In Denmark, the topic of stress is at present high on the public agenda and numerous surveys present divergent findings in relation to stress levels among the population. Researchers from the National Research Centre for the Working Environment have expressed concern that the current preoccupation with stress may lead survey respondents to report being stressed even though they may not actually be so. Nevertheless, it remains clear that work-related stress levels have increased and that women are relatively more exposed to stress than men.
Diverging views of stress
In recent times, stress has had priority status on the public agenda. Stress is increasingly being considered relevant as news material by the media; hence, it has been the subject of extensive public debate in an array of newspaper articles, opinion polls and social partner initiatives (DK0612019I). Moreover, much research has been carried out, resulting in divergent views of the level of stress in the Danish population.
Figure 1 shows that surveys from the Danish National Institute of Social Research (Socialforskningsinstituttet, SFI), the National Institute of Public Health (Statens Institut for Folkesundhed, NIPH) and the National Research Centre for the Working Environment (Nationale Forskningscenter for ArbejdsmiljA¸, NRCWE) estimate that about 10% of respondents are severely stressed. This contrasts with findings in surveys conducted by the Confederation of Salaried Employees and Civil Servants in Denmark (FunktionA|rernes og TjenestemA|ndenes FA|llesrA¥d, FTF), the Danish Association of Lawyers and Economists (DJA~F) and the Financial Services Union (Finansforbundet), which conclude that around 30% of their members are stressed.
Even more remarkably, a 2006 SFI survey concludes that 49.5% of Danish families with children suffer from stress, and a poll by the weekly newsletter A4 published by the Danish Confederation of Trade Unions (Landsorganisationen i Danmark, LO) finds that 62% of employees are stressed.
Stress levels according to different surveys, 2005aeuro"2006 (%)
Concerns of researchers
In the context of this public interest and diverging survey presentations, NRCWE has published a report on Facts and myths about stress (Fakta og myter om stress (in Danish, 606Kb PDF)), expressing concern that the concept of stress is being applied in describing conditions which scientific researchers would classify, for example, as work pressure or having to rush. In the view of the research centre, these conditions do not necessarily imply the hazardous physiological and psychological effects which characterise stress.
The increased focus on stress in society has brought the word aeuro~stressaeuroTM into everyday language in a new way, blurring the actual meaning of the concept and thereby increasing the likelihood of respondents reporting that they are stressed. According to NRCWE, the main problem in this development is that, when everybody aeuro~feelsaeuroTM and talks about stress, it becomes harder to identify the employees who are actually exposed to this risk. Consequently, NRCWE continues to apply the objective measure of stress developed in 1997 in the Copenhagen Psychosocial Questionnaire (COPSOQ) (50Kb PDF) aeuro" distinguishing between behavioural, somatic and cognitive stress. The research centre believes that the trade union surveys exaggerate the prevalence of stress.
Different survey objectives
The debate on assessing stress subsequent to the publishing of the Facts and myths report has revealed that the disparities among the surveys reflect differences in question formulation, answer categories, reference populations and the conception of stress in the surveys. However, these disparities also show differences in the overall purposes of the surveys. The NRCWE research has a health perspective and thus maps the prevalence of employees at risk of serious medical disorders. Meanwhile, the trade union surveys have a more general purpose of identifying stress as a barrier to the overall well-being of employees, and of monitoring the prevalence of stress symptoms to channel efforts in stress prevention policies.
Stress levels on the increase
Although disagreement exists in the way of defining, measuring and assessing stress, it remains clear that stress levels have increased; however, this increase is not as significant as often portrayed in the news media. Moreover, the findings of most of the surveys indicate that women in general are more likely to suffer from stress than men are.
On the basis of the NIPH Health and Morbidity Survey, it appears that the part of the Danish population at risk of negative health outcomes related to stress increased from 5.8% in 1987 to 8.7% in 2005 (Figure 2). Other indicators point towards the same direction, such as an increasing proportion of early retirement pensions and insurance disbursements due to psychosocial disorders, a greater volume of employee questions to work environment professionals and an increased frequency of depression in the population.
Stress levels, 1987aeuro"2005 (%)
Further information
For information at European level on the trends in the risks and consequences of work-related stress, see the 2005 EWCO report on work-related stress.
Rune Holm Christiansen and Helle OurA¸ Nielsen, Oxford Research
