Authors: Marilda E. Novaes Lipp, Tátila Martins Lopes, Louis Mário Novaes Lipp, Marília Zaparoli Falsetti.
Stress is on the rise around the world and has been associated with the ontogenesis of several diseases, especially mental health, in both developed and developing countries. Brazil is a fast-developing country where changes in social values and customs are occurring at a very fast pace, together with changes in economic and technological areas. The aim of the present study was to evaluate the prevalence of stress, the symptoms people perceive as indicative of stress and which stressors are more prevalent in the Brazilian adult population. It also sought to examine which illnesses are most prevalent in stressed individuals. We analyzed the answers from 2,592 adults, aged 18 and over, who responded to the 2017 Stress in Brazil online Survey. We found that 52% of them stated that they were very stressed out, scoring between 8 and 10 on a scale from 1 (not at all stressed out) to 10 (extremely stressed out). Depression and anxiety were reported by 29% and 21% of the sample, respectively. The high rates are discussed in terms of economics and family relationship issues. Building on these findings, we concluded that stress is a serious health-related problem in Brazil and, given its high prevalence rate, preventive measures should be the responsibility not only of the individuals, but it also requires that work organizations and government take measures to alleviate the heavy toll that life in Brazil is imposing on its adult population.
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