Stress Due to Inflation : Changes over Time, Correlates, and Coping Strategies among Working-Age Adults in the United States

BACKGROUND: During the COVID-19 pandemic, the annual US inflation rate increased from 1.2% in July 2020 to 8% in July 2022. It has since declined to 3.4% (December 2023). This study examined the prevalence of stress due to inflation during a period when it declined from 8.2% in September 2022 to 3% in June 2023 and its association with demographic and social determinants of health (SDOH).

METHODS: We conducted a cross-sectional analysis of the online Household Pulse Survey (HPS), which surveils the experiences of US households. Beginning September 2022, HPS initiated data collection on "stress due to inflation" through a question on how stressful the increase in prices in the last 2 months has been. Participants could respond: very, moderately, a little, or not stressful. We analyzed data on working-age adults (18-64 years) who responded to the above question of stress due to inflation during 14-26 September 2022 (N = 32,579) and 7-19 June 2023 (N = 36,229). We used replicate weights in chi-squared tests and ordinal logistic regression analyses controlling for gender, age, race and ethnicity, COVID-19, COVID-19 vaccination, health insurance, and SDOH, including education, lost employment income, poverty status, marital status, food affordability, and region.

RESULTS: The prevalence of stress due to inflation (price increases being very or moderately stressful) significantly increased from 76.9% in September 2022 to 78.9% in June 2023. The odds of stress due to inflation were higher for individuals with the following characteristics: female, transgender, having income below 400% of the federal poverty line, having lost employment income, not being able to afford food, had long or acute COVID-19, and did not have a COVID-19 vaccine.

CONCLUSIONS: More than three quarters of working-age adults in the US experienced stress due to inflation. Despite a declining national inflation rate in recent months, stress due to inflation has significantly increased among working-age adults. Inflation-related stress warrants further research and policy attention.

Medienart:

E-Artikel

Erscheinungsjahr:

2024

Erschienen:

2024

Enthalten in:

Zur Gesamtaufnahme - volume:21

Enthalten in:

International journal of environmental research and public health - 21(2024), 2 vom: 30. Jan.

Sprache:

Englisch

Beteiligte Personen:

Mitra, Sophie [VerfasserIn]
Shen, Chan [VerfasserIn]
Pinnamraju, Jahnavi [VerfasserIn]
Wiener, R Constance [VerfasserIn]
Wang, Hao [VerfasserIn]
Pathak, Mona [VerfasserIn]
Findley, Patricia A [VerfasserIn]
Sambamoorthi, Usha [VerfasserIn]

Links:

Volltext

Themen:

COVID-19 Vaccines
Journal Article
Social determinants of health
Stress due to inflation

Anmerkungen:

Date Completed 26.02.2024

Date Revised 27.02.2024

published: Electronic

Citation Status MEDLINE

doi:

10.3390/ijerph21020157

funding:

Förderinstitution / Projekttitel:

PPN (Katalog-ID):

NLM368876322