Health Care System Falls Short on Stress Management | WPN World People News

When it comes to stress management and wellness, there is a gap between what Americans want from their health care system and what they actually get, according to a new survey released today by the American Psychological Association.

Findings from Stress in America™: Missing the Health Care Connection, which was conducted online by Harris Interactive among 2,020 U.S. adults in August of 2012, suggest that people are not receiving what they need from their health care providers to manage stress and address lifestyle and behavior changes to improve their health.

While Americans think it is important that health care focuses on issues related to stress and living healthier lifestyles, their experiences do not seem to match up with what they value. For example, though 32 percent of Americans say it is very/extremely important to talk with their health care providers about stress management, only 17 percent report that these conversations are happening often or always.

"When people receive professional help to manage stress and make healthy behavior changes they do better at achieving their health goals," says APA CEO Norman B. Anderson, PhD. "Unfortunately, our country's health system often neglects psychological and behavioral factors that are essential to managing stress and chronic diseases. In order for our nation to get healthier, lower the rates of chronic illnesses, and lower health care costs, we need to improve how we view and treat stress and unhealthy behaviors that are contributing to the high incidence of disease in the U.S."

Americans who receive little or no stress or behavior management support from their health care provider are especially vulnerable. This is a sizeable group, with slightly more than half (53 percent) of Americans saying they receive little or no support for stress management from their providers, and 39 percent saying that they have little or no behavior management support. The same respondents were more likely to indicate that their stress increased in the past year compared to those who do get support from their health care provider (38 percent with little/no support versus 29 percent with a lot/great deal of support). The situation appears to be worse for the 20 percent of Americans who report experiencing extreme stress (an 8, 9 or 10 on a 10-point scale). More than two-thirds of U.S. adults with high stress (69 percent) say their stress has increased in the past year, yet 33 percent of U.S. adults say that they never discuss ways to manage stress with their health care provider.

Survey findings also show that Americans struggle to keep their stress to levels they believe are healthy. Even though average stress levels across the country appear to be declining (4.9 on a 10-point scale versus 5.2 in 2011), stress levels continue to surpass what Americans define as a healthy level of stress (3.6 on a 10-point scale). And for many Americans, stress is on the rise — 35 percent of Americans say their stress increased this past year.

Source: American Psychological Association