Over the last year health-related problems were listed as the major cause of stress in the lives of Americans according to new data.
A poll conducted by the Robert Wood Johnson Foundation together with the Harvard School of Public Health and National Public Radio (NPR) found that nearly half (49%) of people reported having had a major stressful event within the past year with 43% stating that the event was health-related.
The research, involving 2,500 adult participants, aged 18 and older was aimed at exploring the role of stress in daily life and showed that it not only had an effect on health but also influenced factors such as family life, work life, and social life.
When it comes to how health is affected by stress, the most commonly effected areas of health were emotional well-being at 63%, problems with sleep at 56% and difficulty concentrating/making decisions 50%.
Those who had a type of chronic illness or disability reported that stress was twice as likely to make their symptoms worse or make it more difficult to manage their illness.
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