsibilities, family health issues, and personal health issues were also notable. Stress is important as a risk factor for depression and anxiety. But there is also a relationship between stress and chronic physical illness, with significant issues of health care support and provisions for the treatment of all stress and stress-related problems, making this an important annual survey for both mental and physical health information.
