The New York Times, the "Today Show" and many other national and local media publicized the results of APA's Stress in America survey in October. Conducted as part of APA's Mind/Body Health Public Education Campaign, the survey asked 1,848 Americans about their stress levels, the ways they cope with stress, and the effects it has on their minds and bodies.
The results found that one-third of Americans live with extreme stress and that 48 percent believe their stress has increased over the past five years. For 75 percent of Americans, money and work were the top stressors.
Only 28 percent of Americans reported they are managing their stress extremely well. Four in 10 reported that when they are stressed, they overeat or eat unhealthy foods, while more than one-third skipped a meal in the last month because of stress. Those who drink (39 percent) or smoke cigarettes (19 percent) said they were more likely to engage in those behaviors during periods of high stress.
In addition to covering the survey results, the media reports steered people interested in learning how to better manage their stress to the APA Help Center.