Stress part 3a

Are You at Risk? 

Everyone has a different threshold at which they become stressed. It has nothing to do with weakness, as stress can affect anyone. Professor Stephen Palmer from the Centre for Stress Management in London defines stress as ‘an interaction between the person and the environment.’ He further states: ‘Stress is about too many demands and a lack of control. But it also depends on how the person perceives the situation.’

Individual response to stress varies greatly and is dependent on a number of factors, namely: genetic makeup; personality type and temperament; constitutional strengths and weaknesses; general health and well-being; life-changing events; environmental stressors.

Is stress on the increase and who is most affected?

In September 2000, Channel 4 commissioned a survey on stress. The poll was conducted by Taylor Nelson Sofres Phonebus, who interviewed 534 adults aged 16 and over, in full and part-time work. The survey revealed some fascinating facts about our stressful lives:
• The most stressed-out region in the survey was the south-east, with 49% reporting an increase in stress which was related to work issues.
• People living in the south-west found their stress levels most unacceptable. This amounted to 27% compared with 15% nationwide.
• The highest percentage suffering from increased stress were widowed, divorced or separated. Sixty-two percent in this group said stress had escalated.
• Forty-one percent of people working full or part-time said their stress levels had increased in the previous 12 months. This equates to 11.5 million British workers feeling stress levels rise in that time. However part-time workers were less likely to report increased stress levels, with 29% saying they felt more stress compared with 45% of full-timers.
• Forty-three percent of workers with children reported increased stress compared with 40% without children.
• Forty-two percent of men said their stress levels had risen compared with 40% of women.
• People who were married were slightly less likely than average (at 40%) to report stress
levels going up.
• Younger people were more likely to say stress levels had gone up. Forty-six percent of 16-24-year-olds said stress had risen. Among 25-34- year-olds, the figure fell to 41%, increasing slightly to 42% of 35-44-year-olds, and decreasing to 38% of 45-54-year-olds, and 36% of 55-64-year-olds.

We continue risk factors in the next issue. Until then, don’t get stressed!