Women more likely to experience psychological distress than men

According to a data brief from the National Center for Health Statistics, women are more likely to experience serious psychological distress compared with men, regardless of age.

Judith A. Weissman, PhD, of the CDC’s National Center for Health Statistics, and colleagues assessed data from the 2009 to 2013 National Health Interview Survey to determine the prevalence of serious psychological distress among the American adult population. Researchers defined psychological distress as a score of 13 or greater on the Kessler 6 nonspecific distress scale.

They found that 3.4% of adults had serious psychological distress. Specifically, 3.9% of women had serious psychological distress compared with 2.8% of men. This relationship remained consistent across all age groups.

As income increased, the percentage of adults with serious psychological distress decreased: 8.7% of adults with income below the federal poverty line had serious psychological distress vs. 1.2% of adults with incomes at or above 400% of the poverty level.

Adults with serious psychological distress were more likely to be uninsured compared with adults without psychological distress (30.4% vs. 20.5%).

Adults aged 65 years and older who had serious psychological distress were significantly more likely to have limitations in activities of daily living compared with their peers who did not have serious psychological distress (27.3% vs. 5.7%).

When adjusting for age, adults with serious psychological distress were approximately four times as likely to have chronic obstructive pulmonary disease and twice as likely to have heart disease or diabetes vs. adults without serious psychological distress.

“During 2009-2013, 3.3% of the civilian noninstitutionalized population aged 18 and over had serious psychological distress. The condition was most prevalent in the 45-64 age group and least prevalent in ages 65 and over,” Weissman and colleagues wrote. “Those aged 18 and over with serious psychological distress were more likely to have [limitations in activities of daily living], and to have [chronic obstructive pulmonary disease], heart disease, or diabetes, than adults without serious psychological distress.” – by Amanda Oldt

Disclosure: The researchers report no relevant financial disclosures.

Reference:

Weissman J, et al. Serious psychological distress among adults: United States, 2009-2013. Available at: http://www.cdc.gov/nchs/data/databriefs/db203.htm. Accessed June 8, 2015.