Although the economy is supposedly slowly improving, financial problems reportedly still remain a stressful burden on Americans, especially among young adults and parents, according to the American Psychological Association’s new Stress in America survey.
Specifically, parents with children under 18, women, the poor and young adults are reportedly still feeling high levels of stress regarding their finances, according to the Huffington Post.
“When people are financially challenged, it makes sense their stress level could go up,” stated Norman Anderson, Ph.D., the chief executive officer and executive vice president of the American Psychological Association.
He added, “Many industries in the economy have shown improvement, but we still know many people aren’t benefiting and are still concerned about economic well-being.”
The annual survey that was conducted reportedly involved 3,068 adults and the results were both positive and negative. The average stress level for the first year the survey was done back in 2007 was 6.2, according to USA Today.
The level has reportedly since dropped to 5.1 in 2013 and 4.9 in 2014, but the survey still found that 72 percent of Americans say that they feel stressed about money at least some of the time.
The survey reportedly found that money is the number one stressor overall, but particularly for millennials, those in Generation X and for parents. It also reportedly found that nearly 1 in 5 Americans say they skipped or considered skipping going to the doctor in the last year when they needed health care due to financial problems.
Women were reportedly found to be more stressed than men overall, with 51 percent reported that stress has gone as far as keeping them awake at night, compared to only 32 percent of men.
Despite the amount of stress that financial problems cause, it is important to attempt to mitigate the stress.
“You may not be able to change your financial situation but you may be able to better manage it,” stated Katherine Nordal, Ph.D, executive director for professional practice at the APA.
She added, “I think having a support system — some people who believe in you — gives you that extra emotional strength to be able to get through the day and do the things you need to do to try to improve your situation.”
