Stress can be caused by many things. A lot of those come together in deprived neighborhoods, where people live in poor social and economic conditions. Numerous scientific studies have demonstrated that low socioeconomic status is a strong risk factor for the development of chronic stress.
The relation of socio-economic status with stress
Scientific studies have shown over and over again that socioeconomic status is directly related to stress. This relation is gradual, meaning that even among people with relatively high socioeconomic status, the most rich have better health status than the somewhat less rich.
The influence of socioeconomic status on health goes far beyond stress. Studies in the United States and United Kingdom have shown that living in a poverty area is associated with elevated risk of disease and with increased mortality due to cardiovascular disease and cancer.
Factors that cause chronic stress in low socioeconomic areas
When you are living in deprived areas, you will be exposed to quite a few stressors. Some of these are directly related to stressful circumstances in the area, such as violence and crime. In addition, you may suffer from higher levels of environmental stressors such as noise (leading to sleep deprivation for example), and pollution, which may introduce pathogens (bacteria and viruses that make you sick) and carcinogens (chemicals that induce cancer) into the environment.
People living in deprived neighborhoods are more frequently unemployed (which is a source of stress), or have jobs that give them high job strain, with low control over the tasks to do and that do not pay very much. A lack of control over the way you carry out tasks at work and financial worries are both known sources of chronic stress. In contrast to acute, short-lasting stress, chronic stress can negatively affect health.
The negative effects of chronic stress on physical and mental health are amplified in deprived areas. This is because there are often less health services available, so that health problems may be left untreated. Also, chronic stress may provoke an unhealthy lifestyle, including smoking, eating high-calorie foods that are rich in fats and sugars (sodas, fast foods), high alcohol consumption, the use of drugs, and a lack of physical exercise. It is no surprise that all of these are elevated in poverty areas. People living there may put their health at risk while their access to medical care is often limited. This is not a good combination and may contribute to reduced life expectancy.
The importance of area of residence of health and mortality
There are thus many negative effects related to chronic stress that all come together in people with low socioeconomic status. As a result of this, overall mortality and health problems in different age groups can be predicted more reliably by area of residence than by any other factor, scientists found. This has been demonstrated in the United States and the United Kingdom.
For example, it has appeared that residing in a poverty area is associated with elevated risk of cardiovascular and cancer mortality over a 13- to 16-year period, independent of factors related to individual circumstances such as income and health. These effects of living in deprived neighborhoods were especially marked for younger people (25-54 years of age). Other effects of living in poverty areas have also been found, and include impaired mental health in adolescents, suboptimal parenting behavior due to the stress-related problems the parents may have, and depression in adults.
Conclusion
Many factors that cause chronic stress occur frequently in deprived neighborhoods. Low socioeconomic status presents therefore a great risk of developing chronic stress and associated diseases.
