The Australian Psychological Society (APS) reported on Monday that survey results in regards to stress and well being in Australia showed a high level of stress, anxiety and depression across the population.
The survey involved 1,537 participants (51 percent female and 49 percent male participants) from every state and territory, in all age groups 18 years old and upwards. The study found that the stress level reported by the majority of Australians is similar to that in other western countries, apart from 12 percent of the population who reported experiencing a level of stress considered to be in the severe range.
National Demographics in Survey Results:
In the APS survey 32 percent of participants reported experiencing depressive symptoms with 10 percent of these indicating symptoms in the severe or extremely severe range. Similarly, 26 percent of participants reported experiencing anxiety, with 9 percent of these people scoring in the severe or extremely severe range.
Those aged 18-25 years old reported experiencing higher degrees of stress, depression and anxiety than older age groups, though a third of this age group were full time students who scored significantly higher than the rest of the population on measurements of depression and anxiety.
The executive director for the APS, Lyn Littlefield, told The Canberra Times that it was not surprising that the study results found people under 25 years old to be very stressed because it was a "period of adjustment in their life, when they're leaving school and trying to get a job".
She did however find it surprising that their stress levels are greater than adults and that we tend to become less stressed as we get older. ''I think it is because by the time you reach those older ages, you tend to have dealt with quite a lot in your life and found different ways to cope with things,'' she said.
Women reported significantly higher degrees of stress than men, but there was no significant difference in anxiety, depression and well being. Women were also found to be more concerned with family and personal health issues than men who were more likely to be worried about the economy and political climate.
Younger participants, below 35 years old, reported greater concern about friendships, relationship issues, environmental issues and matters related to work and study. These concerns were reduced significantly with increasing age. Sole parents and participants who were separated from their partners also reported being significantly more concerned with friendship and relationship issues than the general population.
Workplace issues were identified by 30 percent of participants as a contributor to stress, with 34 percent of this number being men and 28 percent being women. Those aged 18-25 years old reported a lower level of positive experience in the workplace than other age groups, while 43 percent of participants aged 26-35 years reported the workplace as a source of stress.
To manage stress 60 percent of participants found that spending times with friends was effective. Other popular methods amongst participants were listening to music and watching television. Researchers were also concerned that 40 percent of participants dealt with stress and depression by drinking alcohol, and that nearly half this number found it to be an effective method.
Other Recent Studies:
A poll created earlier this year by Lifeline and conducted by Newspoll also reported an alarming level of stress amongst Australians, with 93 percent of 1201 participants claiming to be stressed, up from 90 percent in 2010. 48 percent of participants also reported suffering from extreme stress levels that could induce illness, up from 43 percent during the same period in 2010. Notable survey findings included:
- more than half of the women (52 percent) reported high levels of stress compared to 44 percent of men;
- people living in big cities experienced a slightly higher stress level than those living in the country;
- unemployed people were more than twice as likely to have higher stress levels than those in the work force;
- part time workers reported a higher stress level than full time workers;
- people showed increased concern about personal health as they get older; and
- more than 60 percent of 18 and 19 year old participants reported experiencing a high degree of stress
A survey from Mission Australia in 2010 interviewed 50,000 members of Gen Y and reported that 27 percent of participants aged 11 to 24 were concerned about their stress levels, while 20 percent of those aged 11-14 years old claimed that they had difficulty coping with stress.
Update 2/12/11 - In Mission Australia's 2011 Youth Survey released in early December, the number of youths concerned about dealing with stress levels had risen to 35.4 percent. The survey found that the main issues causing this concern related to study, employment, financial issues, family problems, bully and emotional abuse as well as drug and alcohol issues. Overall coping with stress was a major issue for 27.4 percent of those aged 11-14 years old; 42.6percent of people aged 15-19 years old; and 52.2 percent of those aged 20-24 years old.
Australian Stress Levels Compared Internationally
A recent survey conducted by the Neilson Company from February to April this year surveyed 6,500 female participants in 21 developing and developed countries. The study found that women in India were the most stressed in the world with 87 percent claiming that they were pressured for time. Woman in Mexico (74 percent) and Russia (69 percent) were also amongst the developing countries with the highest stress rates for women, while women in Spain (66 percent), France (65 percent) and Italy (64 percent) were the most stressed in developed countries. The survey found that 52 percent of women in Australia had high levels of stress, the same level as women in Japan and Canada.
The 2010 survey by Grant Thornton, a chartered accountant and business advisory firm, found that 36 percent of business owners in Australia had experienced increased stress levels over the 2009-2010 period, compared to an average of 65 percent in the Asia Pacific region and 56 percent worldwide.
Effects of Stress
High levels of prolonged stress can impact physical and psychological health and well being in a number of ways, including causing:
- nervousness;
- tension;
- anxiety;
- irritability;
- low morale;
- a feeling of hopelessness;
- continual tiredness and a loss of energy;
- insomnia;
- depression;
- headaches;
- lack of concentration; and
- increased chances of heart disease.
In 2007 stress-related presenteeism (attending work while sick) and absenteeism cost the Australian economy $14.81 billion annually and cost employers $10.11 billion a year. In the 2009/2010 period presenteeism, caused partly by stress related mental illness such as depression, resulted in a 2.7 percent decrease in GDP. This cost the Australian economy approximately $34.1 billion annually, but by 2050 this may increase to $35.8 billion per year.
Bibliography:
- Australian Psychological Society, Stress and Well-Being in Australia in 2011: A State of the Nation Survey. Melbourne, Australia; November 2011.
- LaMontagne AD, Sanderson K and Cocker F., Estimating the Economic Benefits of Eliminating Job Strain as a Risk Factor for Depression. Melbourne, Australia; Victorian Health Promotion Foundation, 2010.
- Grant Thornton International, Business stress levels up – but still among lowest in world. Accessed 15/11/2011.
- Lifeline, One in two Aussies very stressed. : 4th July 2011.
- Mission Australia, National Survey of Young Australians: Key and Emerging Values. Australia; 2010.
- Medibank Private, Sick at Work: The Cost of Presenteeism to Your Business and the Economy. Australia; July 2011.
- Medibank Private, The Cost of Workplace Stress in Australia; Australia; August 2008.
- Robehmed, Natalie., 'Where do the world's most stressed women live?', CNN. 12/7/2011.
- The Nielsen Company, Women of Tomorrow: Study of Women Around the World. USA; 2011.
- Tucker, Breanna., Stress Affects Young People Most: Survey, Canberra Times., 14/11/2011/
Paul Campobasso - I live in Melbourne, Australia and recently graduated from university completing a Bachelor of Arts with Honours in Politics and a ...
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