Johannesburg - Health has overtaken family issues as the leading cause of stress among South African professionals.
This is according to the second annual Profmed Stress Index, which took in responses from more than 3 400 of its members. Profmed is an open scheme but is limited to professionals with a postgraduate degree.
The scheme’s 2015 study found health concerns now outstrip those related to family matters by 11 percent as the number one cause of stress, having risen by over 11 percentage points in 2014 to 38 percent of responses.
This is followed by financial issues, which rose by just under 9 percentage points to 25 percent, and work, cited by only 10 percent of respondents as their leading stressor.
Graham Anderson, Profmed principal officer and CEO, notes the increased prevalence of health-related stress could be attributed to a number of factors, such as the rising cost of healthcare in South Africa, an aging South African professional workforce, the increased prevalence of lifestyle disease among the country’s working professionals and low levels of satisfaction with available healthcare services.
“The diagnosis of a new disease, or complications and symptoms of an existing illness, can be a major source of stress for an individual,” explains Anderson. “In addition, health issues suffered by family or close friends can also be a contributing factor to an individual’s stress levels.”
The survey further indicated most respondents, a total of 78 percent, define their stress levels as being between ‘moderate’ and ‘high’. “While this is an encouraging two percentage point drop from last year's stress Index results, this remains an extremely concerning issue and highlights the need for individuals to put effective stress management strategies into place, to properly manage the challenges of their modern professional lifestyles.”
Managing stress
Most respondents stated their stress affects them both physically and emotionally, while the majority (75 percent) of respondents feel they manage stress well. A figure of 38 percent of the group indicated that they managed their stress through exercise, with significant portions of respondents opting to taking a break or holiday, focus on spirituality or speak to someone.
“It is encouraging to note that South Africa’s professionals are choosing to make use of techniques such as exercise, which not only treats the effects of stress, but can also play a fundamental role in preventing stress-related illness.” Anderson says exercise is a particularly effective tool for both combating and preventing stress, as the activity increases natural mood elevating hormones called endorphins, while reducing levels of stress hormones such as adrenaline and cortisol.
“In a professional generation that strives to do it all - juggling health, family, work, financial issues and so on - dealing with stress has become the new normal,” says Anderson. “However, many are not aware of the profound effect that stress can have on one’s mental and physical well-being. Stress not only negatively affects one’s quality of life, but can also carry serious consequences such as hypertension, heart disease, gastrointestinal problems, migraines, insomnia, fatigue, anxiety and depression.”
The second annual Profmed Stress Index Survey has seen an increase in members taking part by a remarkable 23 percent, in part credited to Profmed’s commitment to donate R5 for each member who participates to the Organ Donor Foundation. “This allows us to gain deeper insight into the main causes of stress among professionals, creating the opportunity for us to address stress-related issues and provide practical, useful advice to South Africans on how to best approach the prevention and management of this serious health hazard,” Anderson notes.
IOL
Adapted from a press release