Teen, adult and child reports of stress are going up and although the economy is apparently improving, stress and mental health levels across the country are not.
A survey by the American Psychological Association (APA) found that on average, teen stress equals or exceeds that of adults and the average adult stress level itself is considered far beyond the ‘healthy’ stress limit.
So what is causing the stress? The big cause for adults, is, rather predictably, money, with 71% reporting that money aggravates their stress levels. 69% blamed work, and 59% also added that the state of the economy added to their stress.
This is supported by headline news across the UK, which has recently declared almost 800 Police Officers are off on sick leave as a result of stress, and that the staff at Edinburgh College (where it is reported 1 in 5 staff sick days are a result of stress) are striking over their working conditions and pressures.
Apparently, 83% of students who were questioned in the survey say that their schooling is causing them stress, 69% also felt the pressure to perform in order to get into good further education, such as university or college, caused them stress, and 65% added that financial concerns for their family was worrying them and stressing them out.
Although the survey was taken in the U.S.A., it poses a scary trend that is likely occurring in the UK. With such high adult, teen and even child stress, it is lucky that stress management techniques like mindfulness are taking off.
