Prevalence and severity of emotional stress in Isfahan and Markazi provinces, 2002

Stress is a condition that causes tension, disturbance in body and mind, discomfort and dissatisfaction. There are differences between stresses in the form of great life events and small daily stressful events. Regarding extension and variation of stresses in different parts of country, this study aims to investigate the prevalence and severity of stresses in central areas of Iran. This is a cross-sectional analythical study carried out on 6000 people older than 19 years old, selected from urban and rural areas of Isfahan, Arak and Najaf Abad on 2002, as a part of evaluation of the Healthy Heart program. Sampling method was cluster random sampling. Data was collected using GHQ-12 and stressor's type and severity questionnaire. Statistical analysis was performed using Chi square. Of the total subjects under study %50.6 were male, and %49.4 female, with a mean age of 40.47±15.68 and 40.25±15.15 years respectivly. The proportion of women with high GHQ score was higher than men, which was more pronounced in Arak than the two other cities. There were also higher stress levels in unmarried and urban people. (p0.05)The most prevalent stressor included economical, social and job-related issues and the most severe were death, family related and economical events. This study on stress as an indicator of lifestyle reveals high stress levels in the population, which warrants appropriate planning and community-based interventions, to improve lifestyle and reduce stress.