What's stressing the stressed? Main sources of stress among workers

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by Susan Crompton

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• Introduction
• Over 1 in 4 workers report being highly stressed
• What you should know about this study
• Six in ten highly stressed workers identify work as their main source of stress
• Workers stressed mainly about work are well-educated and have white-collar jobs
• Workers anxious about finances have less skilled jobs and lower incomes
• Taking stress to work
• Workers without enough time have children at home
• Most workers stressed about family matters are women
• Workers highly stressed for personal reasons are much the same as the work-stressed
• Summary

Text begins

Introduction

In 2010, slightly more than 1 in 4 Canadian workers described their day-to-day lives as highly stressful, according to the General Social Survey (GSS). This proportion is about the same as reported earlier in the decade by the 2005 General Social Survey and the 2002 Canadian Community Health Survey.¹ Persistently high levels of stress among such a share of the workforce present a challenge to both employers and to the health care system.

Over time, employers lose produc­tivity to stress through absenteeism, reduced work output, and increased disability claims.² Mental health problems alone are estimated to cost employers about $20 billion annually³ and account for over three-quarters of short-term disability claims in Canada.⁴

Given the economic costs of stress and stress-related illnesses, it is not surprising that much of the social science research on stress emphasizes job- and work-related stress. But about 4 in 10 highly stressed Canadian workers identify a problem other than work as the main source of their stress and when they bring it into the workplace, it can affect their performance and that of their colleagues.⁵

This article uses the 2010 General Social Survey on Time Use to examine how workers aged 20 to 64 who report being highly stressed differ from those who report being less stressed. Then, it focuses on the five main issues that highly stressed workers identified as their primary sources of stress and compares selected characteristics of these workers—for instance, differences between those who are anxious about work compared to those concerned about their finances or about a family situation.

Over 1 in 4 workers report being highly stressed

According to the 2010 General Social Survey (GSS), 27% of Canadian workers described their lives on most days as 'quite a bit' or 'extremely' stressful. This means that almost 3.7 million working adults went through a regular day feeling a high level of stress (Chart 1). Another 6.3 million (46%) said they were 'a bit' stressed. (See What you should know about this study for information about data and terms.)

Chart 1 Over one-quarter of working adults say their lives are very stressful

 

Tolerance for stress can differ from one person to another. Medical and psychological research show that responses to chronic stress can be influenced by the nature of the stressor⁶ and that a person's temperament and personality can alleviate or exacerbate its effects.⁷ However, the way an individual has learned to cope with stress plays an important role in his or her response to potentially difficult events.⁸

The following paragraphs focus on workers who reported at least some level of stress (73% of all working adults aged 20 to 64).  Among these stressed workers, 37% reported that they were highly stressed and 63% that they were less stressed.  Among the stressed workers who described their mental health as less than good, almost two-thirds (62%) reported that they were highly stressed. Among workers who thought their mental health was excellent, the figure was 27%. The same pattern holds with respect to physical health, although the gap is considerably smaller—49% compared to 32% (Table 1).

Table 1 Proportion of employed stressed adults aged 20 to 64 reporting that life is highly stressful, by selected characteristics, 2010

Workers employed in management, professional and clerical occupations were more likely to report being highly stressed than those in blue-collar jobs. Being self-employed and having a household income under $40,000 or over $80,000 somewhat increased the likelihood of being highly stressed.

Workers with one or two children were more likely than those without children to describe their lives as quite or extremely stressful. Similarly, workers who were divorced or living common-law had a greater probability of being highly stressed. Workers who had immigrated between 1980 and 1995 were also more likely to be highly stressed than those born in Canada.

A worker's sex and level of education did not affect the probability that he or she would report that their life was quite or extremely stressful.

When a logistic regression model was used to isolate the factors associated with the odds of being a highly stressed worker, five characteristics remained significant: mental health, occupation, marital status, immigrant status and physical health (Table A.1).

Table A.1 Odds of reporting high levels of stress compared to less stress, employed adults 20 to 64, 2010

This general portrait of highly stressed workers is useful but it can be refined. How different are workers who are highly stressed about their job from workers who are highly stressed about their finances? Are they a lot different from workers who are highly stressed about not having enough time in their day? The remainder of the article focuses on the primary sources of stress reported by workers who describe their lives as quite a bit or extremely stressful.

Six in ten highly stressed workers identify work as their main source of stress

The majority of highly stressed workers (62%) identified work as their main source of stress. Clustered far behind were financial concerns and not having enough time (both at 12%), family matters, and personal and other issues such as relationships, health and generalized worries (Chart 2). These proportions are very similar to those reported in 2005.

