Stress: Prevalence and correlates among residents of a suburban area

Stress is a major concern in the present scenario as it is occurring in a big way involving all age groups. The objectives of this study were estimating the prevalence of stress, assessing the associated stress factors, and symptoms of stress among residents of suburban community.

The community-based cross-sectional study was conducted in a suburban area in Delhi from June to August 2017. Adults and children aged 14 years and above permanently residing (1 year or more) in the area were included in the study. A sample size of 384 was calculated with the alpha error set to 05% and absolute error 05%, and to cater for refusals, a total of 400 participants were approached. A structured questionnaire was used for the study by interview method. To estimate the prevalence of stress, a standardized scale, depression, anxiety, and stress scale 21 was used.

The mean age of the participants in the study was 36.31 (±15.10), with 51.2% of males and 48.8% of females. Among the children, the leading factors associated with stress were studies (41.2%), poverty (22.1%), and competitions (16.2%). Among the adults, the leading factors were financial problems (35.2%) and children's studies (23.1%). The most common reported somatic symptom during stress was headache (59.8%) and psychological symptom was "unable to sleep" (47.5%). The prevalence of stress was 26% in a subset of sample in this study. There was a statistically significant association of stress with family size, the level of stress decreased with an increase in family size.

The study emphasizes the need for effective prevention and management of stress in the community and schools.