Statistics Regarding Stress: Worldwide Epidemic

So many of us face problems with stress, but few realize exactly how epidemic of a problem high stress levels can be. For that reason, we’ve written this article to help you understand a little more about the numbers regarding stress problems throughout the world.
- Stress is a major factor in issues regarding the workplace. 40 percent of all workers in a study performed by the National Institute for Occupational Safety and Health in Canada reported that they found their job extremely stressful. Also, the study found that a full 25 percent, or one quarter of all workers surveyed, found their job to be the most extreme factor when it comes to stress levels in their lives. 75 percent of all of those that participated in the study stated that they believed that those in the workplace face a more increased level of stress due to workplace factors when compared to the previous generation of workers, and 29 percent of the workers felt ‘quite a bit’ or ‘extremely’ stressed at their job. 26 percent of the workers said that they were often ‘burned out’ due to the stress levels caused by their job. This is important, because stress from the workplace has been found to be more responsible for health issues than both financial situations and family problems.
- The effects of stress are no laughing matter. Studies conducted by the Department of Health in England showed 95 percent of severe stress diagnoses conducted resulted in a hospital stay. The study showed that severe stress was diagnosed nearly equally amongst the sexes with an approximate 50 percent of the diagnoses performed on men and women alike. The median age for those present in hospital stays for severe stress was 38. The median length of the hospital stays that were given to those with severe stress was around 9 days, clearly highlighting the fact that the problem may have serious health effects.
- High levels of stress have been linked to an increased susceptibility to skin cancer. In an experiment conducted on lab rats involving UV rays and varying levels of stress amongst the rats, the rats that had higher stress levels grew skin cancer tumors at a rate that was nearly double that of the rats that had lower stress levels. This is due to the fact that stress can have a negative effect on the number of T-cells present in the body, which are known for their ability to fight cancer. The study also showed that short-term levels of stress may increase the immune system’s functioning, but chronic, long-term stress is responsible for a decreased immune response.
- Some estimates place a whopping 90 percent of all visits to the doctors office being at least somewhat related to symptoms that may be caused by a stress condition.
While these statistics place a decent estimate of the problem that is caused by stress throughout the world, the studies may be somewhat skewed. The factors that weigh into a proper research study have been followed, but different aspects such as demographics and locations where the studies were conducted may play into the results. For that reason, it’s important to take all statistics with a grain of salt until you fully understand the study’s validity.