According to the 2011 Stress in America report, released on January 11, 39 percent of the 1,226 Americans who took the American Psychological Association's online survey report that their stress has increased in the past year. And respondents who reported higher levels of stress were more likely to be obese or suffering from depression.
"The Stress in America survey continues to show a nation at a crossroads when it comes to stress and health," said psychologist Norman B. Anderson, CEO and executive vice president of the American Psychological Association, in a press release that accompanied the survey. "We are caught in a vicious cycle where our stress exceeds our own definition of what is healthy, and those who are already living with a chronic illness report even higher levels of stress. Yet we're ill-equipped to make changes to better manage that stress."
While more adults acknowledge that stress can impact their health, contributing to illnesses such as heart disease, depression and obesity, only 29 percent of respondents felt like they did an excellent or very good job of managing or reducing stress in their lives. The most commonly cited causes of stress for Americans include money problems (75 percent), work (70 percent) and the economy (67 percent). Relationships, family responsibilities, family health problems and personal health concerns were also given by more than half of the respondents as stressors in their lives.
According to the study, slightly more people stated that they relieve stress by listening to music than those who gave exercise as their favorite way to unwind. Those who said spending time with friends and family relieved their stress has declined from 46 percent in 2010 to 38 percent in 2011. More than half (51 percent) of respondents stated that it takes a great amount of time and effort to get their families to exercise and cite lack of motivation as well as work and personal obligations as the reasons they don't exercise more themselves. Respondents felt that eating well and exercising were less important to a healthy lifestyle than good family relationships and friendships, managing stress, getting enough sleep and doing well at work.
Fewer than half of all men and women feel satisfied with their financial security. Women report higher stress levels than men do, though men are less likely to feel that they are doing excellent or very good at handling personal relationships, eating healthy or getting enough sleep, the study showed. Men are also less likely than women to report that they think psychologists can help them to make lifestyle and behavior changes and more likely to report diagnoses of chronic illnesses such as high blood pressure, type 2 diabetes and heart disease or heart attack.
The study's results said Americans living on the East Coast report the most stress and are least able to deal with that stress. Westerners are the healthiest and least likely to have physical issues that are attributed with stress. Most frequent cause of stress in the lives of those living on the East Coast is money, the study showed, while those in the South and West say family responsibilities are stressing them out. However, residents in the West also cite spending time with family and friends as a way to manage stress more often than respondents in other regions. More residents of the East Coast drink alcohol and do yoga, while those in the Midwest and South are more likely to pray during times of stress.
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