Understanding Stress Survey Results

By Kathy Mann

At the end of 2018, I conducted research in my attempt to understand how society handles stress – where it comes from and what people do about it. I surveyed 297 people, mostly in South Africa (78%) and some international participants. The 31 interviews included a variety of ages and groups in order to provide perspective and viewpoints. This report shows the results with salient differences between some groups such as mothers or entrepreneurs.

How Stressed are you?

Participants were asked how stressed they felt in the past three months. Their answers were as follows: 

The combination between burnt out and very stressed equates to 48% of respondents overall. This is a troubling statistic. For mothers, the same combination amounted to 58% and for women, 55%. The percentage of business owners who were burnt out and very stressed was 45%. Working people who described themselves as burnt out and very stressed amounted to 49%.

Where Does Stress Come From?

The sources of stress were varied but for all demographic groups, work was the leading source of stress, overall affecting 77% of respondents. For business owners, this was slightly lower at 70%.

The interviews revealed that problems on projects and the volume of work were great causes of stress, as well as poor leaders with low emotional intelligence. Changes in leadership often result in great uncertainty in terms of the structure, one’s role definition and expectations. Many spoke of needing to be available 24/7 which resulted in the inability to relax or unwind. Traffic was a source of stress for many, eating into their personal time. Dealing with angry and disrespectful clients was also cited as a source of stress, as well as the recession, affecting salaries and difficulty in reaching targets. 

The top five sources of stress overall were as follows: 

1. Work: 77.40%
2. Money: Day to day expenses: 47.26%
3. Money: Long term savings: 35.62%
4. Relationships: Spouse: 25.68%
5. Relationships: Children: 25.00%

The free form responses in the survey also provided great insight. Many people were affected by being unemployed or retrenched. Worry about loss of independence from not being able to work and earn income as well as worry about a spouse’s job security were also issues. Some people are running a business on top of a full-time job or they are studying in addition to working. Travelling was a source of stress for some and this issue was also raised a few times during the interviews I conducted. Challenges with business partners and the stress of owning a business were raised by many. Struggling to pay bills and to manage with the economic slump affected many people.

People are burdened by illness – their own, their aging parents or sick children e.g. a baby in neonatal ICU for several months. Grief and loss also cause great stress, typically spouse or parents. Many people noted that they are the source of their own stress. Their relationship with themselves is poor and some cited perfectionism or self-doubt as a source of stress. Some people reported overthinking and worry as something that occurs often.

Moving or renovating a home were also stressful events mentioned. Some people have troubles with their pets. Addiction issues were also raised mainly from a perspective of concern for family members. Divorce and separation issues were also a source of stress as well as juggling work and childcare. Many people raised the issue of loneliness.

The sources of stress for those who reported being burnt out in the previous three months can be seen in the graph below.

Management of Stress

People use a variety of methods to manage stress in their lives, but exercise was the top method with 64% of respondents. The top five methods of managing stress were as follows: 

1. Exercise: 64.29%
2. Reading: 39.46%
3. Rest: 39.12%
4. Watching TV: 38.78%
5. Reaching out or connecting: 36.39%

Overall, prescription drugs such as anti-anxiety medication was used by 19% of respondents. Mothers surveyed had a higher rate of usage with 27%. The free form responses revealed that people use activities such as gardening, tidying, cooking, sex and self-care rituals such as regular massage to manage stress. Withdrawing from social functions, that is choosing to stay at home and rest, was raised by a few respondents. Forms of exercise were elaborated on such as yoga, running and dancing. The chart below reflects the responses.

Many people believe that their stress management methods are working as can be seen by the graph below. Mothers and women had a slightly lower belief that their methods were working, at 31%.

Those who responded ‘yes’ to whether their stress management methods are working, reported many stress-related symptoms. It appears that many people may not have an accurate assessment of the effectiveness of their stress management techniques, or that the symptoms are revealing more stress than they are conscious of. This leads me to wonder if the self-assessed stress levels may even be higher than reported. 

Which Medical Practitioners are sought out?

Respondents were asked which medical practitioners they would reach out to when stressed. The question did not include naturopaths, homeopaths and functional medicine practitioners. These were raised by people in the free form responses and would have provided interesting insights if included originally.

Most people did not approach a medical practitioner when stressed, but the most common practitioner approached is a general practitioner. The free form responses revealed that this is often for tranquilizers and used as a combination with other stress management approaches. Body stress release and kinesiology were also methods to manage stress raised in the free form responses as well as shamans and spiritual healers. One respondent said that they never trust the medical profession. 

Needs Met?

Most people felt that their needs were met, or at least partially met. If our needs are not met, this leads to less fulfillment and higher stress levels. Women and mothers had slightly lower responses to their needs met at 41% each.

Sense of Belonging

A sense of belonging is important. Many people interviewed prior to the survey, felt more at home when at work than with their family. This is reflected below in that most people felt that they belonged in their team. 

Symptoms Experienced

Many respondents experienced symptoms of stress in the previous three months. It is alarming to see that fatigue was experienced by 75% of respondents, and even more for mothers (82%). Anxiety and sleep disturbance are also very high. The top five symptoms experienced for all respondents and mothers (in brackets) are as follows: 

1. Fatigue: 74.75% (81.56%)
2. Sleep disturbance: 67.68% (73.05%)
3. Muscle tension: 59.60% (64.54%)
4. Irritability: 58.59% (65.25%)
5. Anxiety: 55.89% (59.57%)

The free form responses reflected some people feeling completely desperate in not wanting to go to work. Some felt feelings of great anger and wanting to escape as well as feeling unworthy and not being treated well by others. Some people also included illness such as autoimmune disease triggered by stress. In the interviews, some reported experiencing rashes or skin irritations such as acne and breakouts as well as fever blisters during times of stress.

Using Strengths at Work

Research has confirmed that using our strengths regularly, leads to happiness. A large number of respondents use their strengths often in their work environment as can be seen by the graph. Business owners use their strengths daily more often (33%) than staff do at 17%. 

Value Alignment

It can be very stressful if one’s personal values are not aligned with those experienced in the workplace. Many people surveyed had good alignment with organisational values (34%) and some partially (40%). In the interviews, where there was serious misalignment, it caused great stress and unhappiness.

Children’s ages

Thirty percent of respondents did not have children. On average, respondents who are parents, had 1.5 children and some included step-children in their count.

The interviews revealed that those with older children were more stressed. Many of these people had aging parents to care for financially as well as children who were not yet earning money, hence placing a great financial burden on the individual. Other stresses related to caring for children with addictions and learning disabilities. The graph below shows the number of children in each age range as well as the stress levels of the respondents. 

Conclusions

The stress levels of the average person are very high and potentially higher than self-assessed. Work is the most common source of stress, even for those who reported experiencing no stress. Methods used to manage stress could be more varied instead of relying primarily on exercise. Extreme exercise can trigger a stress response and contribute to stress, rather than alleviating it. If a variety of stress management techniques are known and easily integrated into one’s life, it would be possible to achieve greater stress management effectiveness.

Kathy Mann

This research was conducted for the purposes of understanding stress – how everyday people experience stress and how they manage it. The findings will be included in my next book, Mastering Stress in an attempt to share our common struggles and to learn from each other.

If you’d like to participate in the research for the book or to learn more about the findings in greater detail, please contact Kathy at [email protected]. Please acknowledge Kathy if you share or distribute the findings of this study.

Kathy Mann is an author and speaker, guiding people towards their best life possible. She is a wife and mother of two girls, and lives in Johannesburg South Africa.

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Twitter: @kathyallenmann

Website: www.kathymann.co.za