Stress: from family to work, a cause for concern | Gottfried Catania

Dr. Gottfried Catania, Psychology

Issues around mental health are being discussed much more nowadays. In the past mental health issues were considered a taboo subject and rarely discussed, with society preferring to close both eyes and confine persons suffering from serious issues to specialised hospitals.

Nowadays, it has become clear that most of us will suffer from mental health issues sometime during their lifetimes, with some issues being more serious than others.

Stress is one of the main contributors to mental health issues. Unfortunately, stress seems to be on the rise in our society. The ever-increasing expectations of what we need to be fulfilled result in people working long hours in order to make ends meet. In almost all families it is a must to have both partners working, as otherwise the family would not be able to make ends meet. The situation is not made any easier by ever-increasing property and rental prices, as well as the wish of most couples to lead a more affluent lifestyle in order to keep up with the Joneses.

Most couples also expect to welcome children into the family. Apart from the increased financial burden children involve, the stress mentioned earlier can even influence the couple’s capacity to conceive, increasing the vicious cycle of stress and consequently affecting the mental health of the individuals concerned.

Work can also be a source of stress. Workers are not content with just getting their pay packet at the end of the month, but expect their job to also be satisfying.

As a result, working in a job which is not perceived as being satisfying by the individual can result in increased stress. At the same time, many workplaces keep increasing their demands, with workers expected to work longer hours, shoulder more responsibility, and be constantly on call. Technology, while essential in most workplaces today, has also tended to increase stress in most workers, with most workplaces requiring workers to be available even outside normal working hours, a situation which has been called the “always on” culture.

The last two years have presented a specific stressor – new for most of us. The arrival of the COVID-19 pandemic, with the corresponding fear of contracting serious illness, lockdowns and restrictions, and the effect on the economy, work practices, and employment, left most of us suffering from stress and feeling burnt out.

Many social scientists feel that the effect of the COVID situation on the mental health of many, while still to be fully understood, will almost certainly be significant.

All of the above necessitate a better understanding of the effect of stress on mental health. While people nowadays are much more willing to seek help for such issues, more information about the services available would help make sure that those who need help are able to find it.