Health: Getting sacked or divorced is more stressful than going to jail
A new ranking of the most stressful life events shows that people find it more disturbing to be divorced or fired from work than to go to prison. Jeremy Laurance, Health Editor, reports on a league table of psychiatri c risks.
Your support helps us to tell the story
From reproductive rights to climate change to Big Tech, The Independent is on the ground when the story is developing. Whether it's investigating the financials of Elon Musk's pro-Trump PAC or producing our latest documentary, 'The A Word', which shines a light on the American women fighting for reproductive rights, we know how important it is to parse out the facts from the messaging.
At such a critical moment in US history, we need reporters on the ground. Your donation allows us to keep sending journalists to speak to both sides of the story.
The Independent is trusted by Americans across the entire political spectrum. And unlike many other quality news outlets, we choose not to lock Americans out of our reporting and analysis with paywalls. We believe quality journalism should be available to everyone, paid for by those who can afford it.
Your support makes all the difference.The prospect of suffering a major personal injury or illness is much more worrying to people than it was 20 years ago. It comes sixth in a list of the most stressful life events, up from 16 in a similar list drawn up 20 years ago.
The ranking, by US psychiatrists, is based on a study of 427 volunteers who were asked to assess 87 life events. The results showed changes compared with rankings made in 1977, with greater concern about health, relationship and work difficulties but less concern about money, retirement and sex.
The study, published in the Journal of Psychosomatic Research and reported by Hospital Doctor, showed that women scored 86 of the 87 events as more stressful than men. However, the researchers, from the Veterans Affairs Medical Centre, in Reno, Nevada, claim this does not show that women overreact to life stresses, but that men underreact.
An earlier scale was produced in the 1960s and the authors of the new study say overall life stress appears to have increased by 45 per cent over the 40 year period.
Unmarried people gave higher scores across the range of events than those who were married indicating that the single find life a greater trial than those who can look to a partner for support.
life's trials - then and now
1997
1. Death of spouse
2. Divorce
3. Death of close family member
4. Marital separation
5. Fired from work
6. Major illness or injury
7. Jail term
8. Death of close friend
9. Pregnancy
10. Major business readjustment
11. Loan repayment demand
12. Gain new family member
13. Marital reconciliation
14. Change in health of family
15. Change in financial state
1977
1. Death of spouse
2. Death of close family member
3. Fired from work
4. Divorce
5. Pregnancy
6. Jail term
7. Loan repayment demand
8. Marital separation
9. Change in health of family member
10. Marriage
11. Retirement
12. Sexual difficulties
13. Change in financial state
14. Gain new family member
15. Death of close friend
Join our commenting forum
Join thought-provoking conversations, follow other Independent readers and see their replies
Comments