The association between socio-demographic characteristics and perceived stress among residents in a deprived neighbourhood in Denmark.
BACKGROUND
It is known that stress is associated with various negative health outcomes, and higher levels are found among people with low socio-economic status (SES) compared with those better-off. Evidence of the characteristics of deprived neighbourhoods with negative impact on health and stress is accumulating while little is known about the stress variation by the socio-demographic characteristics of the dwellers. The present study aimed to investigate how stress varies by socio-demographic characteristics of the residents in a deprived neighbourhood.


METHODS
The data used in this article were collected in the spring 2009. The 1160 participants, aged 16-104 years were randomly selected among the residents in a deprived neighbourhood in Esbjerg, Denmark. The survey was conducted through telephone and face to face interviews. Multiple linear regression analyses were carried on to examine the association of perceived stress with age, gender, ethnicity, education, civil status, economy, unemployment, sick leave, social deprivation and loneliness.


RESULTS
The results show higher levels of stress among women, immigrants, poor and lonely compared with their counterparts. Stress decreases as the economy situation improves and people get old. Education, civil status and unemployment, initially significant, lost power in association with stress when income and economic deprivation were taken into account.


CONCLUSIONS
The results of this study suggest that variation in the stress levels across socio-demographic characteristics may have specific features among people in the low SES hierarchy, dwellers of a deprived neighbourhood.
Department of Environmental and Business Economics, University of Southern Denmark, Esbjerg, Denmark. cakr@sam.sdu.dk
Carsten Kronborg
CK
Bak
Pernille
P
Tanggaard Andersen
Inga
I
Bacher
Delia
D
Draghiciu Bancila
D000293:Adolescent; D000328:Adult; D000368:Aged; D000369:Aged, 80 and over; D003430:Cross-Sectional Studies; D003718:Denmark / Q000453:epidemiology; D005006:Ethnicity; D005260:Female; D006801:Humans; D008297:Male; D008875:Middle Aged; D010465:Perception; D011204:Poverty Areas; D012044:Regression Analysis; D012111:Residence Characteristics; D012649:Self Concept; D012737:Sex Factors; D012944:Social Support; D012959:Socioeconomic Factors; D013315:Stress, Psychological / Q000453:epidemiology / Q000523:psychology*; D011795:Surveys and Questionnaires; D055815:Young Adult