Worrying about one's job, family, financial situation and health - results of a population-representative study

Objective: Worrying about one’s job, family, financial situation and health is distressing. How intense are these worries in the general population? Methods: An inquiry representative of the German population (N=2473, age>14 years) was performed. The total score of the “Questionnaire for Assessing Subjective Physical Well-Being“ (FEW) and the screening scale of the “Trier Inventory for the Assessment of Chronic Stress“ (TICS) were correlated with the four above mentioned items addressing worries (range 1-4). Results: Worries about one’s financial situation were scored highest (mean=2.04, SD=0.92), followed by worries about one’s health (mean=1.94; SD=0.87), one’s family (mean=1.85; SD=0.86) and worries about one’s job (mean=1.69; SD=0.92). Health worries increased with age. Those without a job and single parents showed the highest grades of solicitude. Increasing income decreased worrying. The correlations with chronic stress were moderate (.24<r<.33). The most significant correlation could be found between worries about one’s health and the total score of the FEW (r=-.52). Conclusions: The general population’s concerns are relatively low. Using normative data, people can be screened for psychosocial distress and possibly referred to a relevant form of psychosocial support.