Debt stress, psychological distress and overall health among adults in Ontario

The objective of this study was to examine debt stress and its association with psychological distress and overall health. Data were derived from the 2014-2016 annual cycles of a cross-sectional telephone survey of the general population of adults 18 years of age and older within the province of Ontario, Canada. The present analyses focused on a pooled sample of 8045 adults. Results indicated that a large proportion of the sample reported experiencing debt-related stress. Those who were female, separated or divorced, and from lower income households were at higher odds of greater debt stress relative to no debt stress. Debt stress was significantly associated with psychological distress, as well as self-rated overall mental health and general health. Adults who reported greater debt stress were at higher odds of moderate to serious psychological distress, poor to fair self rated mental health, and poor to fair self-rated general health compared to those with lower levels of debt stress. The association between debt stress and health did not vary by age, gender, employment, education, or income. The findings suggest that the stress surrounding debt is an important factor in the association between debt and health, the association is robust across various sociodemographic characteristics, and that further research is needed to better understand the nature of debt stress and its impact on health.