Chart 2 Work is the main source of stress for 6 to 10 highly stressed workers

That so many working Canadians would feel very stressed about work is not surprising: they are on the job for a substantial part of the day; it consumes a great deal of their mental and often physical energy; and they must meet those challenges year after year.

Other issues identified by highly stressed workers may not be related to their job situation, but they can produce the same negative effects. All types of long-term stress increase the risk of being diagnosed with anxiety and depression⁹ and chronic physical illness.¹⁰

Workers stressed mainly about work are well-educated and have white-collar jobs

Highly stressed workers who identified their job or workplace as their main source of stress were well-educated—almost three-quarters had a college or university education—and over one-half held white-collar jobs in management, professional or technical occupations. Given this background, it is not surprising that the largest group (45%) reported a household income of $100,000 or more; only 17% had incomes under $60,000. More than 8 in 10 were paid employees (Table 2).

Table 2 Selected characteristics of employed adults aged 20 to 64 reporting higher levels of stress, by main source of stress, 2010

The majority were men (55%) and the largest group was aged 35 to 49 (43%). About three-quarters lived with a spouse or partner, but just under one-half had children in the household. In terms of household type, 43% lived with their spouse and children, 29% lived with their spouse only, 9% lived alone, 4% were lone parents, and 16% lived in some other type of household.

About three-quarters of highly work-stressed workers lived in a metropolitan area. Almost 9 in 10 had been born in Canada or were immigrants who had lived in Canada for at least 30 years.

Workers anxious about finances have less skilled jobs and lower incomes

Working adults whose high level of stress was mainly due to financial concerns were much less likely than the work-stressed to have a postsecondary education (54%). Almost 4 in 10 had a pink-collar job working in sales or services; only 29% were employed in white-collar occupations. They had a much higher probability of being self-employed (25%) and were twice as likely to have a household income below $60,000 (40%). All these factors may contribute to understanding why they were worried about money.

The highly financially-stressed were also significantly different than the work-stressed across several socio-demographic dimensions. A much larger proportion of them (65%) had children at home, they were more likely to be members of a visible minority group (27%) and to have immigrated to Canada within the last 30 years (28%).

Workers without enough time have children at home

Highly stressed workers without enough time were much more likely than the work-stressed to live with their spouse and children (55%). In most other respects, though, the time-stressed were not significantly different from the work-stressed, that is, they were well-educated and tended to have higher incomes. They generally held white-collar jobs and most had been born in Canada or immigrated here before 1980 (Table 2).

Most workers stressed about family matters are women

Two-thirds of highly stressed workers who identified family as their main source of stress were women. Compared to the work-stressed, workers who were most stressed about family issues were more likely to have children at home (62%). They were also more likely to report household income under $100,000 (53%), to have less than postsecondary education (38%) and to be immigrants who had settled in Canada in the 30 years preceding the survey.

Workers highly stressed for personal reasons are much the same as the work-stressed

Workers who attributed their stress to personal and other reasons were concerned about a wide array of issues, including health, relationship problems, isolation, the pressure of fulfilling obligations and responsibilities, and general unspecified worry and anxiety. The socio-demographic characteristics of this group of workers is different from the work-stressed only in that they were more likely to live without children (56%) and less likely to have income of $100,000 or more (Table 2).

 

Summary

The prevalence of stress reported by Canadian workers is of interest to both employers and governments. Research shows that stress-related physical and mental health issues cost employers billions in claims and lost productivity poses challenges for the health care system, and cause distress to workers and their families.

In Canada, in 2010, 27% of working adults reported that, on most days, their lives were 'quite' or 'extremely' stressful. Workers had higher odds of being highly stressed if they described their physical or mental health as not very good; if they had management, professional or clerical jobs; if they were living common-law or were divorced; or if they were immigrants who had arrived in Canada between 1980 and 1995.

Over 6 in 10 highly stressed workers identified work as the main source of their stress; these people were generally well-educated, employed in white-collar occupations, and reported high household incomes. Less common sources of stress were financial concerns, not having enough time, family, and personal and other issues.

Workers' demographic and socio-economic characteristics differed marginally depending on the source of their stress. For example, compared to workers who were highly stressed about work, those who were stressed about their finances were less educated and much less likely to have white-collar jobs; those worried about not having enough time were much more likely to be parents with children at home; family-stressed workers were about 1.5 times more likely to be women; and those worried about personal issues were less likely to be living with children.

Susan Crompton is a senior analyst in the Social and Aboriginal Statistics Division, Statistics Canada.

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Notes

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