Americans were dealing with quite a lot of stress last year, a newly released poll reported.
According to the survey, which was carried out by the American Psychological Association, the average stress levels for American adults increased from 4.9 in 2014 to 5.1 in 2015 on a 10-point scale, with zero being little to no stress and 10 being "a great deal of stress." Although a 0.2 point jump might not seem like much, the researchers noted that the number of Americans who reported dealing with extreme stress increased more dramatically from 18 percent to 24 percent.
In terms of factors that caused stress, the researchers found that money and work remained the top two sources. Sixty-seven percent of the people said money stressed them out, while 65 percent said work did. Family responsibilities came in third at 54 percent followed by personal health issues with 51 percent.
On top of finding out what the stressors were, this survey, unlike the ones before it, also examined the effects of discrimination. Sixty-one percent of the adults stated that they dealt with some kind of discrimination on a daily basis. Discrimination ranged from being treated unfairly to being threatened or harassed. In terms of race, black adults were the most likely to report experiencing some kind of discrimination.
"It's clear that discrimination is widespread and impacts many people, whether it is due to race, ethnicity, age, disability, gender or sexual orientation," Jaime Diaz-Granados, APA's executive director for education, said in the news release. "And when people frequently experience unfair treatment, it can contribute to increased stress and poorer health."
The researchers also found that anticipation of discrimination can also lead to increased levels of stress. Three in 10 black and Hispanic adults admitted to being extra careful about their appearance in order to avoid being discriminated against. Hispanic adults were also more likely to report the highest levels of stress in general.
"Stress takes a toll on our health, and nearly one-quarter of all adults say they don't always have access to the health care they need," said Cynthia Belar, the association's interim chief executive officer. "In particular, Hispanics - who reported the highest stress levels - were more likely to say they can't access a non-emergency doctor when they need one. This year's survey shows that certain subsets of our population are less healthy than others and are not receiving the same level of care as adults in general. This is an issue that must be addressed."
The researchers did find some positive aspects of stress. Fifty-nine percent of the adults who dealt with discrimination said they felt good about how they handled a situation involving it. In addition, the majority of adults reported having a positive outlook. The researchers noted that people who had more emotional support were more likely to report coping with stress better than people who did not have the same support system.
The survey, which has been conducted on a yearly basis since 2007, reached 3,361 adults in August 2015.
