Stress is a worldwide issue which results in several consequences to the individuals and organizations. When a person is stressed, he or she is likely to underperform in his or her role. Even though different factors cause stress among people, most can cope appropriately. Additionally, the coping mechanism depends on the type of stress. For example, worrying about finances may be as a result of inadequate compensation by the employer. Therefore, some people may work extra time or seek a second job to deal with the finance issue. This paper looks into the different causes of stress in America. Furthermore, the paper elaborates the different factors in each cause, and the most affected groups.
Keywords: stress, categories, causes
Causes of Stress
Stress is a mechanism of the body designed to respond to any threat or demand. Most people encounter stressful situations daily or weekly, depending on the resources available or personality traits. According to the American Institute of Stress (AIS), stressful events can be categorized into three; acute, episodic, and chronic (Batson, 2018). Acute stress is a short-term event of stress that has less impact on the lives of the affected individuals. However, if the acute stress is traumatic, it is likely to have a lasting effect on those involved. Episodic stress event is also short term but occurs regularly. For instance, one may experience stress in the workplace due to the nature of the job. Chronic stress is a long-lasting stress event that has a significant impact on an individual’s life. Examples of chronic stress include illness or a problematic relationship between married couples. Stress is a growing concern in the US today which is primarily caused by finances, health, personal relationships, and work.
Finances
According to a survey carried out in 2014, over 64% of the adults in the United States suffered from stress due to financial worries (Thompson, 2015). The stress resulting from financial worries mainly affected the women, young adults, and parents. In these groups, there were specific factors involved that contributed to higher rates of stress. Among the young adults, the report shows they were concerned about low compensation from their employers, debts, and peer pressure from their successful friends or colleagues (Thompson, 2015). Young adults also preferred working in more than one job to meet their financial needs. Among women, health care costs have a significant impact on their savings compared to men. Healthcare accounted for an extra $194,000 more funds required by women compared to their male counterparts (Thompson, 2015). This issue was regardless of most women earning less compared to the males in the same job positions. The top worries for women due to finances include having to work longer than one anticipated, running out of money after retiring, asking for support from family members, and being unable to work due to illness. Most of the married couples were also stressed due to financial worries. The top worries include taking care of their children and paying for household bills. According to research, it costs at least $233, 000 to raise a child from birth to the age of seventeen (Seaward, 2017). Families earning less than $50,00 a year are the most affected with this issue. Consequently, this problem results in stress for many families in the country.
Health
Personal health problems cause stressful events in both adults and children in the US. When a person is ill, it may lead to worries about future situations. Subsequently, these worries result in more health issues since stress depletes human body energy reserves (Batson, 2018). Depleted energy reserves result in the weaker fight against infections, and this leads to a significant impact on health. In the US, many people are concerned about the high costs of health insurance and treatment. Research shows that from 2007 to 2017, health care costs have gone up by 21.6% compared to the increase in inflation of 17.3% (Batson, 2018). The significant increase in the cost of health care has led to many worrying about the ability to support their wellbeing. Research shows that for people running businesses, illnesses result in stress since they are unable to be more productive (Batson, 2018). Additionally, employees may also be stressed due to sicknesses since it impacts their ability to meet specific targets. Meeting such targets translate to better pay and chances of promotion by the employer.
Personal Relationships
Personal relationships such as marriage, coworker, friends, and family may result in stress for most people due to various factors. Research shows that it is impossible for humans to have a relationship with one another without issues (Randall " Bodenmann, 2017). Primarily, this is due to the shortcomings of human behavior. For example, when people cohabit after getting married, some of the issues which emerge include having to adapt to the different habits of the partner and the loss of “breathing space” (Randall " Bodenmann, 2017). Despite that many can adapt well and solve any emerging issues, some may be unable to put up with particular behaviors. The demands of one partner pose a significant impact on the relationship over time, resulting in stressful arguments. Regardless of the compromises which need to be made by all the parties involved, it does not lead to a reduction in stress on most occasions (Randall " Bodenmann, 2017). Arguments in a relationship may result in a vicious circle and consequently leads to break-ups or divorce. Family members may also experience stressful events when faced with particular situations. For example, one of the family members may be irresponsible or faced with criminal charges. These issues may result in the members trying to avoid the public due to humiliation or judgment (Randall " Bodenmann, 2017). In some occasions, such stressful events may cause long-term issues to one or all family members.
Work
Stress due to work is a common issue, especially to those who have demanding jobs or work for long hours (Khamisa, Oldenburg, Peltzer, " Ilic, 2015). Additionally, employees are likely to be stressed due to poor economic performance. Poor economic performance, in some cases, results in businesses laying off some of their employees in a bid to reduce their losses and improve their profit margins. Hence, staff members may be worried about losing their positions. Role ambiguity at the workplace is another cause of stress for most employees. For example, staff members may not comprehend their roles adequately, especially if such positions have different responsibilities (Khamisa, Oldenburg, Peltzer, " Ilic, 2015). For example, an employee working in a production line may be asked by the manager to assist in other projects not related to his or her skills due to the insufficiency of labor. The ambiguity in such responsibilities brings confusion and reduces the productivity of the employee. When employees are less satisfied with their positions, they are likely to be stressed (Khamisa, Oldenburg, Peltzer, " Ilic, 2015). This issue results in increased probability to leave the organization. Employees may also be stressed by a demanding work which affects his or her work-life balance. Regardless of the pay or compensation and employee receives, when work interferes with his or her social life, he or she is more likely to be stressed.
Conclusion
Stress is defined as a response of the body to particular threats and demands. The three primary categories of stress are acute, episodic, and chronic. The leading causes of stress in the US include financial worries, relationships, work, and health. Financial worries that cause stress among Americans include high costs of raising children and paying for household bills. Trying to adapt to partner’s habits may result in stress among married couples. In the past few years, the average cost of health care has increased significantly. This increase has resulted in many people worrying about their ability to support their health. In the case of people with less income, high costs of health care contribute to stress. Demanding jobs also causes threats among employees, especially when such positions interfere with work-life balance.
References
Batson, J. (2018). What is stress? AIS. Retrieved from www.stress.org/daily-life/
Khamisa, N., Oldenburg, B., Peltzer, K., " Ilic, D. (2015). Work-related stress, burnout, job satisfaction and general health of nurses. International Journal of Environmental Research and Public Health, 12(1), 652-666. doi:10.3390/ijerph120100652
Randall, A., " Bodenmann, G. (2017). Stress and its associations with relationship satisfaction. Current Opinion in Psychology, 13, 96-106. doi:10.1016/j.copsyc.2016.05.010
Seaward, B. (2017). Managing stress (9th ed.). Boulder, CO: Jones " Bartlett Learning.
Thompson, D. (2015). The biggest cause of stress in America today. CBS. Retrieved from www.cbsnews.com/news/the-biggest-cause-of-stress-in-america-today/
