Dwelling on negative events biggest cause of stress

The study analysed the responses of over 32,000 participants, aged 18 - 85 years, who completed the BBC's `Stress Test' A study by psychologists at the University of Liverpool has found that traumatic life events are the biggest cause of anxiety and depression, but how a person thinks about these events determines the level of stress they experience. Researchers from the University's Institute of Psychology, Health and Society analysed the responses of over 32,000 participants, aged 18 - 85 years, who completed the BBC's `Stress Test', an online survey to explore the causes and consequences of stress. 'Thinking style' as much a factor The study - the biggest of its kind in the UK - found that traumatic life events were the single biggest determinant of anxiety and depression followed by a family history of mental illness and income and education levels. Relationship status and social factors made smaller - but still significant -contributions to stress. However, the results revealed that a person's thinking style was as much a factor in the level of anxiety and depression a person experienced.