Every year the American Psychological Association (APA) does a Stress in America survey. APA has been conducting this survey since 2007 as part of their mind-body health campaign. The purpose is to identify the sources of stress, how we manage the stress, and the impact it has on the US population. These stressors do not only affect us emotionally, but also physically. This year’s study was done online. There were 3,617 adults (18 and over) who participated in the study. The results of the 2019 study were just published.
Greatest Stressors
While there has been no significant change in the amount of overall stress that we feel , there has been a shift in the things we stress about. The greatest level of stress according to the Stress in America survey is due to mass shootings, with 71% of the US population noting this as a concern. Sixty-nine percent worry about health care. Sixty-two percent note tension regarding the current political climate.
Mass shootings
This has increased since the 2018 stress in America survey where 62% noted this as a source of stress, to 71% in the 2019 study.
When this category is further broken down by racial and ethnic groups, the results show that there is an increase amongst all groups. Per racial group in the study:
Hispanics-84% noted this as a source of stress in 2019 compared with 76% in 2018.
Blacks-79% said this was a source of stress in 2019 compared to 68% in 2018.
Asian-77% of this group noted stress in 2019 vs. 62% in 2018.
Native American-71% noted this as a stressor in 2019 and 58% in 2018.
White-66% said it was a source of stress in 2019 and 56% in 2018.
Health care
The cost of healthcare causes a great amount of concern according to the Stress in America survey. People also worry about the cost in the future. When we look at those who have public insurance vs. private insurance, the rates are as follows.
Public insurance-71% says that the cost is a current stressor, and 48% worry that they will not be able to afford it in the future.
Private insurance-53 percent say the cost causes them stress now, and 60% worry about the cost in the future.
Based on race, Hispanics 65% worry that they won’t be able to afford it in the future, and 64% worry that they won’t have access to health care.
Other racial and ethnic groups were concerned (in the 50% range), but not to the extent of the Hispanic population.
Political climate
Sixty-two percent of adults in America note that the political climate is a current source of stress.
People say they are experiencing more stress about the 2020 election, than they did the 2016 election.
The study also pointed out that greater than 50% of Americans say they feel lower at this point in history than ever before. Here is the percentage of those who feel that way based on race:
Black adults-72%
Hispanic adults-58%
Native American adults-55%
Asian adults-53%
White adults-53%
Interestingly half of Asian adults, and 45% of Hispanics say that they feel the country is heading in the right direction to becoming stronger than ever. However only 38% of Whites, 32% of Blacks, and 41% of Native Americans feel this way.
When this category is broken down by gender, many more men than women feel that the country is on the right path. Many more women feel that we are experiencing the lowest point in history than they have felt in the past.
It should be no surprise that those who identify as Democrat feel more stress about the upcoming election than Republicans. Republicans are also much more likely to say the country is heading on a stronger path for the future.
Staying informed
This is also a source according to the Stress in America study. Seven in ten adults say that the media may blow things out of proportion. The dilemma is that people want to stay in the know, yet doing so causes them stress. As a result people have changed the way they choose to get their information.
Other areas of stress in the news include information on climate change, safety, abortion, and immigration.
Personal stressors
This category of stress has remained fairly constant over the years. The things that rate in the category are work and money.
For 25% of adults, discrimination is a source of stress. Those who note it the most include people of color and those who identify as LGBT. They say that discrimination gets in the way of them living a complete and productive life.
If you are experiencing a significant amount of stress, therapy can help. It often helps to talk to someone who is objective to help you sort things out and learn tools to deal with your stress. Please call me at 713-304-6554 if I can help you out.
Take care,
Debbie Grammas PhD
